Top 10 Lesser-Known Unsolved Disappearances in England

Losing a child or loved one is an anguish that only those who have experienced it can fully understand. Some dedicate their lives to finding that person. Unfortunately, many never do. Approximately 170,000 people are reported missing every year in the United Kingdom. While most are quickly solved, many missing people vanish, never to be seen again.

Here are 10 lesser-known unsolved disappearances in England. The fate of every person on this list is shrouded in mystery, with little clues and evidence to go on.

Related: Top 10 Mysterious Missing Persons Cases

10 Ruth Wilson

Dorking is a small town in Surrey, England, surrounded by picturesque countryside. In November 1995, the town came into the spotlight when 16-year-old Ruth Wilson disappeared under mysterious circumstances. There are many unique and unsettling facts to this case. By all appearances, Ruth was from a happy, tight-knit family and attended church. She was not thought of as popular but had a few close friends and performed well at school.

On the day she disappeared, Ruth took a cab to Box Hill and then disappeared off the face of the earth. The cab driver dropped her at the side of the road in the pouring rain and remarked to police that she looked like she was waiting for someone. Ruth was struggling at the time of her disappearance, having only learned that her mother committed suicide when she was four years old.

The day before her vanishing, Ruth visited a florist and arranged for flowers to be delivered to her stepmother in two days—meaning after her disappearance. The police have refused to release interview transcripts conducted after Ruth’s disappearance, and her father and stepmother have rejected journalists’ attempts to contact them for interviews and appeals for information.^[1]

9 Charlene Downes

Historically, Blackpool has long been one of the UK’s most popular beach resorts. The town is well-known for its famous illuminations and cheap, cheerful family holidays. However, the town was thrust into unfavorable light in 2003 when a young girl vanished with no trace.

Charlene Downes was just 14 years old when she disappeared on November 1, 2003. On the day she vanished, various CCTV cameras showed Charlene in Central Blackpool in good spirits with her sister. The last sighting of Charlene was later that night near her home when she and her friend said goodbye. Law enforcement and Charlene’s family believe she has been murdered; however, no body or trace of her has ever been found despite multiple investigations and appeals.

Two men were arrested and brought to trial in 2007, but the jury could not reach a verdict. Prosecutors at the trial argued that Charlene had been killed, and her remains were dismembered in a kebab shop. However, her parents do not support this theory.

Police issued a fresh appeal in 2023 in an attempt to bring Charlene’s family some closure after 20 painful years. According to the police investigation, her disappearance is linked to child sexual exploitation. A reward of £100,000 is still on offer for any information that leads the police to Charlene’s body or helps to convict those responsible for her vanishing.^[2]

8 Ames Glover

Ames Glover was just 5 months old when he disappeared on February 5, 1990. Ames’s mother and father were separated, and the child was with his dad, Paul Glover, on that Monday evening in Southall, London. Glover said to police that he left his son in his locked car while he withdrew cash and bought food. When he returned 15 minutes later, Ames had disappeared.

Police had trouble validating Paul’s story as the vehicle showed no signs of a break-in, and no eyewitnesses saw Ames being taken or even present in the car at any point. Paul Glover was the police’s main suspect; however, he was released uncharged after his arrest and has always denied any involvement.

Ames’s mother, Shanika Ondaatjie, however, believes her ex-husband to be responsible, and she issued fresh appeals in 2012 and 2020 for any new information related to the disappearance. According to police, Ames may have been smuggled out of the country to Ghana, but no trace of him has ever been found. The police at the time were accused of racial discrimination and for prioritizing other missing children cases over Ames’s disappearance due to him being black and from a broken family.^[3]

7 April Fabb

Over 50 years ago, the community of Metton, a small countryside village in Norfolk, England, was rocked when 13-year-old April Fabb vanished on April 8, 1969. Described as a “good girl” by detectives, April was known to be shy and loved animals. She lived with her mother and father and had two older sisters who had already left the family home.

On the day April vanished, she had been riding her bicycle from her friend’s house to one of her sister’s houses in order to deliver a birthday gift for her brother-in-law. A driver reported to have seen April cycling at 2:06 p.m., but only nine minutes later, her bike was found by workers lying in a field. The location of the bike suggested that April had been abducted from the country lane, and her bike had been thrown over the tall embankment into the field.

Unfortunately, numerous investigations have proved fruitless, and the police have not uncovered any evidence that has led to the discovery of April. Heartbreakingly, both of April’s parents died without ever knowing what happened to their youngest child. They kept her teenage posters on the wall for many years after the disappearance. Both of April’s sisters still live in the village and are the first to hear of any new developments regarding the case. A memorial to April stands next to the church she used to go to every Sunday.^[4]

6 Sheila Fox

Six-year-old Sheila Fox was labeled the “girl in the green mac” by newspapers following her disappearance on August 19, 1944. The young girl from Bolton, Greater Manchester, left her school on a Friday afternoon to walk home and never returned home. Her nickname in the media was due to her wearing a green mackintosh on the day she disappeared.

Society was very different in the 1940s compared to now. It was a time when communities felt safe leaving their doors unlocked at night, and it was not uncommon for a child as young as Sheila to walk home alone from school. Children had much more freedom, and attitudes toward this only began to change in the 1960s after the shocking crimes of the Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley came to light.

