The case, which became known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder, is one of the oldest active cold cases in the United Kingdom. Her parents Harold and Muriel Jones/Stevens kept a lot of secrets from this daughter one of which may be that she wasnt Harolds daughter. There were soldiers still in the area after the war and they used to train in Penllergaer woods. Holly Ann Campiglia was a Jane Doe until she was identified in 1992. to have gone on to kill six women in London in the 1960s - and was dubbed Jack The Stripper. 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SOUTH Wales Police's Specialist Crime Review Unit has been investigating the murder of 12 year-old Muriel Drinkwater whose body was found in Penllergaer Woods, Swansea in 1946. Edith Patten had been buried in the old town cemetery and was left behind when officials relocated the graves in the 1930s. I am not a DNA scientist so sadly I cannot answer this question for you. He said, ``She was regularly seen walking, skipping and singing in the woods as she made her way each day from her home to the . Even though Jones died in 1971, his male descendants DNA could be tested to determine if he was the culprit responsible for Muriels murder. If you have any information about Muriels murder, please contact the South Wales Policevia email at[emailprotected], Mystery of 1946 murder in woods BBC News article, The real waking the dead: This schoolgirls savage murder has mystified police for 62 years. Murder. More here: https://bit.ly/WoodlawnJaneDoe. profiling cleared Hubert who stated he had long been suspected by some locals of being the murderer and was happy to clear his name.). [12][13], For more than a decade, Welsh true crime author Neil Milkins theorised that notorious child murderer Harold Jones (19061971) was responsible for the murders of both Martin and Drinkwater. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Photo added by Tracey. You are talking about 74 years ago now and nothing has been able to close the matter.". On this occasion he was rude to me claiming that he knew nothing about any information sent to South Wales Police from D.C. Paul Rogers. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. I contacted Detective Superintendent Martyn Lloyd-Evans (now retired) of South Wales Police by phone and had a friendly conversation with him about Victor Penalunas suspicions. [4] In 2019, the DNA was used to rule out notorious Welsh murderer Harold Jones as a suspect. Moments before being brutally attacked, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater had waved to her mother, who stood at the kitchen window, as she made her way home from Gowerton High School along the long path that led to the family home. However, a lack of hard evidence would later see him freed. Would you be able to tell me please if Harries has been cleared of Muriels murder as well. Hoyles lamented, For years, Ive lived with the knowledge that some people in the community suspected me. Muriel was seen at 2:30PM, singing as she exited the school bus. Advertisement. Ms Drinkwater was seen by her mother in the distance. [15] There is evidence that Harries was employed by Drinkwater's father, John, at the time of her death. In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect . "The farm was a painful place for my grandparents to be," said Martin, who still keeps a little battleship toy that Muriel had given him. It was the first time he had spoken publicly about the tragedy that haunts his family to this day. I wonder if there was a sketch done when Hoyles confronted a man weeks earlier. It is one of the oldest active cold cases in the United Kingdom. 'All historic murder cases, often referred to in the media as 'cold cases,' are allocated to the Specialist Crime Review Unit and remain under active consideration and will be subject of re-investigation as and when new information is received or when there are advances in forensic science. The True Crime Files Something went wrong, please try again later. Her route to her family's home Tyle-Du Farm entailed a mile-long journey that wove in and out of the woods. This murder shook the village and all the boys came under suspicion. In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect was extracted from her clothes, possibly the oldest one in the world to . It became known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder - but who killed Muriel Drinkwater? Wife of James Anthony Drinkwater and mother to Carole Suzanne, Stephen Mark, Simon Anthony and Russell John Drinkwater. Hey Babes!I'm back with another True Crime Tuesday case and todays case is about the murder of Muriel Drinkwater also known as the little red riding hood mur. We are hoping to make a BBC documentary (follow on from Dark Son) to see if we can shed any new light on the case. (My belief now is that the suspect he referred to was Hubert Hoyles who as a 13 year-old boy had come into contact with Muriels family shortly before her murder. I think it was suggested that the police thought that the family knew more than they were letting on. I am making a F.O.I. [6] On 27 June 1946, Muriel took the school bus home from Gowerton Grammar School. Dubbed the 'Little Red Riding Hood murder', the 12-year-old had been killed amongst the undergrowth at Penllergaer Woods whilst on her way home from school one June afternoon. The murder of Muriel Drinkwater is an unsolved 1946 child murder case from Wales. Video, 00:00:41, Watch Kate beat William in spin class endurance race, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Dear Sir/Madam. Forensic scientist Dr Colin Dark said that the stain had been found on the lower flap of Muriel's coat. Taking into consideration all of the above information and the decades that have passed since Muriel was killed, I think that the only way this case will be closed is through a familial DNA match. [10], Police visited every house within 150 square miles and interviewed 20,000 men in Swansea and in neighbouring Aberdare and Carmarthenshire. He is very clearly interested in the fact that she is young, that she is a schoolgirl, and also that she is very clever. "She lost sight of her for a few moments. But in 2003, when the case was reopened for review, forensics experts had a major breakthrough when they found a semen stain on Muriel's coat. I personally think whoever did it was a true psychopath and he would probably of done something like it before and has done other crimes since. On June 27, 1946, 12-year-old Muriel made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea (UK). taken from Jones exhumed body can the police honestly say catergorically that Jones was or was not Muriels killer. Also that they likely watched Muriel and knew her route. South Wales Police's Specialist Crime Review Unit has today finally ruled out Jones - who died from cancer in 1971 - from their investigation. Muriel was the same age as my Aunt Peggy and they went to Primary school together. She was hoping in her lifetime to find out who killed her aunt. Read about our approach to external linking. Hi Neil. And police now hope a stain on Muriel's coat will. On June 27, 1946, twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea. Now, a team of former detectives and crime experts have re-investigated the case, dubbed the 'Little Red Riding Hood murder', and have uncovered a new prime suspect. Advertisement. The Little Red Riding Hood murder of Muriel Drinkwater. The new B.B.C. 