Regards. The last person who reported seeing her was Hubert Hoyles, then 13, who passed her on the path returning from her family farm, where he had gone to buy eggs. Pinterest. Born in the summer of 1933, she was the youngest of four children and lived with her parents Percy and Margaret on a small farm called Tyle-Du, near Updated: August 30, 2013 . 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Muriel Drinkwater Muriel Drinkwater (born 1906) Jump to: Bio graphy Family Photos Comments Obit uary. Fingers crossed that one day a DNA match can give us the breakthrough needed to solve this case. He described the search for the clothes that had been taken from the crime scene. Former Detective Inspector Paul Bethell, who was in charge of South Wales Police's cold case team, explained in the documentary: "We know Muriel used to catch the school bus from the school to the gateway off the main road which led to the forestry, and then she would walk about a mile through the forestry, along the lane to the farmhouse.". Arrested once again, Jones this time pleaded guilty to the charge of murder at aMonmouthcourt in November 1921. The coat had been lying forgotten in police storage for decades but after much searching was found by retired DCI Bethell's cold case team and is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of crime scene evidence in the world. I had informed him that Harold Jones had been living incognito in various West London locations after his release from prison in 1941. However, a lack of hard evidence would later see him freed. Interesting insights! Sometimes the rumours and suspicion in these unsolved cases does almost as much damage to the community as the crime itself. Advertisement. I received the following letter from D.C. Paul Rogers on 6 December 2007. Police confirmed a cold case review on the stain found on Muriel's coat in 1946 had now been tested by forensics teams. D.S. Vote. Something went wrong, please try again later. Although the decision was made immediately it took nearly 7 weeks until 16 August 2021 to get a formal decision. Martin well remembers a young girl who was "always full of life" and would always be skipping and singing. will do what you suggest. Regards. Video, 00:01:18, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, WATCH: Key moments from PM's NI Brexit deal speech. 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. Will do Christine. Read about our approach to external linking. If information comes in from the public or other forces we act on it. Dear Sir/Madam. true crime. Is it possible that scientists could examine Muriels coat and find another profile that could be compared to Jones daughters D.N.A.? He also fixates on the fact that he is married to a younger woman, that she is five years younger than him, that she started going out with him when she was still in school. Thomas was born on July 22 1880, in South Thomaston Knox Maine. 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? 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Just before his execution, Harries gave an extraordinary interview to the tabloid press from his jail cell. Even though Jones died in 1971, his male descendants DNA could be tested to determine if he was the culprit responsible for Muriels murder. We can also deduce it is a average male because he must have had enough power to dominate a 12 year old girl. There is little doubt that Muriels murderer was lying in wait, just counting the minutes until he could commit his heinous crime. 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. The detectives in the programme got a breakthrough when they were able to track down Muriel's relative Martin Phillips, who had been six at the time of the murder. Regards. But in 2003, when the case was reopened for review, forensics experts found a semen stain found on Muriel's coat. A brother, nephew, grandson. Muriel Joan Drinkwater was raped in Penllergaer Woods, beaten about the head with a blunt instrument and then shot with a World War I Colt 45 on 27 June 1946. Despite their inve. Hi Neil. "We had access to the files and identified that a semen stain had been found on the coat. He stated that I was barking up the wrong tree regarding Harold Jones having killed Muriel and finished by saying Happy Hunting before slamming the phone down on me. The police think that Hoyles, who as mentioned above passed Muriel on her way home, encountered Muriels killer weeks before her death. 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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. What a big moment in this case! In a Welsh village during the summer of 1946, a 12-year-old girl is brutally murdered. 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. Mudgee General Cemetery. Fifteen days later, Jones murdered 11-year-old neighbour Florence Little too, hiding her body in the attic of his parents' home. It was tracked down to a store room, in a current police station, in a very dark corner. Victor said that the programme had made him suspicious as to whether Florences killer Harold Jones who had been released from a 20 year prison sentence in 1941 for the Abertillery murders was responsible for 12 year-old Muriel Drinkwaters death. I live on the land of penllergaer woods and I have some information that I think u would like to hear.. how can I get in contact with u to chat.? Thanks again for sharing this. [3] In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect was extracted from her clothes, possibly the oldest sample . Her mother seen her approaching 400 yards away, so perhaps she was a selected victim. On 29 August 2021, I sent the following email to Freedom Of Information at South Wales Police. They have a suspect in the murder case and a cousin of the suspect has given D.N.A to prove whether or not the cousin Ron Harries was the killer. And the truth will never be known. There were whispers that it was her stepfather that did it, although I believe John Drinkwater was her blood father. [8] Scientists successfully retrieved a DNA profile from this stain. 