Police in the United Kingdom have called for fresh information about 20 years after the torso of a suspected Nigerian boy believed to have been killed as a “human sacrifice” was found in the River Thames.
Forensics concluded he was from Nigeria after the boy’s headless and limbless body was found in the London part of the river clad in orange shorts on Tuesday.
He is thought to have been aged between four and seven.
His throat had been cut and his head and limbs cut off. Police believe the boy was trafficked from Africa and killed in a ritualistic ceremony.
London’s Metropolitan Police asked those who may have knowledge of the case to be “bold”, suggesting they may no longer be bound by former allegiances.
During the initial investigation, detectives used bone samples to identify the boy as coming from Nigeria and said he died from violent trauma to the neck.
The boy will be called Adam until his true identity is discovered, according to UK police.
The police had flown to consult South Africa’s occult crimes unit and issued a worldwide appeal through the country’s former president Nelson Mandela. They also travelled to Nigeria.
“It is incredibly sad and frustrating that Adam’s murder remains unsolved,” said detective chief inspector Kate Kieran.
“This young boy has not and will not be forgotten. He deserved better and we will not give up on him.”
Police have previously detained three people in the long-running case but released them all without charge.
