I am in regular contact with a niece of Muriel Drinkwater who has told me that members of her family gave South Wales Police samples of their D.N.A.. On June 27, 1946, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea (UK). This will enable the police to identify Muriels murderer by taking and testing swabs from the perpetrators sons, grandsons, or even great-grandsons. A moment later, Muriels path wound into a thickly wooded area, and her mother returned to her chores in the kitchen. Now cutting-edge forensics to rival any TV thriller have identified her killers DNA, Unsolved: The Little Red Riding Hood murder, Muriel Drinkwater murder file is declared secret at request of police, The Disappearance of Audrey Moran and Jonathan Reynoso. Updated: August 30, 2013 . This was a very small, close knit community and everybody knew everybody and everybodies business. Video, 00:01:00View from the cockpit of a Ukraine combat helicopter. It was believed the victim's clothes had been lost. Roll on another 2 months for a denied request. [10], Police visited every house within 150 square miles and interviewed 20,000 men in Swansea and in neighbouring Aberdare and Carmarthenshire. [11] Hoyles, who saw Drinkwater after buying eggs at her parents' farm, was cleared by the DNA evidence. Also that they likely watched Muriel and knew her route. Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? On July 7, 1946, eleven-year-old Sheila Martin was raped and strangled in woods near her home in Dartford. This seems like a dubious connection because there is roughly 230 miles (370 kilometres) between Dartford and Penllergaer,but on the day of Sheilas murder a large race meeting was held at Brands Hatch with over 9,000 attendees, one of whom could have been both Muriel and Shielas killer. Police records from the time show that Muriel's mother was the last person to see her alive. I had informed him that Harold Jones had been living incognito in various West London locations after his release from prison in 1941. "Each case is reviewed periodically. 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. to have gone on to kill six women in London in the 1960s - and was dubbed Jack The Stripper. The 12 year old loved to sing and there was a skip in her step as she started on the winding path through the forest. Then for 3 years he was registered at Colinette Road Putney as Harry Stevens. Twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater was singing as she walked along the mile-long path to her home after getting off a school bus. Medicaid to cut 14 MILLION Americans from health coverage as states crack down on eligibility for the first time in three years after numbers soared during COVID - so are you at risk? An amazing campaign by Neil Milkins, but unfortunately, no breakthrough for Muriel. Only by comparing D.N.A. All the best with pursuing answers in this case, and please keep us updated. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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Joseph James DeAngelo, the suspected Golden State Killer, The real waking the dead: This schoolgirls savage murder has mystified police for 62 years. Thank you for sharing this detailed update on Muriels case with the community. Why? Victor told me that he had seen a T.V. Over the years, South Wales Police have fought tooth and nail to prevent me gaining any information under the Freedom of Information Requests Act. Jones D.N.A was not compared to the D.N.A left on Muriels coat by the killer. The murder of Muriel Drinkwater (Welsh: Llofruddiaeth Muriel Drinkwater),[2] also known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder, is an unsolved 1946 child murder case from Wales. He stated he had long been suspected by some locals of being the murderer and was happy to clear his name. She was sexually assaulted and strangled and last seen with an American soldier. Learn more about managing a memorial . Martyn Lloyd-Evans again regarding the letter from D.C.Paul Rogers. Swansea 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater, who was shot after being sexually assaulted in 1946 Now, a team of former detectives and crime experts have re-investigated the case, dubbed the 'Little. South Wales Police detectives requested the original case file from Kent Police to determine if there was a connection. Thank you for all your assistance in this matter, the information you have provided has proved to be very helpful. I hope Margaret gets the answers she deserves sooner rather than later. Regards. And please do not forget tosubscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. And four months after Jones left the army Muriel was raped and shot dead as she walked home from a school bus in Penllergaer, Swansea. 2023 The True Crime Files. I think it will be at least 3 months before anything definite will be announced. As you know it is not possible to prove whether Harold Jones was Muriels killer by D.N.A testing Jones daughter. Regards. 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Hard to work out the logic of your comment Charlotte? She was hoping in her lifetime to find out who killed her aunt. Todays' video is about the true crime story of the unsolved murder of 12 year old Muriel Drinkwater in 1946. Muriel Drinkwater was raped and shot dead as she walked home from a school bus in Penllergaer, Swansea, Serial killer Harold Jones (pictured as a 15-year-old) killed two young girls when he was just 15 and was jailed for 20 years. http://www.tcbmediarights.com/screeners/dark_son.html. 