Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Saville Kent Pt. 1

Episode Date: September 1, 2021

In the middle of the night, 3-year-old Francis "Saville" Kent disappeared from the room he slept in with his baby sister. His body was found hours later. The murder investigation by the Wiltshire police was incompetent at best. So when Detective Inspector Jonathan Whicher from Scotland Yard arrived, everybody who lived in the home was a suspect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes graphic descriptions of infanticide and discussions of incest and insanity that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On the evening of June 29, 1860, a comet was streaking through the heavens above the British countryside. Many stood at their windows late at night, hoping to get a glimpse of the phenomenon. One such onlooker was Mary Kent of Road Hill House.

Road Hill was a modest estate that sat between Somerset and Wiltshire. Mary, a former governess, had married her employer, Samuel Kent, after his first wife had passed years earlier. She had risen from servant to madam of the house. Mary was mother to four stepchildren, three of her own, and was pregnant with her fourth. She oversaw a household brimming with activity. With the children in bed and the servants closing up the house, she just wanted a moment of quiet to gaze at the stars. While Mary stood looking out at the night sky, she was fully unaware of the tragedy that would take place that night.

One of her children was going to die. Welcome to Solved Murders, True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host, Carter Roy. And I'm your host, Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of true crimes, most fascinating murder cases, and tell the tale of how real-life detectives closed the case. You can find episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our first episode on the murder of Francis Saville Kent. This week we'll cover the whodunit mystery of the Road Hill House murder, the failed attempts of Wiltshire Police to find the killer, and the investigation made by Scotland Yards' Detective Inspector, Jonathan Witcher.

Next week, we'll cover how the failed investigations into Saville Kent's murder sparked Detective Fever in England, ruined Detective Witcher's reputation and how the truth finally came out in the most unexpected of ways. We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel

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You win? Must be 21 to enter. When the sun rose around 4 a.m., Road Hill House was still and pristine. The estate's limestone walls were shaded by the trees around the property. It belied a calm, quiet that gave no indication of the depravity that would soon be found within its gates. Elizabeth Goff, the nursemaid, awoke around 5 a.m., and noticed that one-year-old Evelyn Kent had slipped out of her night clothes. While she was redressing the infant, she saw that 3-year-old Francis Savil Kent was no longer in his bed on the other side of the room. She assumed the boy's mother had come to get him. After all, his clothes were folded and put away.

Elizabeth went back to sleep, not giving the child's absence, a second thought. After rising around 6.45 a.m., Elizabeth knocked on Mr. and Mrs. Kent's door, but got no answer. Saville's bed was still empty, however she didn't press the issue as Mrs. Kent was pregnant and had difficulty sleeping. She thought it best to let her mistress rest. Goff again went to knock on the Kent's door around 7.15 a.m. This time she was met by Mary Kent. Are the children awake, ma'am? Oh, what do you mean, children? Only Mary Amelia sleeps with us.

Master Saville isn't with you? Seeing as he sleeps in the nursery with you, I should think not. He isn't in the nursery, ma'am. Then where is he? Did you leave a chair near the crib that would allow him to crawl out? No, ma'am. Well, when did you first notice him missing? Round five o'clock, ma'am.

And you didn't immediately come to wake me. I had assumed you heard him crying in the night and came to get him. How dare you! He is a heavy, strong boy, and I am eight months with child. How could I have carried him off? Go, see if he's with one of his half-sisters. Ma'am, I- Go! Get out of my sight!

Goff asked Mr. Kent's eldest daughters from his first marriage if they had seen the child. They hadn't. Constance Kent, another of Mr. Kent's children from his first marriage, heard the commotion and came out of her room to see what had happened but said nothing. She simply listened to the account of the missing child, be lying no emotion. Neither the maid nor the cook had seen Saville either, and this set off a true panic within the household. When Samuel Kent was informed of his missing son, he ordered the gardeners to search the premises.

