Dr Nell Darby reveals how a bungled nine-year search to track down a murderer’s real name enabled him to evade justice <\/p>

In a case of confused identities, when Frances Saunders was murdered in Peckham in 1897 by her lover, the couple was described in the press as Mr and Mrs Francis. Although Frances\u2019 real identity was soon established when her estranged husband identified her body, it took another nine years for police to work out who her suspected killer really was \u2013 but the delay enabled him to escape justice.<\/p>\n

Frances was only 31 years old, but had lived a chequered life. Married at 18 to market gardener William Saunders, she was the mother of three young children, and it seems that as she approached her thirties, she was looking for a bit of excitement. She had affairs, she drank, and she wasn\u2019t good with money. Her marriage failed, and William soon decided that she was leading such a dissolute life that he cut off her agreed maintenance.<\/p>\n

Read other instalments of Nell Darby\u2019s historical cold cases:<\/h4>\n
The mystery of Miss Lamond<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
The mystery of the vanishing widow<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Murder in the year of the Ripper<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
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She took him to court and William was ordered to pay, albeit a reduced sum; but Frances promptly absconded with one of their two sons. She then moved in with another man in Peckham. Frances\u2019 new partner was a career burglar, but one who was content to sit back and let his girlfriend prostitute herself to pay their rent \u2013 indeed, locals said Frances would bring men back to their house on Cator Street while her boyfriend was present. She was unable, however, to bring sufficient money in, and the night she was killed, neighbours heard an argument between the couple over their finances, with Frances shouting that if she could find his burglary equipment, she would happily take it to a police station and report his crimes.<\/p>\n
On the podcast |\u00a0Crime & punishment in Britain: everything you wanted to know<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Her partner waited until she and her son were asleep, and then attacked her with a hatchet. Afterwards, he calmly asked a neighbour to look after the child, claiming that Frances had had to go away. It was another three days before anyone thought to investigate where Frances was, giving her errant boyfriend ample time to escape before her body was finally found.<\/p>\n
The one that got away<\/h3>\n
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