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. The gun was described as aColt 45 American army issue automatic pistol, first issued for World War I but probably also used in World War II, which significantly had the original wooden stocks next to the grip modernised with perspex.. The team tracked down Harries' cousin Lynn Hughes who described how the only child had been "spoilt" by his parents and was very "childish". Thank you for listening to this episode of The True Crime Files. "We realise whoever did this might be dead, but if he is alive and in his 80s or even 90s we would like to see him behind bars," said Muriel's great-niece Claire Phillips, speaking about developments last October. Her mother Margaret watched from the house as the youngest of. The hardest part then was actually finding the materials," he told the documentary. will do what you suggest. My enquiries are now complete and have led me to believe that Harold Jones would have presented a danger to young girls throughout his life All relevant information has now been presented to South Wales Police, Major Crime Review Unit,who are currently in the process of making further inquiries into the murder of Muriel Drinkwater. In 2007 whilst researching for my 2008 True Crime book Every Mothers Nightmare Abertillery in Mourning, which dealt with the murders of two Abertillery school-girls in 1921, I received a surprise visit from Victor Penaluna, a cousin of the second Abertillery victim Florence Little aged 11. There is no doubt about that.". Yet, despite their exhaustive enquiries - not to mention the discovery of the gun used in Muriel's shooting - the culprit managed to evade justice. In 1946, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater was murdered in the woods of Swansea, Wales. He could not be placed at the scene, and the DNA ruled him out of the investigation. [8] A description of a person of interest was circulated; he was described as approximately 30 years old, with "thick fluffy hair and wearing brown corduroy trousers and a light brown sports jacket. There are, of course, other theories regarding who was lying in wait on that fateful day. The police found the murder weapon in the undergrowth near where Muriels body had been discovered. Regards. It became known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder - but who killed Muriel Drinkwater? Im not sure how much of a farming business the family had or if they just casually sold eggs like many people in the country do. With the help from a niece of Muriel Drinkwater I pursued my research which led to South Wales Police taking a D.N.A. Pinterest. It became known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder - but who killed Muriel Drinkwater? Mudgee General Cemetery. Chief Inspector Bethell aptly explains, Re-opening the case is as much about proving who didnt do it, as who did. Remember that Hoyles was suspected of Muriels murder for decades and lived under a cloud suspicion that followed him everywhere he travelled in his small village. Business class plane passenger refuses to give up his seat so a man could sit next to his wife on her birthday - selfish or fair enough? Regards. Video, 00:01:18Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, One-minute World News. [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? 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Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. She was singing on the school bus with her friends, on the afternoon of June 27, 1946, when she was dropped on the side of the road near her family's farm on the outskirt of Swansea. On this podcast episode, we cover the unsolved cold case of Muriel Drinkwater. In August, the police appealed to the U.S. public for assistance, as many Americans had been stationed in Penllergaer during the recent Second World War and there was a possibility one of the servicemen had sold the weapon. I agree with the killer being male and the suggested age range. Positive reviews really help others find our show. Dubbed the 'Little Red Riding Hood murder', the. "This was a terrible, terrible crime that someone has got away with for too long. She was singing . [5], Muriel Joan Drinkwater was the youngest of four daughters born to John Percival and Margaret (ne Morgans) Drinkwater. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Muriel Drinkwater was a young Welsh schoolgirl. Vote. It is now more than 70 years since the 12-year-old schoolgirl was brutally raped, battered around the head and shot twice while walking home. profiling cleared Hubert who stated he had long been suspected by some locals of being the murderer and was happy to clear his name.). Arrested once again, Jones this time pleaded guilty to the charge of murder at aMonmouthcourt in November 1921. The reason given for sealing the files was that it could help the police catch the perpetrator. Photo added by Tracey. Murder of 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater in 1946 is being probed 73 years later Police thought a stain on Muriel's coat would link death to Harold Jones But they have now confirmed a test. See link to Jones and other murders. It was believed a similar weapon had been used in the murder of a cinema manager in Bristol. 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