Disappearance of Ruth Wilson

Last updated

Ruth Wilson
Born(1979-01-31)31 January 1979
Betchworth, Surrey,
England
Disappeared27 November 1995 (aged 16)
Box Hill, Surrey, England
Status Missing for 28 years, 4 months and 2 days
NationalityBritish
Education The Ashcombe School
OccupationSchoolgirl
Height5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) [1]
Parent(s)Ian Wilson
Karen Wilson (stepmother) [2]
Nesta Wilson (mother) [2]
RelativesJennifer Wilson (sister)

Ruth Wilson is a British missing person. She is from Betchworth, near Dorking in Surrey, England and disappeared in Box Hill on 27 November 1995. [3] Her whereabouts are unknown.

Contents

Family and home life

Ruth Wilson is the eldest daughter of Ian and Nesta Wilson. [2] Her mother was born in Wellingborough on 1 May 1948 and was given the name Nesta Landeg by her adoptive parents. [4] Ian and Nesta were married in 1976 in Newport. When Ruth was three years old and her sister, Jenny, a few months old, Nesta killed herself on 10 December 1982. [2] According to the story told to Wilson by the family, Nesta's death was a result of an accidental fall down stairs, but her death certificate recorded her cause of death as suicide by hanging. [4] Unbeknownst to her family, Wilson became aware of the true nature of her mother's death before she disappeared. [5]

Wilson's father, Ian G. Wilson, married Karen I. Bowerman in the last quarter of 1983 in Surrey. Ian and Karen were teachers: he was head of science at a secondary school while she was the deputy head of a primary school. Ian also served as a local parish councillor. The family lived in a cottage on Wonham Lane in Betchworth, Surrey at the time of Wilson's disappearance. [6]

Wilson enjoyed reading, going on bike rides and music. She played the electric guitar and piano. She also had a Saturday job working in a music shop and was a popular local babysitter. She was studying for her A levels at The Ashcombe School Sixth Form when she disappeared. She attended her local church, St Michael’s. She was a member of the choir, played the organ and enjoyed bell-ringing. [7] She was described by school friends as having an intelligent and quirky personality with a small but close-knit group of friends. [6]

Wilson's friend Catherine Mair was due to move to Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and Wilson had asked if she could come with her once she was settled. Wilson went missing a few weeks after Mair moved. [5] Mair's mother recalled that Wilson had slept over not long before she disappeared and had been adamant that she did not want to go back home. Wilson did not explain why. [5] Mair has stated that Wilson had talked about running away but not suicide. [5] Ian and Karen have disputed claims that her home life was unhappy. [8] Friends and family have also said that Ruth was not suicidal. [6]

Events

Two days before her disappearance, Wilson worked her usual job in a music shop in Dorking, then went for a meal [3] with her ex-boyfriend Will Kennedy, with whom she still maintained a good friendship, and another friend, Neil Phillipson. Kennedy and Phillipson both stated that Wilson paid for the meal.

On the day before she disappeared, Wilson went for handbell practice at the local church, then went to a youth group in Dorking, then back to Kennedy's for supper. [3] His mother gave her some old clothing. [3] Her family remembered her being relaxed. [3]

Disappearance

Wilson's father and stepmother left early for work on the day of her disappearance, leaving Wilson and Jenny to catch the school bus. [3] Wilson's father had an Ofsted inspection at the school where he worked as the head of the science department and was in a hurry to leave. He recalled that he last saw Wilson listening to her Walkman as he left the home and he had been in a stressful mood, his last words to Wilson were "Out of my way. I'm in a hurry" as he pushed past her. [6] At the last moment Wilson told Jenny that she was not going with her on the bus. [3] Jenny was not surprised as Wilson was in the sixth form and did not always come in for the whole day, though she was surprised that her sister left it so late to tell her before the arrival of the bus. [3]

Shortly after Jenny left for school, Kennedy appeared with his car and offered Wilson a lift. [3] She declined, saying she would meet up later. [3] She did not attend school at all that day, something her family and peers considered uncharacteristic. [3] At around 11.30 am, Wilson took a taxi into Dorking. [9] Around midday, she ordered flowers for her stepmother from Thistles Florists at 257 Dorking High Street. Wilson asked that they not be delivered until the following Wednesday. [3] [10]

Wilson spent the afternoon in Dorking Library. [9] Around 4 pm she took a taxi from Dorking railway station to Box Hill. [3] She was dropped off on a bridleway a short way from the Hand in Hand pub (now The Box Tree) on Box Hill. [3] [10] [11] The taxi driver stated that Wilson displayed unusual behaviour in that she simply stood still in the rain as he drove off. This was notable as the taxi driver observed that people typically walk away after they have been dropped off. In other reports the taxi driver stated that Wilson appeared to be looking around for someone. The taxi driver was the last person to see her at 4.30 pm. [5] [9]

