NORFOLK– MARCH 17
Authorities arrested a man today they believe is the “Forest Skinner,” suspected of committing a series of unsolved murders around Norfolk County during the 1970s and 80s.
The suspect, who was wearing what appeared to be a handmade suit of unidentified animal hide, was severely malnourished and offered no resistance.
The arrest was the result of a CrimeLine tip given by two juvenile hikers who stumbled across a stone cottage.
The murders were committed in the Forest Park area of Norfolk between 1971 and 1989 and were infamous for the gruesome way the victims, all children, had been skinned alive.
This reads more like reportage than a story. It’s gruesome, but we don’t get into the characters’ heads
it is reportage. hence the dateline ;-)
fair enough
Why don’t I trust this report?
Sounds more like the spotted a stranger and decided to hang him for it.
Dear J Hardy,
I hope they do DNA testing. Well reported.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Not your usual style, so full marks for breaking out of character.
With a few more words this could be, a modern take on a Grimm’s Fairy tale. Don’t go in to the woods tonight, for if you do …
I liked it!
The grimmest of the grim – with a touch of Grimm thrown in too! Just the sort of thing the Brothers might write up.
Perhaps it tied up all too nicely. More detective work is required to be sure.
I have a feeling they got the wrong man… it seems like a comfortable closure to blame an outcast, but I forecast the next skinned juvenile hiker to be find soon.
Oh crime thriller!
Ah, it sounds a little too easy, doesn’t it? I’m sure that poor, severely malnourished guy was just some poor sap who’d been trying to survive in the woods as a Back-to-Naturer.
Oooh, wonderfully, horribly grim. And the reportage style is just right.
I have to wonder about what this story says about you in that you imagined it and about me for liking it so much…lol. Were I reading this in the news, I’d be searching every day to see if the authorities identified the animal hide. I probably should seek professional help. :)
Great piece!
Norfolk seems a place to avoid. And their police need a refresher course in detecting. Great genre piece.
This is right up my street. I’m fascinated by serial killers and also the romantic notion of living wild in the woods. Great job
Gulp. I’m having a hard time ‘liking’ the story, but the writing is great and very effective.
Yikes, hate to come upon that on a hike. The matter of fact reporting makes the gruesome nature so horrifying.
I do hope there will be further updates on that story!