What Happened After THE UNTOUCHABLES

3. From The Untouchables To 'The Unknowns': The Investigation Into The Torso Killings

In Brian Micheal Bendis and Marc Andreyko's Torso, a comic that portrays a fictionalised account of the Cleveland Torso Murders, Eliot Ness becomes involved in the case once it becomes clear it's overshadowing his responsibilities as the city's Safety Director. Bendis, a Cleveland native, marshals the story expertly, and while liberties are taken (in the same vein as Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's From Hell, a fictionalised account of the Whitechapel Murders), it serves as a superb approximation of the investigation, as well as Depression-era Cleveland.

Ness is one of three protagonists in the comic, flanked either side on the original cover by detectives Peter Myrlo and Sam Simon, who become his 'Unknowns' rather than his Untouchables. Myrlo appears to be an analogue for real-life detective Peter Merylo, who worked the Torso case and was instrumental throughout the investigation.

One of the biggest roadblocks into making a breakthrough in the case was the difficulty in identifying the victims, as well as limitations in the then burgeoning field of forensic science. The fact the killer was so meticulous and ruthless exacerbated matters further, but it soon became clear who he was targeting - victims of the Depression who were pushed to the fringes in shanty towns and by insecure work.

A grim pattern emerged. Investigators would discover a body missing its head, arms and legs - maybe even genitals - and attempt to pinpoint the time of death. Some remains were discovered days after the killer had struck, while others were found months later.

Investigators tried desperately to positively identify the victims, but the lack of physical evidence was the biggest stumbling block. So many victims had their heads missing, but for those heads that were retrieved, death masks were made and placed in public areas. Only two of the initial twelve victims were ever identified - Edward Andrassey, and Florence Genevieve Polillo.

Around this time, Merylo became convinced that the Torso killings were linked to a series of murders in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He rode the train between Cleveland and New Castle determined to find the killer, and even went undercover as one of the city's homeless in a bid to get further leads.

No suspects emerged, and as more bodies began to pile up, Ness and his fellow detectives grew impatient - leading to disastrous results.