15 Places That Still Practice Ritual Killings

The U.K.

Human sacrifice hasn’t occurred on the British Isles since the time of the Ancient Celts — that is, until 2001, when the torso of a child washed up on the banks of the River Thames. The boy, who the police referred to as “Adam,” was identified as a black male around seven years old and was thought to have been trafficked to the U.K. from Nigeria. His throat had been cut and his body drained of blood, leading investigators to suspect that he’d been the victim of a ritual killing. His stomach contents, which contained gold particles and a toxic plant grown in West Africa, indicated the same.

Although a woman claiming to be the boy’s former nanny claimed to have leads on the case, police have still not been able to confirm Adam’s true identity.

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