Anthropology: George Shotton

By Lauren Kaufman and Beth Doerr

“An Incredible tale of deceit, murder, and intrigue baffled investigators for decades”

Where

Swansea Wales 1919 Brandy Cove

Background● George Shotton was a bigamist (entered a marriage

while already married) and was alleged to have murdered his wife, Mamie Stuart, a chorus girl, in 1919 in Wales. Police investigated her disappearance but did not find her body and could only charge Shotton with bigamy for which he served 18 months hard labour. In 1961, Mamie’s remains were found by potholers in a cave.

● The body was hidden in a cave near Caswell Bay near Swansea. The postman witnessed him putting a bundle- the body- in the boot of his car. Shotton had been shocked to see him, as he thought the postman was a police officer.

● Shotton was believed to have killed Mamie Stuart because she was having an alleged affair

Additional Background

First reported by a couple who were walking along the cliffs above Brandy Cove one evening - stories of a woman's screams which echoed through the caves of the beach soon became common talk amongst the surrounding villages of Pennard, Bishopston and Caswell.

Kids from Bishopston decided to thoroughly explore the caves of Brandy Cove. It did not take them too long to uncover a horrifying secret. There, hidden behind a wall of boulders in an old lead mine, they discovered the skeletal remains of Mamie Stuart - a young woman who had disappeared from the area more than forty years earlier

What was easily discernible, however, was that her body had been inexpertly cut into three large pieces before being walled into the cave. The resulting police investigation immediately brought up George Shotton as the chief, if not only, suspect in the case.

Key Players in the Case

George Shotton Mamie Stuart

EvidenceBefore The Body Was Found:

Leather trunk- Abandoned at a hotel by a male● Her parents confirmed that the trunk contained Mamie’s clothing, jewelry, and belongings ● Shotton admitted to leaving the trunk at the hotel after a fight with Mamie

Letters to Mamie’s parents- Mamie had said she wasn’t going to live with Shotton anymore and that she knew there was something odd about him

The mailman witnessed Shotton carrying a large sac out of his home around the time Mamie went missing, when the mailman offered to help Shotton refused and then drove off in the direction of Brandy Cove

Evidence After The Body Was Found:

Although she was killed in 1919, the body wasn’t found until 1961. This meant that the coroner could not tell the cause of death, as there was no soft tissue or organs present.

The body had been inexpertly cut into three equal pieces

Jewelery found with the bones (seven inch brass chain, a celluloid hair clasp, a wedding ring, and an engagement ring) were all recognized as being similar to Mamie.

Small amount of clothing material at the scene where Mamie’s body was found

Techniques UsedThe bones found in the cave were reassembled to form a complete skeleton ● Height of the skeleton was 5’4” (Same as Mamie Stuart)● Based on the pelvis, the bones were female

Cause of death could not be determined● Possible strangulation or stabbing

Scientists were able to tell how old the victim was when she died● Gristle at the ends of the longer bones indicated that she was in her mid-twenties ● Cranium had not yet been completely fused together, indicating that she was under

the age of 30● Age 24 - 28

Outcome● Shotton was arrested in 1920 for “bigamy” and was sentenced to 18

months hard labor ● Shotton died in a Bristol hospital on April 30,1958 penniless and

alone, just three years before forensic evidence proved him guilty● Died from natural causes at the age of 78● Nowadays in Britain, no coroner’s jury would be allowed to name a

suspected murderer (Criminal Law Act of 1977)o The last person to be suspected was Lord Lucan who vanished

in 1974 after killing his children’s nanny