Tuesday, September 12, 2023

September 12, 1898: Massachusetts Doc Dumps Body

Emma Gill, age 26, died in Bridgeport, Massachusetts on September 12, 1898 after a botched abortion perpetrated by Dr. Nancy Guilford. Guilford and some accomplices dismembered Emma's body, wrapped the pieces up in rubber weighted with paving stones, and dumped the parcels in a river. Some young boys discovered the body that day and authorities were eventually able to identify Emma and trace the paving stones back to Guilford's property.

Jurors were so sickened by the testimony during the trial that a mistrial was declared. Rather than go through another trial, Guilford pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Her accomplices, for some reason, were never prosecuted.

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