At the time of her disappearance Wilson was wearing a red knitted jumper, black velvet trousers, black pixie boots and a small lady's watch on her left wrist. [1] She had a small blue duffel bag with a personal stereo and tapes. [12] Liam McAuley, a 58-year-old retired police officer investigating the disappearance, observed that Wilson was 'dressed to get into another car' or was standing still to wait for the taxi driver to leave so he did not see where she was going to go, implying that a third party may have been involved and running away seemed more likely than suicide. McAuley also stated that disappearing completely would be ‘very difficult’. [8] Wilson disappeared 14 days before the 13th anniversary of her mother's death. [4]

Aftermath

Wilson's family became concerned when Wilson did not return home that evening and they had discovered from her school that she had not attended classes that day. They telephoned the police, and using information from the taxi driver who dropped Ruth on Box Hill reported fairly early on, local police officers conducted a search of the immediate area. [13]

That night Surrey Police organised a more extensive search for Wilson with a helicopter, police dogs and heat-seeking equipment. They searched the Box Hill area but found no solid clues as to her whereabouts. [10] It was subsequently discovered that she frequently went to Box Hill after school. [3] She was also concerned about her performance at school and had kept a school report from her father and stepmother that weekend. [3]

On 29 November, the flowers ordered by Wilson were delivered to her stepmother Karen. The flowers were described by Ian Wilson as ‘an expensive bouquet’ in subsequent reports. There was no note attached to the flowers. [14] Wilson's friend Mair interpreted this gesture as 'sticking two fingers up' to her stepmother. [5]

On 1 December, as reported in The Times newspaper (29 December 1995), police found three notes hidden under a bush in the undergrowth at the top edge of Betchworth Quarry on Box Hill. [12] The notes amounted to farewells to her father, stepmother, her best friend and a teenage boy she knew. Nearby were found empty packets of paracetamol tablets and a half-empty bottle of Vermouth. [7] [12]

On 2 December, a large scale search was organised by the police and fire and rescue services, which included 60 volunteers comprising local members of the public, school friends, colleagues and wardens from the National Trust. [12] The search utilised a police helicopter, tracker dogs and thermal imaging equipment. [12] A detailed search of the Betchworth Quarry end of Box Hill was undertaken by a trained search and rescue team along with employees of the owners of the quarry Nionisle Ltd. [12]

Mark Williams-Thomas, who was the family liaison officer for Wilson's case, stated that extensive searches across Box Hill had yielded no evidence to suggest she was killed or took her own life. [15] He also stated that he was sure Wilson was not abducted by a stranger. Williams-Thomas also stated that "From the experience I have had, I would suggest one of two things occurred. She either went up there to meet someone and has subsequently gone away, or she went there and died in some way." [15]

On 8 December, Ian and Karen Wilson appeared on the ITV network's mid-morning programme This Morning to appeal for information. They stated that they believed that their daughter was alive but afraid to come home. [16]

Eight months after the disappearance, Catherine Mair was visited at her new home in Sheffield by South Yorkshire Police. The officers broke off from questioning her to look in her wardrobe, as if she might have been hiding Wilson. The police assigned the code name Operation Scholar to the case. The unsolved missing persons case is reviewed on a regular basis and is being led by DCI Alex Geldart. Surrey Police have stated that the investigation would be re-opened if any new evidence or lines of enquiry came to light. [17]

Possible sightings

On the first anniversary of the disappearance a girl thought to resemble Wilson was captured on CCTV at a Dorking newsagent's shop two miles from Box Hill. [10] [14] She was distressed and requested a copy of each of the local newspapers and became visibly upset when she was told that one had sold out. The newspaper shop owner reported the encounter to the police and saved the CCTV footage. [14] The local newspapers featured reference to Wilson’s disappearance. Wilson's parents stated in an article in The Times on 2 January 1997 that they believed the girl in the video was Wilson. [14]

Speaking on the tenth anniversary of Wilson's disappearance, Sgt Shane Craven, head of East Surrey police's missing persons team, stated that "In the weeks following Ruth’s disappearance there were some fairly reliable sightings of her in the Dorking area by people who knew her well". [18] Sightings have been reported as far afield as Canada. A Surrey Advertiser article by Rebecca Younger (dated 9 December 2008) announced an appeal to mark the 13th anniversary of the disappearance. The missing persons team have stated that they followed up every lead. [15]

In 2006, Ian Wilson wrote an open letter to his missing daughter, imploring her to come home and asking if anyone had information as to her whereabouts. [6]

In 2018, a local newspaper sent out an appeal to anyone who had known Wilson at the time to come forward with any information that could shed light on the disappearance. Roxy Birch, who had known Wilson at school and portrayed her in a police reconstruction video, claimed that Wilson did not drive and did not own a passport at the time of her disappearance, which would have made long-distance and international travel more difficult. Another friend Kay Blenard stated 'My belief is that she had planned to do something. I don’t know whether that would be permanent or temporary. I’d also like to believe that someone knows what happened'. [19]

