Britain's “Canal K*ller” Just Died in Prison With His Dark Secrets.. JOHN SWEENEY

British convicted murderer John Sweeney, known as the “Canal Killer” and “Scalp Hunter,” died at HMP Whitemoor in August 2026 while serving a whole-life sentence. Sweeney was convicted in 2011 of murdering former girlfriends Melissa Halstead and Paula Fields, whose remains were discovered in canals in Rotterdam and London a decade apart. Halstead remained unidentified for 18 years until a Dutch cold-case investigation and DNA testing finally connected her death to Sweeney.

The case also centers on survivor Delia Balmer, who told police Sweeney had confessed to killing Melissa before he nearly killed Balmer in a 1994 attack and disappeared for six years. In this episode, we follow the John Sweeney timeline, the canal murders, his disturbing drawings, the investigation that finally connected the victims, and the unanswered question he took to his grave: were there more victims?