It was developed by Sir Bernard Spilsbury, a British forensic pathologist known for his work on the Hawley Harvey Crippen case in conjunction with Scotland Yard in 1924.
The murder scene was particularly gruesome for the time period, as Mahon had carved his victim, Emily Kaye, into several pieces and attempted to burn them.
When he arrived, Spilsbury discovered a detective using his bare hands to scoop up bloodied flesh and deposit them in a bucket.
After returning to Scotland Yard, Spilsbury reported what he had discovered to the then head of the murder squad, Detective Superintendent William Brown, who proposed a standardised kit to be provided to officers in the field.
The subsequently produced kit was carried by all detectives responding to a homicide, and contained rubber gloves, tweezers, evidence bags, magnifying glass, compass, ruler and swabs.