The same year, Jon Savell, the chief superintendent of public protection of Surrey Police gave a review of the case in which he stated; "There are five explanations for Ruth Wilson’s disappearance; A tragic accident, abduction, suicide, murder, or that she had absented herself to start a new life." [20]

Documentary

A documentary film about the case titled Vanished: the Surrey Schoolgirl was produced in 2018. It introduced some new witnesses, mainly friends of Wilson. Wilson's father and stepmother were asked if they wanted to be involved, but declined the offer. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box Hill, Surrey</span> Hill in Surrey, England

Box Hill is a summit of the North Downs in Surrey, approximately 31 km (19 mi) south-west of London. The hill gets its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. The western part of the hill is owned and managed by the National Trust, whilst the village of Box Hill lies on higher ground to the east. The highest point is Betchworth Clump at 224 m (735 ft) above OD, although the Salomons Memorial overlooking the town of Dorking is the most popular viewpoint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh</span> 1986 disappearance of woman in London

Susannah Jane Lamplugh was a British estate agent reported missing on 28 July 1986 in Fulham, London, England, United Kingdom. She was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1993. The last clue to Lamplugh's whereabouts was an appointment to show a house in Shorrolds Road to someone she called Mr. Kipper. The case remains unsolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betchworth</span> Human settlement in England

Betchworth is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. The village centre is on the north bank of the River Mole and south of the A25 road, almost 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Dorking and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Reigate. London is 19.5 miles (31.4 km) north of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Genette Tate</span> Unsolved 1978 missing person case

The disappearance of Genette Tate is a missing person case in which a 13-year-old girl disappeared while delivering newspapers in Aylesbeare, Devon, England, on 19 August 1978. Despite extensive searches, Tate's body has not been found and the cause of her disappearance remains unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Hannah Williams</span> Schoolgirl murdered in London, England

On 21 April 2001, Hannah Williams, a 14-year-old English schoolgirl was murdered after going missing during a shopping trip in Dartford, Kent. Williams's body was discovered on 15 March 2002 at a cement works in an industrial area of Northfleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Danielle Jones</span> English murder case where no body was found

The murder of Danielle Jones was an English child murder case involving a 15-year-old schoolgirl who disappeared from East Tilbury, Essex, England. There was a large and exhaustive search to find Jones' body and it was considered one of the biggest cases Essex Police had to deal with at the time. Despite the police's best efforts, her body was never found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Maura Murray</span> 2004 disappearance of American woman

Maura Murray is an American woman who disappeared on the evening of February 9, 2004, after a car crash on Route 112 near Woodsville, New Hampshire, a village in the town of Haverhill. Her whereabouts remain unknown. Murray was a 21-year-old nursing student completing her junior year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst at the time of her disappearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Tobin</span> Scottish serial killer (1946–2022)

Peter Britton Tobin was a Scottish convicted serial killer and sex offender who served a whole life order at HM Prison Edinburgh for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006. Police also investigated Tobin over the deaths and disappearances of other young women and girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of April Fabb</span> 1969 missing person case in Norfolk, England

April Fabb was an English schoolgirl who disappeared on 8 April 1969, when aged 13, between the villages of Metton and Roughton in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Kyron Horman</span> Unsolved 2010 disappearance of an American boy

Kyron Richard Horman is an American boy who disappeared from Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, on June 4, 2010, after attending a science fair. Local and state police, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), conducted an exhaustive search and launched a criminal investigation, but have not uncovered any significant information regarding the child's whereabouts. Horman's disappearance sparked the largest criminal investigation in Oregon history. To this day, his whereabouts remain unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireland's Vanishing Triangle</span> 1980s-1990s disappearances of women

Ireland's Vanishing Triangle is a term commonly used in the Irish media when referring to a number of high-profile disappearances of Irish women from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. Several other women were also murdered within the triangle and their cases remain unsolved as well. All of the cases appeared to share some common characteristics. The women's ages range from their late-teens to late-30s, they disappeared inexplicably and suddenly, and no substantial clues or evidence of their fate has ever been found despite large scale searches and campaigns by the Gardaí to find them. Gardaí believe their remains are likely to be buried in remote fields, bogs and forests. The triangle is in the eastern part of the island, roughly the boundaries of Leinster, in an 80-mile area outside Dublin.

Lauren Spierer is an American woman who disappeared on June 3, 2011, following an evening at Kilroy's Sports Bar in Bloomington, Indiana. At the time, Spierer was a 20-year-old student at Indiana University. Though her disappearance generated national press coverage, Spierer is presumed dead and her case remains unsolved.