He ordered the odd job boy to go into the village and get a constable. Samuel Kent was a sub-inspector of factories for the government. He was notoriously disliked in the village of Road. Their property was rich with apples during high season, but Samuel prosecuted villagers who took any of his bounty. He even prohibited the townsfolk from fishing in the nearby river. Samuel Kent seemed to have a perpetual scowl on his face and was known by the villagers to be rude and lewd towards his.

servants. The family had gone through more than 100 servants since they moved to Road Hill House. While the servants were searching, Samuel Kent had his carriage prepared and rode five miles into Trowbridge to rouse police superintendent John Foley. Meanwhile, Alfred Urch, an officer of Somersetshire Constabulary, arrived at the estate around 8 a.m. Unfortunately for the Kent's, Alfred Urch was known around the county for getting drunk while on duty. Urch brought along his fellow constable James Morgan, and they spoke to the maid when they arrived. The maid told them that the drawing room door and the window

had been found open when both had been locked the previous night. The officers then followed Elizabeth Goff into the nursery where the boy had last been seen. How long have you been working for the Kent's, Miss Goff? Eight months. The previous nurse mentioned that Miss Kent would sometimes come to get the boy in the middle of the night. And that's why you didn't wake the mistress of the house? Yes, sir.

So you're saying someone came into this room while you were sleeping, abducted the child, folded his clothes, and yet you never woke? I don't know how the boy went missing, only that he is. Interesting. Anything else missing from the room besides the child? A blanket was taken from his cot as well. Well, if there's nothing further, could you show us to the basement? The family tends to keep the cellar locked, but one of the older daughters should have the key.

I can go find... No, no. I don't think that'll be necessary. Yes, it'd probably be best not to intrude upon the family. Aren't you investigating a murder? Is propriety relevant in this occasion? Of course a servant wouldn't care about propriety. We'll leave it locked and that's that. The constables continued their search, but their reluctance to violate service...

social norms, even in the face of murder, would prove to be a constant theme throughout the case. And while the constables hesitated to thoroughly investigate, the public was left to speculate on their own. Gossip spread fast in rural English hamlets, especially when a man as scorned as Samuel Kent was involved. Soon, Olive Road was talking about the missing boy. William Nut, a shoemaker, and Thomas Berringer, a farmer, decided to join. in the search party. Both men had heard that Samuel Kent was offering a 10-pound reward

to whomever found the child. The reward was equivalent to nearly 1,500 pounds today, and that alone was reason enough to help. I'm sure the boy is just off playing hide-and-seek. I fear, Thomas, that we'll find a dead child

and not a living one. I fear nothing of the sort. We'll find the boy and claim our reward. I pray you are Correct. Come, let's search that privy to the right. What is that? That is much more than mere excrement.

My God, it's as I predicted, that his blood pooled on the floor. Where? It's too blasted dark in here. Go, go fetch a light. The shoemaker went to the back of the house and got a candle from one of the Kent's part-time servants. While Nut was gone, Berringer covered his nose and tried to look down into the pool of excrement under the outhouse. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw something in the sewage. The farmer steeled himself and reached down into the disgusting pool.

He pulled out a blanket, a blanket soaked in blood. But that wasn't all he found. Shocked and horrified, Berringer glanced down at the splashboard. underneath the privy's seat. As William Nutt returned with a candle, Berringer terrified, pointed to what he saw. With the aid of the flame, it was unmistakable. Underneath the lavatory lid, two feet below,

was the contorted body of three-year-old Francis Savile Kent. Coming up, the discovery of the boy's body leads to more questions than answers and turns everyone who lives at Road Hill House into a suspect. Massive spiders, fierce crocodiles, violent kangaroos. With all of the dangers lurking within Australia, one species remains feared above the rest. Humans.

