Disappearance of Sheila Fox

Sheila Fox
Born c. 1938
Disappeared 18 August 1944 (aged 6)
Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Status Missing for 71 years, 7 months and 25 days

Sheila Fox (1938 - disappeared 18 August 1944) was an English girl whose disappearance at the age of six from Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, has been called one of World War II England's most "baffling" mysteries.[1]

Circumstances

Fox was last seen leaving her school at 4:00 in Farnworth on 18 August 1944, presumably on her way home, to which she never arrived.[2][3][4][5] Companions of Fox claimed to have seen her with a man outside of a bakery, where some accounts stated the pair were walking together and others stated she was sitting on the upturned crossbars of a black bicycle he was riding.[5]

The subject seen with the unidentified man matched Fox's physical description and also wore the same clothes she had been last seen wearing.[5] The man seen with Fox was described as a well-dressed, clean-shaven male between the ages of 25 and 30 years, with a slim build.[4]

One of the witnesses claimed to have spoken with her and stated Sheila said she was "going with this man" when asked where she was going.[1] Due to the fact that Sheila Fox was described as very shy, it is believed she likely knew the man "very well" if she was to interact with him.[6][7] Due to this, it is strongly believed that the individual responsible for the child's disappearance was someone that the victim was comfortable with.[8] After this, no trace of Fox was ever reported again.[1]

Fox's parents stated that Sheila may have been attempting to meet with friends in London, England.[6] Family members, greatly affected by the event, long hoped that she was still alive, as police were unable to find her body.[5] They were also known to keep their doors unlocked if she was to ever return, had she run away.[7] Neighbours of the Fox family stated that their hopes later changed to speculations that the girl had been murdered.[8]

Investigation

The case has always been treated as a missing person case, as no definitive evidence of murder, or even a body, was ever found.[3]

On the night of her disappearance and the following days, extensive searches for Fox were conducted in the area, by both members of the police force and volunteers.[4] Despite their efforts, police were unable to find any evidence, including the clothing she was wearing, of where she and the man had gone after Fox was last seen.[8][9] Newspapers covered the story, which was quickly "overshadowed" by events caused by the current war.[4]

Searches for Sheila were "expanded" in 2001, after police were notified by an individual claiming to have witnessed the twenty-year-old resident digging in the area around the time the girl vanished, during the late hours of the night and had long suspected foul play was involved.[1][7] This tip led to the case being reopened by investigators.[8] The location was fairly close to where she lived.[7] Residents expressed doubts that anything would be found, as earlier maintenance of the city sewers in the area had not unearthed any remains.[4]

The property, at the time, was owned by the man seen digging, who is now deceased, that was convicted of a rape six years after the disappearance and had later been convicted of a child's sexual assault in the 1960s. It was later excavated manually by authorities in hopes of finding her remains.[2][5] The procedure, which began on 5 June and lasted a few days, was unsuccessful, as nothing of evidentiary value was discovered.[9] The person of interest's son stated he had no knowledge of any circumstances requiring a police search.[7]

Some have connected the case to the murder of Quentin Smith, four years after she disappeared.[10] Other similar cases were noted to be two attacks on schoolgirls that were the same age as Fox was, in 1945 and 1948. These involved an individual bearing a knife, which was not consistent with the events leading up to Sheila Fox's disappearance and the perpetrator was never apprehended.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sheila Fox". Historic Bolton. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Dig for missing girl extended". BBC News (MMIII). BBC. 7 June 2001. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 Britton, Paul (15 February 2007). "Search continues 60 years on". Manchester Evening News (M.E.N Media). Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fielding, Steve (2009). "14". More Murderous Bolton. The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestire: Amberly Publishing. ISBN 9781848683099. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Carter, Helen (5 June 2001). "Search for girl's body after 57 years". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media Limited). Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Case File 732DFUK". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Narain, Jaya. "Garden dig for body of girl who vanished 57 years ago". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers Ltd). Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Dig for wartime girl's body resumed". BBC News (MMIII). 6 June 2001. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  9. 1 2 Penny, Thomas (6 June 2001). "Garden dig by police for 1944 missing girl". The Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group Limited). Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Holt, Frank. "Farnworth Tales". Bolton Revisited. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

External links

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