Edith Eleanora Humphries

Edith Eleanora Humphries was found dying at her home in Regent's Park at about 6.45am on 17 October 1941.

She was found in her night clothes and was taken to hospital but died soon after.

She was found lying on her bed with her throat cut by a woman that lived above her. The pathologist said that she died from a stab wound to the head that had penetrated her brain. He added that she had also been strangled but said that he didn't think that that contributed towards her cause of death.

The woman that found her said that on 17 October 1941 she couldn't find her key and when she went downstairs to see Edith Humphries and borrow hers she got no reply but found that her door was open and that she could hear her own pet terrier dog barking from inside and went inside. She said that she had a torch and shone it about and saw Edith Humphries's face covered in blood. She added that she had not since found her key.

When the police arrived they found that the small black terrier dog that had belonged to the sub-tenant who had lived on the top floor had been locked in a cupboard in Edith Humphries's flat.

The police said that there were no signs of any forced entry.

Edith Humphries was a widow and had worked as a canteen cook at the AFS Station in Caledonian Road.

Her son said that several pieces of jewellery, including a ring, were missing from her flat.

During the investigation the police said that they were tracing about twenty men that they knew to have been on friendly terms with her. They stated that each of the men were to be asked what they knew of the other as well as accounting for their own movements on the night of the murder.

Of the men, the police said that they were trying to find a man who was known to have visited Edith Humphries on many occasions and to have persisted in forcing his attentions on her even after she had ordered him to leave her alone.

It was noted that she had been neither robbed nor sexually assaulted, however, incredible violence was said to have been used against her.