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Catch a new episode of Crime Down Under every Sunday. Listen free only on Spotify. And now, back to the story. On June 30, 1860, the body of Francis Savile Kent was found in the servant's outhouse on the Road Hill House estate. When the farmer reached into the decrepit depths to lift the boy's body, the child's head tipped back and almost, fell off. The boy's throat had been cut to the bone. Because of his age and the brutality of the

inflicted wound, the child's head was barely attached to his body. It was a ghastly sight. The two men laid out the bloody blanket on the floor and placed the boy's already rigid body onto it. Together they wrapped the deceased up and took him to the house. In life, Savile Kent had been big for his age, well-developed and strong, with blonde curly locks. The boy had only been on earth for three years before his life was cut brutally short. He was well-loved by his parents and considered their favorite in the eyes of the servants. All who knew him considered him a happy, loving child. Nut and Berringer placed the boy's body in the kitchen where Marianne and Elizabeth Kent were tending to Evelyn with Elizabeth Goff.

At the sight of their brother's corpse, the girls looked as if they would faint. The constables looked at Elizabeth Goff with suspicion. Has Master Kent returned yet? Is that his blanket? Oh dear, had he truly been taken from the nursery? You must sleep mighty soundly to allow someone in and out of your room

with the child in their arms. You know nothing of the situation. It's only now seeing his blanket that I realized it too was taken from whence he slept. That isn't so, Miss Gough. You told us not moments ago that the blanket had been missing from the boy's cart. So which is it? Did you know that the blanket was missing?

Or did you know nothing of the sort? I thought he was with his mother. I didn't know the blanket was missing as well. With all the commotion in the kitchen, the odd-jaw boy found another piece of evidence by the privy door. He knelt down and picked up a piece of newspaper that was stood. wet with blood, it looked as if it had been used to clean a murder weapon. The boy gave the bloody newspaper to Stephen Millett, a butcher and another parish constable.

As a butcher, Millett was familiar with animal blood. Even still, the coagulated blood on the privy floor and the blanket was disturbing. Reverend Peacock, a preacher in one of Samuel's close acquaintances, arrived after Saville's body had been found. The man of God got on a horse and left to tell Samuel Kent the horrid news. Samuel, I've been looking for you. It isn't me you should be on the lookout for. It's my boy who's missing. Sam, the little boy, he's... He's been found? He's been found dead. No, no it can't be. Samuel Kent arrived at Road Hill House shortly before Joshua Parsons, the family physician.

He had been brought over so that he could examine the child's body. Samuel gave the doctor a key to the laundry room as the boy's body had been moved out of the kitchen. There, Parsons did a cursory examination of the dead toddler's body,

taking care to note what he saw. Rigamortes has fully set in, indicating the child was killed at least five hours earlier. That is, sometime prior to 3 a.m. The blanket and nitress are soaked in blood and excrement. The child's throat was cut to the bone from left to right by some sharp instrument. The cut has completely severed all membranes, blood vessels, and air tubes.

There is a stab wound in the chest which has punctured the cartilage of two ribs, but which produced little blood. Most curious, however, is that the mouth has a blackened appearance with the tongue protruding between the teeth, likely due to forcible pressure covering the face. While Parsons conducted his examination, police superintendent John Foley arrived at the house around 9 a.m. When he interviewed Goff, she once again said she had not noticed the blanket was missing

until the child's body was wrapped in it. This was in direct contradiction to what she had told police earlier in the day. Superintendent Foley asked Samuel Kent if the blanket had been missing prior to his trip to Trowbridge. Samuel said it had not. The officer believed Mr. Kent was either lying or seriously confused, but he was unsure which.

The superintendent studied the boy's body and then went to examine the outhouse in which the child had been found. When Superintendent Foley looked below the outhouse, he found a flannel covered in blood. This turned out to be a woman's breast. flannel, and the blood was still wet. To Foley, this meant that the last person to see the child alive was likely a woman. Samuel's acquaintances started showing up to offer their support and services. Among them were Joseph Stapleton, a surgeon, and Roland Rodway, a lawyer.

Rodway found Samuel devastated when he arrived. He was in the middle of an argument with Police Superintendent John Foley. Damn it, John, we need to telegraph London at once. I want a detective here before any trace of the crime can disappear or be removed. We are unlikely to get approval and that will only cause you more difficulty and disappointment. My men and I have this crime scene handled. What are we to do? I've sent to Trowbridge for a woman to search your female servants.

