Disappearance of Ruth Wilson: The Surrey Schoolgirl
Jun 3, 2020 13:42:02 GMT
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Post by hi224 on Jun 3, 2020 13:42:02 GMT
Ruth Wilson's Wikipedia
Ruth Wilson, a 16-year-old school girl from Surrey, disappeared on a cold November day in 1995. After failing to attend school, she spent most of her day at a local library. She was last seen by the taxi driver that had dropped her off on a bridleway close to Box Hill late in the afternoon.
As it stands, Ruth's case is Surrey's oldest outstanding missing persons' case. So, what happened to her?
Ruth was born to Ian and Nesta Wilson (née Landeg) on January 21st 1979. Ian and Nesta had another daughter, Jennifer, at some point in 1982. Ian was a teacher. Little is known about Nesta, apart from the fact that she had been adopted as a baby and had connections to the town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. They lived in a picturesque 17th-century cottage in the sleepy Surrey village of Betchworth. Despite being a small village, Betchworth lies within the London commuter belt, meaning that it was easy to travel to London from there. By all accounts, they were a stereotypical middle-class family. However, it wasn't long until disaster struck.
Nesta died on December 10th 1982. Ian remarried a fellow teacher called Karen less than a year later. Although Ruth and Jennifer called Karen 'mum', they were raised under the belief that their mother had died after having a tragic accident.
Ruth developed into a bright, studious and well-mannered girl as the years passed. She was studying A-Level Chemistry and Biology at a local sixth form school (The Ashcombe School in Dorking). Despite being described as 'unconventional' and 'not cool' by her ex-boyfriend, she had a small, tight-knit group of friends. Outside of school, she enjoyed reading, playing electric guitar and piano and riding her bike. She regularly babysat for people in the community and had a Saturday job working in a music shop.
Ruth was also a very active member of the local church, in which her father was parish councillor. She sang in the choir, played the organ and enjoyed ringing the church handbells.
In the October of 1995, Wilson began to believe that she had been lied to about how her mother died. She travelled to London to see her mother's death certificate and confided in her friend Catherine Mair about this. Ruth discovered that her mother's cause of death had been recorded as suicide by hanging, not falling down the stairs as Ruth and Jennifer had been told. Neither Ian nor Karen were aware that Ruth had discovered this until after her disappearance. At this time, Catherine and her family were due to move away to Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Ruth had asked if she could move with them, once the family had settled.
Another of Ruth's friends, Ben Anderton, stated that Ruth had tried to run away a month before her final disappearance. She hid at his house in Betchworth. Ruth also slept over at Catherine's house around the same time. Catherine's mother recalled that Ruth was adamant that she didn't want to go back home, but wasn't sure why. Catherine has stated that Wilson had talked about running away in the past, but had never spoken to her about committing suicide. Meanwhile, Wilson's parents have refuted claims that their daughter's home life was unhappy.
The Saturday prior to her disappearance, Ruth worked her normal shift at the music shop. After this, she took her ex-boyfriend, Will Kennedy, and another friend, Neil Phillipson out for a meal. Both Kennedy and Phillipson have said that Wilson paid for the meal and told them that it would be 'something to remember her by'.
Wilson went to handbell practise the next day, before going to Kennedy's house for supper. His mother had gifted her some old clothes. Her family remember her being relaxed that day.
Ruth disappeared the following day - Monday, November 27th 1995. Both of her parents had left early for work that morning, leaving Ruth and Jennifer to get ready and catch the school bus. Ruth told Jennifer at the last minute that they wouldn't be taking the bus together. Jennifer wasn't surprised by this as the sixth form school that Ruth attended often started later than Jennifer's secondary school, though she was surprised that Ruth had left it so late to tell her.
Shortly after Jennifer had left for school, Will Kennedy drove to Ruth's house and offered to give the sixth form student a lift. Ruth declined his offer and told him that she would meet up with him later. However, Ruth didn't go to school that day. Later in the morning, she took a taxi into Dorking - a nearby town. Wilson was seen ordering flowers for her step-mother from a high-street flower shop at midday. Wilson asked that these flowers not be delivered until the following Wednesday.