Emma Fillipoff is a Canadian woman who has been missing since November 28, 2012, last seen in front of the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, at the age of 26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Sheila Fox</span> 1944 missing child case in England

Sheila Fox was an English girl whose disappearance at the age of six from Farnworth, Lancashire, England has been called one of World War II England's most "baffling" mysteries. The press dubbed Fox "The Girl in the Green Mac".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Suzanne Lyall</span> 1998 missing person case

On the night of March 2, 1998, Suzanne Lyall, an undergraduate at the State University of New York at Albany, left her job at the Babbage's in Crossgates Mall in the nearby suburb of Westmere after the store had closed. She is believed to have taken a city bus from the mall back to the university's Uptown Campus, where a classmate has said she saw Lyall get off the bus at Collins Circle, a short walk from her dorm. She has not been seen since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth missing trio</span> Unsolved 1974 disappearance of three girls in Texas

The Fort Worth Missing Trio refers to an unsolved missing persons case in which three girls – Mary Rachel Trlica, Lisa Renee Wilson and Julie Ann Moseley – went missing while shopping at the Seminary South Shopping Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 23, 1974. The car that the girls had been driving was left behind in the parking lot at the mall; the girls themselves have not been seen since.

On December 18, 2011, 23-year-old Phoenix Coldon left her family home in Spanish Lake, Missouri and disappeared. Her parents have raised criticism about the conduct of local law enforcement, and spent their money and home following leads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Christie Farni</span> 1978 missing child case in Oregon, United States

Christie Lynn Farni is an American girl who went missing in Medford, Oregon, after testifying before a grand jury regarding abuse allegations against her biological father. Serial killer Henry Lee Lucas was implicated in her disappearance in 1983, but his alleged involvement was not confirmed. Her case is the oldest unsolved missing child case in Jackson County.

Jonelle Matthews was a 12-year-old American girl who disappeared near Greeley, Colorado, on December 20, 1984. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, by construction workers putting in a new pipeline 15 mi (24 km) from her home. Steven Pankey was sentenced to life imprisonment on October 31, 2022, after his arrest and trial for Matthews' murder.

Marion Barter was an Australian missing person, teacher and mother-of-two, who disappeared on Sunday 22 June 1997 from Southport, Queensland. She was dropped off at a bus station in Surfers Paradise, Queensland to go to the airport for a planned, long-term vacation in England. She has not been seen since.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Doe Network: Case File 498DFUK". www.doenetwork.org. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bright, Martin (29 April 2018). "Ruth Wilson, the schoolgirl who caught a cab to oblivion". The Observer . Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Bright, Martin (15 December 2002). "The vanishing". The Observer . Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Death Certificate (Death Certificate) (Report). Redhill: Surrey South Eastern. 14 January 1983. Retrieved 22 June 2018. Date and place of death: 10 December 1982, Redhill General Hospital
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Real Stories (27 April 2018), Vanished: The Surrey Schoolgirl (Missing Person Documentary) - Real Stories Original , retrieved 4 May 2018
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "The mysterious disappearance of Ruth Wilson on Box Hill".
  7. 1 2 Jenkins, Russell (29 December 1995). "'Since you've gone, this is a house without music'". The Times. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. 1 2 Real Stories (27 April 2018), Vanished: The Surrey Schoolgirl (Missing Person Documentary) - Real Stories Original , retrieved 4 May 2018
  9. 1 2 3 "Ruth Wilson – Surrey – 1995". The UK & Ireland Database. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Plea to trace missing teenager Ruth Wilson 14 years on". BBC News. BBC News. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  11. ↑ Bright, Martin (15 December 2002). "The vanishing". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Staff (7 December 1995). "Suicide fears for schoolgirl". The Surrey Mirror.
  13. ↑ The mysterious disappearance of Ruth Wilson on Box Hill (11 December 2020). "The mysterious disappearance of Ruth Wilson on Box Hill". Strangeoutdoors.com. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Jenkins, Russell (2 January 1997). "Video convinces parents their daughter is not dead". The Times. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 Younger, Rebecca (9 December 2008). "Fresh appeal to find missing Ruth". Surrey Advertiser. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  16. ↑ Staff (14 December 1995). "Search for girl goes national". The Surrey Mirror.
  17. ↑ Steed, Les (14 November 2017). "Documentary to look at bizarre disappearance of Betchworth girl". getsurrey. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  18. ↑ Surrey Live (6 January 2006). "Mystery of girl missing for 10 years". Surrey Live. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  19. ↑ Bright, Martin (29 April 2018). "Ruth Wilson, the schoolgirl who caught a cab to oblivion". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  20. ↑ Bright, Martin (29 April 2018). "Ruth Wilson, the schoolgirl who caught a cab to oblivion". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2020.

51°15′17″N0°16′45″W / 51.2546405°N 0.2790474°W / 51.2546405; -0.2790474

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.