I would still like to send for a detective. Let the Home Secretary deny us, but we should make the request. Believe me, you don't want some London detective coming in and upending your family's private lives. Damn my privacy, find who killed my son! Foley again interviewed Goff in front of Stapleton and Rodway. While she was tired, she answered all the questions simply and consistently. Her story wasn't changing. As the day wore on, more and more people came to Road Hill House, including Eliza Dallimore.

Eliza was tasked with surveying the female servants. The first person she searched was Elizabeth Goff. I've shown all the officers the nursery multiple times. What is this about? You must strip. You must be joking. I assure you I am not. Please undress yourself.

This is very untoward. Close off, please, Miss Goff. It's a very shocking thing. this murder. Yes, it is. Can you give me your account of it? As I've said before, I woke around 5 a.m. and saw that Saville was not in his cot. I assumed his mother had taken him as he generally goes to her in the morning. Is that so? Why do you think someone would harm the boy? This was done through jealousy. The little boy goes into his mother's room and tells everything. That's a convenient answer for someone who refuses to disrobe.

It's indecent. Superintendent Foley! Yes, Miss Gough. Your searcher is demanding I take my clothes off. Miss Dallimore, please. You're here to search the servants, not humiliate them. Let her leave her clothes on. Fine.

Dallimore continued her search by looking at the women's night dresses. While searching the room of Marianne Kent, Dalymore found that the eldest Kent daughter's nightdress had blood stains. She immediately brought the dress to Dr. Parsons. Parsons easily surmised that the blood stains were from natural causes. Marianne Kent was menstruating. Regardless, authorities decided to keep the nightdress as evidence. The doctor, however, now had more important work to attend to.

Parsons received a message around 5 p.m. from the Wiltshire Quarston. ordering him to conduct an official post-mortem examination of the child. Joseph Stapleton, the surgeon, joined him during the exam. The two doctors found no evidence of the child being drugged prior to his murder. They noted that whoever murdered the child used great force. The stab wound perforated his diaphragm and displaced his heart in his chest. Parsons believe that the weapon was likely a dagger, and that these wounds could not have been made by a razor.

This all seemed relatively consistent with what had been surmised earlier, but two discoveries from the examination would prove instrumental to the investigation. The first was that Saville's mouth had a blackened appearance. This, Parsons suggested, meant that the killer likely violently thrusted the blanket into the child's mouth to prevent him from crying. The other issue was that a lot of the child's blood had not been accounted for. If Saville's throat had been caught while he was alive, spurts of blood should have sprayed all around the privy in which he had been murdered.

The lack of blood at the murder site was a mystery. As the murder occurred on a Friday, it wasn't until Monday, July 2, 1860, that the coroner for Wiltshire opened a formal investigation into the death of Saval Kin. He held the inquest at a local pub, the Red Lion Inn. Ten jurors were summoned, with Reverend Peacock serving as the jury's foreman. Samuel Kent could not bear to attend, and had Roland Rodway watched the proceedings for him.

The jury was taken to Road Hill House to view the boy's body. They inspected the home and the grounds. The coroner let Superintendent Foley know that the maid, Cox, and the nurse Goff would be needed as witnesses. This meant they needed to finish their work quickly. Before leaving for the Red Lion Inn, Cox sorted the week's laundry into two baskets. She left the large hampers for Hester Hawley, the laundress, to pick up.

Holly and her daughter retrieved the baskets before noon. Holly and her daughters took note of the laundry book, wherein Marianne Kent had listed all of the articles of clothing to be laundered. The Holly women, when going through the list, found that one of Constance Kent's nightdresses was missing. The missing night dress was something both the police and the jury were unaware of at the time. Back at the inquest, Cox and Goff gave their accounts of the evening and morning after. Goth specifically described Saville as a cheerful, happy, and good-natured child. When the ladies were finished, Dr. Parsons explained how,

the murder had taken place. The child had likely been suffocated before having his throat slashed. Based on the examination, Dr. Parsons thought the murder had happened before three in the morning. When the coroner tried to end the inquest there, the jury objected.

