The Mysterious Case of Fred the Head

Episode 5 - Beyond the Grave

When we are trying to solve a 50-year-old cold case and I read in the local paper the headline "Man claims to speak to Fred the Head from beyond the grave", that's just too good an opportunity to miss. We interview him and this is that interview. Interesting......

Episode 4 - Occam's Razor

From what we have already discovered, I try and piece together the simplest explanation to the five most basic questions: When?, How?, Who?, Why? and Where?

I'm joined in the process by Andy Hough, former Head of Serious Crimes, and together we  take a deep dive into the options.

The process certainly moves things forward in my mind, and just maybe, we make a minor discovery about the date the murder took place.

Episode 3 - The Investigation Begins

As news of the discovery of a dead body spreads through Burton like wildfire, the police start their investigations. Some unique aspects of the body give cause for optimism that the identity will soon be solved.

Episode 2 - The Discovery

Fifty years ago, on March 26th 1971, the body of a young man was found in a secluded spot, an
island in the River Trent with extremely limited access. He was buried in a kneeling position, naked, except for socks and a wedding ring. His hands and ankles had been bound.

In Episode2, we examine the circumstances of how the body was found by talking to the man who made the gruesome discovery all those years ago.

Episode 1 - River Island

They say that in the case of a mysterious death, the first 48 hours are critical. If investigators don't make a breakthrough in that time, the chances of it being solved are greatly diminished.

But what if they don't get a breakthrough in the first 48 hours, or the first 48 days. What if they don't get a breakthrough in 48 years?

On March 26th 1971, the body of a young man was found in a secluded spot, an island in the River Trent in the UK with extremely limited access. He was buried in a kneeling position, naked except for socks and a wedding ring. His hands and ankles had been bound.

So began one of the UK’s most baffling murder mysteries, a grisly crime that has remained unsolved to this day. 50 years ago police had no idea who he was, how he died and how he came to be buried. Today, they still don’t.

In the absence of an identification, he was given a name. Because his skull was retained by police, he became known as “Fred the Head”

To mark the 50^th anniversary of his discovery, a new podcast series. “The Mysterious Case of Fred the Head” has been released which takes a deep dive into the strange nature of this unsolved crime.