In the early 1970s, South Wales experienced a terrifying manhunt that left the community shaken. It all began with the horrific murders of three teenage girls, leading to a massive police investigation into Joe Kappen, who would later be dubbed the "Saturday Night Strangler." This case not only became one of the largest murder investigations in the UK but also changed how forensic science employs DNA in solving cold cases around the world.
Kappen’s crimes haunted the Swansea community long after they occurred, and although the case was eventually resolved three decades later, Kappen never faced justice because he passed away in 1990.
The tragic events unfolded in September 1973 when two 16-year-old friends, Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd, were found dead in a wooded area after a night of dancing at a local club. Autopsy results revealed that the girls had been raped and strangled, shocking the community. The police assembled a team of over 150 detectives, initially leading to the discovery that their murders were linked to another victim, Sandra Newton, killed earlier that summer.
Despite identifying Kappen as a suspect based on his description and vehicle, police struggled to narrow down the list of potential offenders, which included about 35,000 individuals.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that advancements in forensic science provided new hope in the case. Detectives reopened the investigation, utilizing DNA testing on samples from the original crime scenes. Forensic scientist Dr. Colin Dark proposed a revolutionary method, focusing on familial DNA, which helped identify Kappen’s relatives through genetic matches.
With this new approach, the number of potential suspects was narrowed down significantly. Kappen had initially been questioned in the 1970s but had escaped detection because of an alibi provided by his wife.
To finally put an end to the mystery, Kappen’s body was exhumed, and his DNA was compared to the samples obtained from the victims. The match confirmed him as the murderer, giving closure to the families affected by his heinous acts. Geraldine’s cousin expressed immense relief, while her mother noted the lifelong pain the tragedy had caused.
The chilling saga of the Saturday Night Strangler was later chronicled in a BBC true crime drama called Steeltown Murders, which drew renewed attention to the case. After enduring years of heartache, the families were finally able to find some peace, symbolizing the end of a painful chapter in their lives.