They wanted to interview William and Constance Kent. Under duress, the coroner allowed William and Constance to be examined. They briefly interviewed. the teenagers in the kitchen of Roadhill House. I'm sorry for the intrusion, Miss Kent. We just have a few questions. Of course.

What can you tell me about your brother's death? Everyone was kind to the child. I knew nothing of his death until he was found. And the nursemaid, Miss Goff? I heard her tell my sister that he was missing that morning. She's generally quiet and attentive. She performs her duties in every aspect as one would wish. Thank you, Miss Kent.

Nothing further. Williams' evidence was indistinguishable from his sisters. However, it was noted that he spoke with much more warmth and caring. One of the jurors stood up to say that he and some of his fellow jurors believed that the murderer might be a member of the Kent family. The jurors felt that Peacock, Parsons, and the coroner himself were not taking the investigation seriously, and were trying to cover up that fact to protect their friend Samuel Kent.

The coroner dismissed their concerns. He reminded the jury that they were responsible for determining the means by which Saville had met his end. They were not there to identify his murderer. The jury reluctantly signed an order stating that a person or person's unknown had killed the child. Around 11 a.m. on July 3rd, 1860, Hester Hawley returned the laundry book to the maid, but didn't say anything about her discovery that Constance's dress was missing. Later that afternoon, Constable Morgan arrived at her home to question her about the bloody flannel that had been found by Superintendent Foley.

She said she did not recognize it as any of the Kent's. Despite her discovery that one of the night dresses was, missing, she made no mention of this to Constable Morgan. Hester had concealed this information from the police, but she had also concealed it from the Kent's. Realizing that she hadn't told the Kent's about the missing nightdress, she sent her daughter to let the Kent know. Upon hearing this news, Mrs. Kent questioned the maid and her stepdaughter Marianne. They both recalled packing three night dresses, but Martha Holly promised Mrs. Kent that when the baskets were given to them for laundering, there were only two.

Due to the confusion caused by the missing nightdress, Hester Holly was summoned to the Kent's home to account for it. Mr. Kent, as I've had my daughter explain already, the nightdress was never in the basket we received. We checked multiple times. My daughter and housemaid both swore to the fact that it was. Your daughter is mistaken. Are you trying to endanger my family, Hester? Make my daughter look like a criminal? Is that what you're trying to do?

I know the stress you're under, Sam, but I can't find a dress I never had. You will, and you will do so within 8 to 48 hours, or I will have you arrested for theft. Am I understood? I think our business is concluded. You can find someone else to clean your dirty laundry. It's out for all to see now, isn't it? Mr. Kent. After this exchange, Hester Hawley refused to take in the Kent's laundry any further.

She never mentioned to police that the nightdress was missing, and Samuel Kent's threats of prosecution seemed to be no more than bluster. On July 6, 1860, Francis Saville Kent was laid to rest, but the investigation into his murder was still going nowhere. Superintendent Foley attempted to search the river near the property in order to find the murder weapon, but the waters were too high. The Wiltshire magistrates requested that a detective from Scotland Yard be sent to help them with the case. Their request, however, was rejected.

This forced the magistrates to formally open their own investigation. On July 9, 1860, Superintendent Foley sent Eliza Dallimore to Road Hill House once again. This time she made the female servants of the house try on, on the flannel that had been found at the scene of the murder. The flannel had been freshly laundered, all the filth from the killing washed away, but the shirt did not fit the maid nor the cook. It did, however, fit Elizabeth Goff.

Elizabeth was now the prime suspect in the Wilcher police's investigation. The simple truth was that no one believed that someone could have entered the nursery and abducted the child without her waking. The working theory was that three-year-old Saville had woken up to find a man in Goff's bed, and to silence the boy, the two lovers killed him. This theory was built upon Goff's own testimony that the child was a tattletale. Many thought Samuel Kent could have been that lover.

