What happened to Cora Crippen?
Cora Crippen was thought to be murdered by her husband, but is it really the true story? Read on to find out more.
Image: Waxwork of Dr Crippen at Madam Tussauds in London | Public Domain
The case of Cora Crippen is one of Britain's most infamous murder investigations due to its shocking and particularly violent nature.
Occurring during the Edwardian era, the murder of Cora Crippen became an obsession for the British people. It was one of the first sensationalised crimes that was frequently being used as entertainment, which would become a pattern with the British tabloids.
The case is explored in more detail in Sky HISTORY’s new series, Britain’s Murder Map with Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen, starting Tuesday, 7 April at 9pm. Read on to learn about the circumstances of her death and how it changed the way that certain crimes were reported in Britain. We’ll also shed light on recent suggestions that Cora might not have been murdered at all.
Who was Cora Crippen?
Cora Crippen – real name Kunigunde Mackamotzki – was born on 1st September 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. She was born to a German mother and a Russian-Polish father. Known as a somewhat precocious child, Cora was able to live alone by the age of 17, as a married man paid for her apartment.
In 1894, Cora, then called Corrine Turner, married Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen while pursuing her dreams of becoming a successful music hall singer. Upon moving to London, she took on the stage name Belle Elmore in an attempt to do so, but her career did not take off as she didn’t have the necessary skills. She tried light opera singing and vaudeville, but she was unsuccessful.
By 1897, Cora’s marriage hung by a thread. The couple were as different as it was possible to be. Cora was known for her flamboyant nature as well as her flirtatious behavior.
Dr Crippen, however, was straight-laced and sensible. Dr. Crippen began an affair with his secretary Ethel Le Neve in 1905. Cora also had an affair with a lodger whom the couple took into their home to make some extra money.
What happened to Cora Crippen?
Cora vanished without a trace on 31st January 1910 after a party at the Crippen home. When her friends expressed concern, Crippen told them that she had moved back to the United States. He later said that she had died and that her remains had been cremated in California. Eyebrows raised significantly when Crippen quickly moved his mistress Ethel into their home.
When questioned, Crippen told police that he had lied about Cora’s death, saying that she had run off to America with a lover and left him. The police believed his story at first, but when they returned to the house for more questioning, both Crippen and Ethel had disappeared. The two had fled to Brussels and were making their way to Canada.
The police did a thorough investigation of the house and discovered a human torso buried beneath the cellar. Skin from the abdomen was thought to be Cora’s, though the skeleton, limbs, and head were never found. Scientific analysis was also conducted on the torso, and it was found to have traces of scopolamine, which can be lethal at low doses.
This discovery led to arrest warrants for Crippen and Le Neve. Despite Le Neve disguising herself as a boy and posing as Crippen’s son, the two were recognised by ship captain Henry George Kendall. The captain instructed the ship’s telegraphist to send a wireless telegram to the police in Britain. The two were eventually arrested and on 23rd November 1910, Crippen was executed by hanging at Pentonville Prison in London.
The reaction to the case
The case as a whole was unique, being a first in many ways for the British public and media. Not only was the chase the first time the UK had seen a transatlantic manhunt, but it was also the first time telegraph signals were sent to a ship. The general story of the case, a failing, bawdy entertainer falling victim to her straight-laced doctor husband, felt like it had been ripped from a dramatic novel.
Even now, the drama continues, as in recent years, modern DNA testing showed that the torso found might not have been Cora’s after all. There were also talks of a woman living with Cora’s sister in New York who called herself Belle Elmore a decade after Cora’s disappearance. These lingering doubts could mean that Crippen was unjustly executed for a crime he did not commit.
Cora Crippen is thought to have been murdered by her husband, but if the recent DNA findings are correct, this may not have been the case. There are undoubtedly holes in the story, and more needs to be done if the mystery is ever to be solved.
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