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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: female

Date: 7 Apr 1911

Place: Weymouth Backwater, Weymouth

A female baby was found with its throat cut in three places from ear to ear in the Weymouth Backwater.

The body was discovered by children playing near the gasworks.

It had been lying in about nine inches of water.

No clothing or covering that might help identify it was found near the body.

The doctor stated that the body was that of a full-term child in good condition and that its skin was pale and not macerated. He said that subcutaneous fat was slight, but well-marked. He said that the front of the neck was cut from ear to ear severing the wind-pipe, jugular veins and all superficial structures. He said that the cut extended from right to left and that it looked as though three attempts had been made, the first being too low down on the bone which could not divide the structures, the second a little higher up but still on the bone and the third producing the injuries described.

He said that the child weighed 6lbs and that there were no other superficial injuries. He said that the cuts were the result of a sharp instrument such as a knife or razor.

On removing the scalp, he found bruising on the bone and said that there was no food in the stomach. He also said that examination of the lungs showed that the child had breathed and had had a separate existence. He said that the child had been killed shortly after having been born and that no doubt the cause of death was the throat wound which could not possibly have been an accident.

He said that it was impossible to say how long the child had been in the water but said that there were no marks of injury by crabs. He added that the maximum time it could have been in the water was 60 hours and the minimum time was 12 hours and that the body was wrinkled from time in the water.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Western Gazette - Friday 07 April 1911

see Western Gazette - Friday 24 March 1911