He had plenty of opportunities to dispose of any incriminating clues and the conflicting accounts of when each believed the blanket went missing held the most weight. And if the two were having an affair, it would account for why Goff hadn't woken Mrs. Kent. On Tuesday, July 10, 1860, the Wiltshire magistrates had police arrest Elizabeth Goff for the murder of William Savile Kent. On being apprehended, the Bath Chronicle reported that Elizabeth fell senseless to the ground in hysterics. On the same day that Elizabeth Gough was arrested, the Morning Post published an editorial criticizing the Wiltshire police's investigation.

It called out the hasty manner in which the coroner's inquest had been handled and wanted them replaced with the most experienced detectives. Within days, newspapers across England had picked up the story. By Thursday, July 12, 1860, the Wiltshire magistrates, despite having a suspect in custody, renewed their plea for a detective to be sent from London.

This time, the reply was quick. On Saturday, July 14th, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police ordered Detective Inspector Jonathan Witcher of Scotland Yard to travel to road and investigate Saville's murderer. Coming up, Detective Inspector Jonathan Witcher digs deep into the lives of the Road Hill House residents to see who among them could really be

killer. Now, back to the story. On Sunday, July 15, 1860, Detective Inspector Jonathan Witcher sat on a train from London, headed to Trowbridge. Witcher was one of the eight original Scotland Yard officers. He was one of the first and most respected detectives in the modern world. Wichler was a husky fellow, known for his purpose-driven yet careful mannerisms. His face was marked with smallpox scars, and he had the calm confidence of a man who was an expert in his field. At 11 a.m. on July 16th, Witcher attended the secret proceedings at Temperance Hall with Superintendent Foley.

He watched as the magistrates re-examine the witnesses from their previous inquests, including Wiltshire Police's only suspect, Elizabeth Goff. But there was no evidence to convict Goff, so at around 1 p.m., she was released. After the hearing, the magistrates spoke to reporters and put the investigation solely into the hands of Witcher. They put up a 200-pound reward, the equivalent of about 25,000 pounds today,

for any person who gave information that led to the conviction of the killer. Witcher was shown all the evidence, and he was convinced that the killer had to have been someone who lived at Rhode Hill High. house. After a thorough examination of the house, which are believed that the drawing room window had been purposely open to throw off the investigation. He surmised the killer hadn't even gone through the drawing room, but had in fact taken a completely different route, down the back

stairs and through the kitchen. This was a much more direct path to the privy where the child had been found. That afternoon, he searched Constance's bedroom. There, he decided. discovered the list of items that she brought home from boarding school. It listed three night dresses. She only had two. The missing nightdress had become witcher's first clue. While the Wiltshire police's investigation focused on the servants of Road Hill House, Witcher focused on the family.

The detective was able to build an accurate picture of the characters involved in the tragic death of Saville through his interviews. He even became familiar with one who was no longer among them, the first Mrs. Kent. In 1833, Samuel Kent had taken a leave of absence from work due to an unspecified illness. Though not confirmed, it is quite likely that the illness Samuel Kent had was syphilis, and it is also likely he passed this on to his wife at the time. Samuel's first wife gave birth to their son Edward in 1835. By 1836, she started showing signs of madness.

She was plagued by delusions and confusion. Despite his wife's poor mental health, Samuel continued to impregnate her. Four babies died, one after another. Constance, born on February 6, 1844, was put under the care of her governess, Mary Drew Pratt. Mary's care markedly improved the girl's health, and Constance became the first Kent child to grow into adolescence in years. On July 10, 1845, William was born. Mary Pratt continued to raise the kids and managed the household

as Marianne's madness intensified. She also began taking care of Mr. Kent's sexual desires. Samuel Kent, it turned out, was sleeping with his children's governess. Mary Ann Kent died in 1852, and by August of 1853, Samuel Kent had married Mary Drew Pratt, the children's governess. This was a salacious scandal to Kent's neighbors and even his employer, but his betrayal deeply affected one soul in particular. His son, Edward, now 18, was horrified to learn of the marriage after returning home from a stint in the Merchant Navy. According to Joseph Stapleton, the surgeon and family friend, Edward was Saville's true father.