There were various sightings of Sheila with an unknown man after her disappearance. Some said she was walking with him, others said they were both on his bike, and one of her friends reported that Sheila answered “with this man” when asked where she was going. Police at the time took this to mean that Sheila knew the man, and they were confused. However, this behavior today would be seen as possible grooming.

As police have uncovered no evidence or promising leads, Sheila’s case has remained cold. There was a brief revival of interest in the case in 2001 when a neighbor’s garden was searched. However, nothing was found, and Sheila remains listed as a missing person.^[5]

5 Lee Boxell

Over 35 years ago, teenager Lee Boxell disappeared from his hometown of Sutton in South London, England. Lee was 15 when he disappeared, and he was known to have a love for football. On September 10, 1988, Lee met a friend to visit some nearby shops. The friends said goodbye to each other, and Lee has not been seen since. There have been no reliable sightings of Lee in the years since his disappearance; therefore, police believe him to be dead.

In 2014, police arrested three men who they believed to have murdered Lee. However, they were released without charge. An excavation at a local churchyard also yielded no results. In 2017, Lee’s father, Peter, made it to the final of Britain’s Got Talent with the Missing People Choir. They sang “I Miss You,” written by Peter, in honor of his only son.

His parents, now in their late 70s, have heartbreakingly kept Lee’s bedroom exactly the same as it was when he vanished. They have appealed as recently as 2023 for new information due to it being the 35th anniversary of their child’s disappearance.^[6]

4 Alexander Sloley

Alex Sloley was 16 when he disappeared on August 2, 2008, in North London, just two days before his 17th birthday. Nicknamed “Gogs” due to his glasses, Alex enjoyed football and traditional West Indian food. He was due to start studying accounting at college; however, he vanished with no trace after visiting a friend and making his way home.

As he had no passport and little clothing with him, it is unlikely he disappeared voluntarily. An unsettling detail of this case is that Alex had a cell phone on him when he vanished, but it was uncharacteristically turned off on the day he went missing and has not been switched on since. In addition, his bank account remains untouched to this day. Few clues and leads have resulted in this case becoming “cold.”

Alex’s mother, Nerissa Tivy, believes the case was not prioritized or treated as seriously by the police due to him being from a “working-class black family.” A devastating 2023 report by Charity Missing People revealed that police solve a lower percentage of missing incidents in the UK involving black children compared to white or Asian children.^[7]

3 Mary Flanagan

While most were celebrating New Year’s Eve, December 31,1959 was the date that 16-year-old Mary Flanagan went missing in Newham, London. The disappearance has the distinction of currently being one of the oldest missing person cases in Britain. Mary kissed her family goodbye, which she did not usually do, and then headed to her workplace, where a Hogmanay party was to be held later that night. Mary did not return home the next day.

Her parents reported her missing when they discovered that she had not attended her job for over two weeks, despite leaving home and returning every night as if she were. Mary was dating a man called Tom at the time of her vanishing, and her younger sisters say that she had plans to split up with him. Police have never been able to trace “Tom,” and many believe her disappearance could be connected to him.

Brenda, Mary’s younger sister who was just eight when she disappeared, never stopped searching for her older sibling and appealed to the police and public numerous times over the year to try to keep attention on the case. Sadly, Brenda died in October 2023 without ever knowing her sister’s fate.^[8]

2 Carmel Fenech

At the age of 16, Carmel Fenech was last seen in South London on May 21, 1998. Her mother, Deirdre Fenech, contacted the police to report Carmel missing on June 27, 1998. The gap in the reporting of the disappearance is because Carmel had frequently run away from her home before, having fallen in with a bad crowd and developing a crack cocaine habit.

Approximately one year before she vanished, Carmel and her family moved from South London to Crawley, West Sussex. The move was largely an attempt to get Carmel away from bad influences and drugs. The teenager did not have many friends or acquaintances in her new town, and all inquiries have indicated that she still regularly spent time around South London.

Carmel was last seen at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court, London, on a shoplifting charge in the company of an unknown man on May 21, 1998. Strangely, detectives handling the case have said there is no description of the man; however, they stated that “she clearly knew him.” This is the last confirmed sighting of Carmel, and no trace of her has ever been found, which has led police to believe she was murdered. For information leading to an arrest or conviction, independent charity Crimestoppers is currently offering a reward of up to £10,000.^[9]

1 Kevin Hicks

At age 16, Kevin Hicks abruptly disappeared after walking to a local shop. He was going to buy eggs for a school cooking exam the next day. It was a Sunday evening on March 2, 1986, when teenager Kevin left his home with £1 in his pocket. The journey should have taken 15 minutes there and back. Oddly, Kevin was spotted at around 10 p.m., walking in the direction of his home an hour and a half after he left the house. However, no trace of him has been found since.

Heartbreakingly, both of Kevin’s parents died without knowing what happened to their son. Kevin’s only sister, Alex, believes her brother is still alive and still appeals today for any new information. She suspects that he left flowers, with no note, at their mother’s grave in 1994 and thinks he may be living abroad. Police, on the other hand, believe Kevin may have fallen victim to grooming and was murdered.^[10]

fact checked by
Darci Heikkinen