The Tragic Murder Of Pamela Werner Explained
Just shy of an entire century later, there is still no definitive answer as to who murdered Pamela Werner, the 19-year-old British citizen who was left raped, mutilated, and lifeless outside the walls of Beijing's diplomatic district in 1937. Shortly after her body was found, a vigorous manhunt ensued in pursuit of the faceless killer. A Chinese-British detective team worked tirelessly to uncover the truth and grant her mourning family the answers they craved, but the case tragically went cold and nobody was ever convicted (via That's Mags).
Experts then and now are still baffled by the idea of someone performing such a barbaric, inhumane act of cruelty and never being brought to justice. The unnerving and disturbing details of Werner's death are akin to those uncovered in the infamous Jack the Ripper killing spree of 1888 — a slew of murders whose culprit was also never caught (per History). "She had been raped. She had been bludgeoned to death. And after that, her body had been mutilated," said retired British policeman Graeme Sheppard (per ABC News), "the most infamous aspect of which... was that her chest had been opened and her heart ... taken."
Further details and theories
Pamela Werner was the daughter of Edward Werner, the former British consul to the city of Beijing and a high-ranking diplomat. After efforts of authorities failed to wield any tangible answers, Werner took it upon himself to hire private investigators in an effort to unveil what police couldn't about her tragic murder. His network of information hounds delved deep into the Beijing streets and black markets in search of anything that might lead to the identity of Pamela's killer, but no affirmative suspects were ascertained (per That's Mags).
However, after a series inquiries and painstaking efforts to reveal the truth, Werner found himself convinced that three specific men — a marine, a dentist, and an Italian doctor — were responsible in some way for the sadistic slaying of his daughter. He tried for years to convince authorities of his postulations to no avail. In 2012, author Paul French published "Midnight in Peking," an elaborate volume examining lost details surrounding the case and arguably the most popular reflection on the infamous murder to date. Nonetheless, Pamela Werner's death and who could have been responsible for it remains a mystery (via ABC News).