Father and son had fought over the love of the governess. Unfortunately, Edward died of yellow fever in Havana in 1858, so there was no one alive who could verify the rumor. Mrs. Kent vehemently denied it. Witcher was told the new Mrs. Kent was impatient and strict. Constance would act out as a child, and Mrs. Kent would smack her in the head or lock her away in another part of the home. It seemed everyone at Road Hill House had a secret. The family's dark past was telling Witcher a story, but in order to fill in the missing gaps, he needed to expand his investigation.

Witcher started with Constance's school in Beckington. The headmistress there had nothing bad to say about the girl and even mentioned that she was awarded the school's second prize for good conduct. Nevertheless, Witcher asked for the addresses of her closest friends. While in Beckington, Witcher called on Dr. Parsons to hear what he had to say beyond his post-mortem examination. Doctor, thank you for your time. I wanted to get your thoughts on this case. Well, for one, you already have the murder weapon in your possession. How do you mean? The real weapon was the blanket. or a length of cloth. Based on the markings around the child's mouth, he had been suffocated

prior to having his throat cut. You think the killer cut the boy's throat after the fact, perhaps to hide the true cause of death? I can't speak to motive, only that, in my experience, this kind of marking indicates the child was deprived of oxygen before he was deprived of blood. And this would explain the lack of blood. Cutting the boy's throat post-mortem means there would be no blood flowing, thus no splatter. If you were to venture a guess, who among the inmates of Rhode Hill are capable of killing a child? I don't have to venture. It was the girl, Constance. Her school's headmistress couldn't have had nicer things to say. What makes you think her a suspect? I've only been her doctor for a few years, but the girl has a history of instability and spite.

I am convinced she is afflicted with homicidal madness. Passed down from the mother, I presume. Hmm. Anything else? Yes, her nightdress. The one I examined the day of the murder was not just clean. It was freshly laundered. I said as much to Foley, not that he listened. You told this to Superintendent Foley and he did nothing about it?

He didn't want to intrude on the young lady's privacy. But suffice it to say, I would not sleep in the same home as Miss Constance without securing my door. Witcher kept the close eye on the members of the Kent family. He watched their comings and goings. He deduced their character from their actions. Detective work was a new science and it was imperfect. But Jonathan Witcher was able to read people the way some read books. Witcher felt he could see people's thoughts in their eyes.

While at the time this was just a hunch, Witcher instinctually read the body language of his subjects in much the same way a modern-day mentalist might. In his report about the Kent family to his superior, Sir Richard Maine, Witcher said, Mr. and Mrs. Kent are doting to their younger children. The older boy, William, is quite dejected. He has a sympathy for, and a close intimacy with his sister Constance.

When Constance heard about the death of her half-brother, she made no remark, showed no emotion. Her coolness belies the capacity for artful crime. That close intimacy that Witcher had noticed between Constance and William would be confirmed on July 18, 1860. Witcher interviewed police in Bath

about an incident involving the two children in 1856. Constance and William had run away from Roadhill House. The two hid in the privy, where four years later their brother would be found murdered, and Constance changed into some of

Williams' old clothes. She had mended and hidden the clothes to be put aside for their plan. She then cut off her hair and disguised herself as a boy. She discarded her dress in the privy the same way someone would discard Saville four years later. The pair planned to become cabin boys like their brother Edward. They were headed to Bristol and walked ten miles to Bath. They arrived at a hotel where they approached the front desk. They requested a room, but the owner of the inn could tell that something was off about them.

Constance was self-possessed and even insolent with the innkeeper, but William, upon being found out as a runaway, broke down in hysterics. The innkeeper put William to bed at the hotel, but Constance was handed over to the Bath Police. She said nothing. William confessed to the police that the escape was his idea. He wanted to go to sea, and his sister cut her hair and wore his clothes merely to accompany him. Upon returning home, Constance refused to apologize for the incident.

