HISTORICAL INFO
WHAT ARE THE BRIDES OF THE BATHTUB?
The "Brides in the Bath" refers to a series of murders committed by George Joseph Smith between 1912 and 1914. Smith was a conman and bigamist who married multiple women under false pretenses, swindled them out of their money, and then drowned them in bathtubs to make their deaths appear accidental. His three known victims were:
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Beatrice Constance Annie Mundy (died 13 July 1912) – A wealthy woman with a tightly controlled trust fund, she was found drowned in the bathtub of her rooms in Herne Bay. Of the victims, she was married to Smith for the longest period of time.
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Alice Burnham (died 12 December 1913) – A nursery governess and general nurse, she was discovered drowned in a Blackpool lodging house about six weeks after marrying Smith.
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Margaret Elizabeth Lofty (died 18 December 1914) – A 38-year-old music teacher who married Smith just a day before she was found dead in the bathtub of their London boarding house the day after her marriage.
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Smith was arrested in 1915 after police connected the similar circumstances of the deaths. Medical experts demonstrated how he likely forced his victims underwater using a technique that left little evidence of struggle. He was convicted of murder and executed by hanging on 13 August 1915.
The case was significant in forensic history, as it was one of the first to rely on expert testimony about how drowning could occur without signs of violence.
George Joseph Smith
(11 January 1872 – 13 August 1915)
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George Joseph Smith was a British conman, bigamist, and serial murderer, best known for the "Brides in the Bath"killings. A career criminal, he lived by deception, marrying at least eight women under false identities and systematically defrauding them of their savings. While he abandoned most of his wives after stealing their money, he murdered three—Beatrice Mundy (1912), Alice Burnham (1913), and Margaret Lofty (1914)—by drowning them in bathtubs and staging their deaths as accidents.
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Born in Bethnal Green, London, Smith had a troubled youth and was first imprisoned for theft as a teenager. Over the years, he developed sophisticated scams, often targeting vulnerable or wealthy women. His ability to manipulate and charm his victims enabled him to commit bigamy repeatedly without raising suspicion.
His downfall came after the suspicious pattern of his wives' bathtub deaths was noticed by police. The investigation led to one of the first forensic reconstructions in criminal history, proving that Smith had likely used a method to drown his victims without leaving signs of struggle. He was arrested in 1915, convicted of murder, and hanged at Maidstone Prison on 13 August 1915.
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His case became a landmark in forensic science and legal history, demonstrating the importance of medical expertise in criminal investigations.