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Who killed 'Little Red Riding Hood'? The perpetrator left cigarette stubs, sweet wrappers, and pieces of bread at the scene of the crime, which the authorities have said indicates that he was waiting in the dense woods for his chance to strike. Brutally beaten, raped and shot twice, the discovery of Swansea schoolgirl Muriel Drinkwater 's body in 1946 horrified an entire community. For decades, a key person of interest in Muriels murder has been Hubert Hoyles. "We had access to the files and identified that a semen stain had been found on the coat. "That sounds pompous, but I knew that really he was a simpleton, but I didn't detect any menace in him.". Now cutting-edge forensics to rival any TV thriller have identified her killers DNA Daily Mail article, Unsolved: The Little Red Riding Hood murder Sword and Scale article, Muriel Drinkwater murder file is declared secret at request of police The Sunday Times article. Colin Dark suggested the possibillity of using D.N.A to identify who took the books into the shop with the hope of identifying the killer. The path she walked home on curved in and out of the woods; her mother saw her walking home along the path and into the woods, but not come out again. Lets deduce, her killer was obviously male, or were they, unless they had extracted the sperm from another person it is definite that they are a male, so we have a male, s/ that narrows it down. This post deals with sexual assault and might be triggering for some readers. In mid 2007, I had extensive contact with Detective Constable Paul Rogers of the London Metropolitan Police. Fifteen days later, Jones murdered 11-year-old neighbour Florence Little too, hiding her body in the attic of his parents' home. Find records of Muriel Drinkwater . You will need a male dna profile from a decendent on harold joness family tree. A team of crime experts have re-investigated the brutal killing 74 years ago and uncovered what they believe to be firm new leads in the search for who killed her, Get the latest court and crime news from WalesOnline. Vote. On June 27, 1946, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea (UK). [8][4] Policemen from Glamorgan, assisted by the 169th Bomb Disposal Unit, used a metal detector to search for a second weapon suspected to have been used, but never located it. The gym is tucked away in an unsuspecting industrial estate in the Swansea Valley and is run by a world-champion strongman who wants as many people as possible to feel included in his beloved sport. Muriel, who lived on Tyle-Du farm at Penllergaer, near Swansea, went missing on Thursday, June 27th, 1946, and her body was found next day in Penllergaer woods. Police believed 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater (left) might have been a victim of a notorious serial killer Harold Jones when she was raped and murdered in 1946. She was last seen at 2:30 p.m., singing as she headed for the one-mile walk to her family's home, Tyle-Du Farm. I could never hurt anyone or anything, but in a small, close-knit community, people talk and I knew that in the eyes of some people I was the murderer. [8], Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 09:11, List of unsolved murders in the United Kingdom, "Marwolaeth merch yn parhau'n ddirgelwch", "The Muriel Drinkwater case: can they crack the coldest murder case? There are far too many retired people out there who want to write books about unsolved murders, trawling through these records and coming up with half-baked theories.. After discussing this development with Muriels niece, myself, Muriels niece and a number of of her nursing friends came to the same conclusion that if Jones daughter isnt his biological daughter then Jones could not completely rule out Jones as a suspect. Video, 00:01:00, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Dog found alive after 23 days under rubble. She was seen by her mother from a distance of 400 yards away, but before Muriel could arrive. The killer was dubbed Jack The Stripper because of the way he left his victims. And if you want to write a guest post that covers the update for distribution on the website, let us know. Video, 00:01:00One-minute World News, WATCH: Key moments from PM's NI Brexit deal speech. Play it now! And I also think there are likely more victims. It is frustrating that the Wales Online story of Saturday 7 November states the police have D.N.A. Jones and his wife Muriel hid a lot of secrets from their daughter and one of these secrets may have been Jones wasnt her father. Accountant Graham Wildin built an incredible 10,000sq/ft leisure complex - which has a bowling alley, casino, a cinema and more - at the back of his home. Video, 00:01:00At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Dog found alive after 23 days under rubble. Its her birthday tomorrow, and still no closer to finding her killer. There is little doubt that Muriels murderer was lying in wait, just counting the minutes until he could commit his heinous crime. She had been attacked on the lane and then she was dragged to where the body was left.". They never recovered. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. We could see it [had been] in a police station, but as it closed, where did it go next? You can Google ones in your area or check out Twitter (but I recommend checking their credentials). ", * Dark Land: Hunting the Killers is on BBC iPlayer, School friends at the grave of Muriel Drinkwater, whose murder in 1946 remains one of the most horrifying in Welsh history. But Muriel, who was known locally as 'The Little Nightingale' because of her beautiful singing voice, never made it home. 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