She simply stated she wished to be independent. After learning of Constance and Williams' exploits in Bath, Witcher traveled to Warminster to interview Constance's schoolmate Emma Moody. Emma reiterated what Witcher had surmised watching the Kents. And you say she didn't want to go home at the end of the school term? Oh, no. I asked her, won't it be nice to go home? And she said, to your home maybe, but mine is different. Different how? She once told me that if she asked for a blue dress, her stepmother would only let her have black or brown.

She said the woman was spiteful, and so she took it out on the boy. You mean her younger brother? Yes. She said she disliked the child and would pinch him. I believe she meant it in jest, but she was awfully jealous of how her parents treated him. I told her this was wrong, as it wasn't the child's fault, but she simply said, how would you like it if you were in my place? Emma told Witcher that Constance resented her parents for their partiality to Saville and the children of the second marriage. She would often talk about how the second family were treated much better than her and William.

Emma's interrogation painted Constance as a Cinderella under the thumb of her evil stepmother, but it was the children's running away that gave Witcher the most pause. That incident proved many things to Witcher, chief among them that Constance and William were extremely despondent in their home and capable of making secret plans through disguise and deceit. Most interesting, however, was that their hideaway was the privy, which had become the sight of their half-brothers' murder. On Thursday, July 19, 1860, Witcher sent crews to search the River Frome. Neither Constance's missing nitrous nor a murder weapon turned up. Around this time, even Samuel Kent began telling the police and reporters about Constance's mental state. The

devises and Wilts Gazette stated, quote, Mr. Kent has not hesitated to intimate that his own daughter committed the murder. Parsons and Stapleton were also described as speaking to the girl's potential insanity. Quote, the medical men give it as their opinion that the young lady Constance possesses a temperament likely to be influenced by sudden fits of passion. Samuel informed Witcher that a younger Constance was obsessed with the 1850s Madeline Smith murder trial. She had stolen newspapers about the incident

from his study and denied it. The Smith trial revolved around Madeline Smith, a Scottish architect's daughter, charged with murdering her lover by poison. Smith was generally believed to be guilty, but the trial was considered not proven, a verdict only possible in Scottish courts. This suggested to Witcher that the girl was taking an interest

in ghastly crimes at the tender age of 13, and that her father was preparing to use an insanity defense for his daughter. On July 20, 1860, Jonathan Witcher told the magistrates he suspected Constance Kent of the murder of her half-brother. They issued a warrant to arrest her. Can I help you, detective? Constance Kent. I have a warrant for your arrest for the murder of Francis Saville.

Kent. I am innocent. The magistrates will determine the truth of that. Let me at least fetch my mourning bonnet. I'll accompany you to your room. With Constance in custody, the Wiltshire magistrates gave Witcher one week to find any additional evidence. He may need to show the girl ought to be tried. The clock was ticking for the detective to make his case. Thanks again for tuning into solved murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with part two of Francis Saville Kent. We'll show how Detective Witcher's arrest of Constance Kent shocked a nation and sparked Detective fever in England,

ruined his reputation, and how the truth finally came out in the most unexpected of ways. For more information on the murder of Francis Savile Kent, among the many sources we used, we found Kate Somerscale's book, The Suspitions of Mr. Witcher, a shocking murder and the undoing of a great Victorian detective, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast

for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. If we live till next time. Solved Murders True Crime Mysteries is a Spotify original from Parcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler, sound designed by Michael Langsner, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Freddie Beckley. This episode of Solve Murders was written by Kevin P. Regan, with writing assistance by Giles Hofsef, fact-checking by Amber Hurley, and research by Mickey Taylor.

The amazing cast of voice actors includes Joe Hernandez, Brian Kim, Albert Park, Ellie Schiff, Rebecca Thomas and Jen Wong. Solve Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy. Hi there, it's Alistair from Parkast. You may have heard of the Somerton man, Azaria Chamberlain, or the Wonder Beach murders. But do you know the whole terrifying truth? Be sure to check out my new series, Crime Down Under,

where we travel to the land down under to explore the most shocking true crime cases in Australian history. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Crime Down Under, and catch a new episode every Sunday, free and only on Spotify.