2023 The True Crime Files. Hi Neil. This post deals with sexual assault and might be triggering for some readers. Muriel Joan Drinkwater was the youngest daughter of four born to Margaret and John Percival Drinkwater, a smallholder and forestry worker in Swansea, Wales. "This was a terrible, terrible crime that someone has got away with for too long. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. First he lived in Fulham with a former London Metropolitan Police officer John Widdows and his daughter Muriel whom he married in 1948. Video, 00:01:28, The 'smart suit' that is changing children's lives, View from the cockpit of a Ukraine combat helicopter. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. This was no spur of the moment event. 12 year old Muriel Drinkwater had only a mile to travel from the South Wales village of Penllergaer to the farm she lived on with her family. The Welsh policehave also examined connections between Muriels case and a second murder that occurred a mere ten days after she was killed. 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. Are you able to tell me if her father has been cleared via DNA profiling?. He can't understand why people would think he killed them. Would you be able to tell me please if Harries has been cleared of Muriels murder as well. Hi James. The authorities went as far as to suggest that someone in the Penllergaer region knows about the murder weapon but is protecting the owner by withholding information. It is frustrating that the Wales Online story of Saturday 7 November states the police have D.N.A. 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. 0, Hi Tracey Thanks for reading and for sharing your thoughts on Muriels case. The police statement that Jones was ruled out is a misleading statement. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I think it was suggested that the police thought that the family knew more than they were letting on. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Hi Neil Published: 08:03 EST, 1 May 2019 | Updated: 13:00 EST, 1 May 2019. Neil. On this podcast episode, we cover the unsolved cold case of Muriel Drinkwater. This murder shook the village and all the boys came under suspicion. Learn more about managing a memorial . Although the profile was loaded into the UK National DNA Database, it failed to match any of the approximately five million DNA records held there. 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. 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. The police found the murder weapon in the undergrowth near where Muriels body had been discovered. He died at that address in 1971. On June 27, 1946, twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea. taken from one of Jones many nieces or nephews in Wales would prove conclusively if Jones was or was not Muriels killer. It is currently one of the oldest active cold cases in the UK. The unanswered question, however, is whether or not the killer was specifically waiting for Muriel or if any girl or woman who happened by would have made a suitable target. She was seen by her mother from a distance of 400 yards away, but before Muriel could arrive home she was murdered. People had forgotten it was there. taken from Jones exhumed body can the police honestly say catergorically that Jones was or was not Muriels killer. Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Neil Milkins. Her killer has never been caught and it remains among the most notorious unsolved murders in Welsh history you can read more of them here. We got a partial profile, given that it was the oldest cold case with a semen stain on it that we had been working on.". Its amazing the documentary could screw things up so much. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Its her birthday tomorrow, and still no closer to finding her killer. Margaret went out into the yard and her and Muriel exchanged waves. Why on earth would the police continue to stonewall after all these decades? As you know it is not possible to prove whether Harold Jones was Muriels killer by D.N.A testing Jones daughter. Video, 00:01:20WATCH: Key moments from PM's NI Brexit deal speech, EU Chief on NI deal: 'We were honest with each other' Video, 00:00:36EU Chief on NI deal: 'We were honest with each other', The 'smart suit' that is changing children's lives. He is very clearly interested in the fact that she is young, that she is a schoolgirl, and also that she is very clever. Victor told me that he had seen a T.V. Video, 00:02:56Detectives to revisit unsolved murder, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. The team tracked down Harries' cousin Lynn Hughes who described how the only child had been "spoilt" by his parents and was very "childish". 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. 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