ONE of the UK’s oldest missing person cases has been solved – as a woman who disappeared from her home as a schoolgirl has been found 50 years later.
But mystery remains about what happened to Sheila Fox after she went missing at the age of 16.
Sheila disappeared in 1972, having last been seen in Coventry city centre.
She then vanished from all public records for the proceeding five decades.
But cops announced today that the missing woman has been found safe and well – and is living in another part of the country.
It comes after West Midlands Police found a single photograph of Sheila from around the time of her disappearance – and put out a fresh appeal to help find her.
This led to members of the public coming forward with valuable information within just a few hours.
The discovery of Sheila hails the conclusion of one of the longest-running missing person investigations in the force’s history, a spokesperson said.
Detective Sergeant Jenna Shaw added: “We’re absolutely delighted to have found Sheila after more than five decades.
“We searched through every piece of evidence we could find and managed to locate a photo of Sheila.
“We are a small team of officers and I’d like to recognise the work of DC Shaun Reeve, who managed to resolve this case with help from the public.
“Every missing person has a story, and their families and friends deserve to know what happened to them and, hopefully, be reunited with them.”
Before Sheila was found, cops were investigating the possibility that she had changed her name – or had come to harm.
A spokesperson added: “It is believed Sheila’s parents are now deceased, so we are hoping anyone out there who might know what happened to her will get in touch with us and let us know.”
The discovery comes as another cold case from the same period, involving the gruesome murder of a teenage girl, could finally be solved after 50 years, according to a criminologist.
Jacqueline Johns’ naked body was discovered close to Battersea Power Station in southwest London in 1973 – but her killer has never been caught.
The 16-year-old’s shoes were left behind at the scene and criminologist David Wilson believes modern forensics could provide “opportunities that weren’t available at the time”.
He said that potential soil samples from the shoes could lead to fresh lines of enquiry on the case.
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SWNSSheila Fox went missing aged 16 in 1972[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
