



Walter Krupa was only 12 when he was strangled to death. He died in 1906, & had lived his short life in South Chicago, by the Calumet River.

On December 10th, he had been sent by his parents to the local butcher’s shop to buy some meat. He made it to the store, but after leaving was never seen again. It wasn’t until January 26th of 1907 that his body was found.

After examination, the police were able to ascertain that young Walter had been abducted by a very strong man. Bruises, dark fingerprint where hands had grasped his neck, & burst blood vessels were all over his neck. He had not died from strangulation, however - he had drowned. After being choked unconscious, Krupa was thrown into a swamp near 106th Street & the Calumet river, & died in the water.

His body, though found so long after his death, was intact as it had been frozen into the ice of the water. The swamp where he was found was a desolate area, with very few people ever around it. The place was known however to be a gathering ground for tramps & vagrants, & the police suspected one might be behind his murder.

An interesting note is that another man, Charles Carlson, had also been found in the same swamp, frozen in the same ice, his body laid in the same position. Though his age isn’t given, Charles had disappeared over three years prior & only been found three months before Walter’s discovery.

From the Chicago Tribune, 25 January 1907 (Source), 27 January 1907 (Source).