After this, Wilson went to Dorking Library. She spent most of the afternoon there. At 4pm, she took a taxi from Dorking train station to Box Hill. She was dropped off on a bridleway a short distance from the Hand in Hand Pub (now The Box Tree) on Box Hill at 4:30pm. The taxi driver said that he had observed Wilson acting strangely once he had dropped her off - she simply stood still in the rain. Some reports say that the taxi driver saw Ruth looking round for someone. This was the last confirmed sighting of Ruth.
When she disappeared, Ruth was wearing a red knitted jumper, black pixie boots and a small lady's wrist watch on her left wrist. She was also carrying a small blue duffel bag with a personal stereo and tapes. One of the police officers investigating Ruth's disappearance, Liam McAuley, observed that Ruth was dressed to get into another car. He implied that a third party may have been involved in her disappearance and that running away was a more likely theory than suicide.
Wilson disappeared 13 days before the 14th anniversary of Nesta's death.
Surrey Police launched a search for Wilson that night. They used a helicopter, police dogs and thermal imaging equipment and scoured the Box Hill area. Their search produced no solid clues as to her whereabouts. It was subsequently discovered that Wilson would frequently go to Box Hill after school and that she was concerned about her performance at school. Ruth had hidden a school report from them that weekend.
On November 29th, 2 days after Wilson's disappearance, the flowers ordered by Wilson were delivered to her step-mother Karen. Subsequent reports described the flowers delivered as an 'expensive bouquet' and there was no note attached them. Catherine Mair interpreted these flowers as Wilson 'sticking two fingers up' to her step mother.
It was reported that 3 notes were found hidden under a bush in the undergrowth on December 1st at the top edge of Betchworth Quarry in Box Hill. Although the contents of the notes have never been divulged to the public, the notes amounted to farewells to her family, her best friend and a boy that she knew. At the same time, empty packets of paracetamol and a half-empty packet of Vermouth were found nearby.
The next day, a large scale search for Wilson was organised by the local emergency services. The search included 60 volunteers, comprising of; local members of the public, school friends and National Trust wardens. The search also involved a police helicopter, tracker dogs and thermal imaging equipment. A trained search and rescue team also undertook a detailed search of the Betchworth Quarry end of Box Hill. Mark Williams-Thomas (the family's liason officer) stated that the search yielded no evidence to suggest that Wilson had committed suicide.
8 months later, the police visited Catherine Mair at her Sheffield home. They broke off from questioning Catherine to look in her wardrobe, as if they thought that Mair had been harbouring Wilson. Wilson's family have stated that they believe Wilson is alive and well somewhere, but too afraid to come home.
There have been several possible sightings of Ruth in the years that have followed. On the first anniversary of Ruth's appearance, a person thought to resemble Wilson was caught on CCTV at Dorking Newsagents - two miles from Box Hill, where Wilson had last been seen. The female teenager was distressed and had requested a copy of each of the local newspapers. She became visibly upset when she found out that one paper had sold out. The local newspapers featured a reference to Ruth's disappearance. The shop owner saved the CCTV footage and reported his encounter to the police. Ruth's parents have stated that they think this is Ruth.
Police Sargeant Shane Craven said that there had been some fairly reliable sightings of Ruth in the weeks after her disappearance by local Surrey people that had known her well, when speaking on the 10th anniversary of her disappearance.
After a local newspaper sent out an appeal in 2018, more people who knew Ruth came forward with information. Roxy Birch - a girl who had gone to school with Wilson and portrayed her in a police reconstruction video - claimed that Wilson didn't have a passport and didn't drive. This would have made long-distance travel difficult for Wilson. Another friend, Kay Blenard, stated that they believe Ruth had planned to do something.
Ruth disappeared with only the clothes on her back and a few stereo-tapes. Whether or not she took money with her is not disclosed, but she spent a large amount in the lead up to her disappearance.
So... what really happened to Ruth?
Ruth Wilson, a 16-year-old school girl from Surrey, disappeared on a cold November day in 1995. After failing to attend school, she spent most of her day at a local library. She was last seen by the taxi driver that had dropped her off on a bridleway close to Box Hill late in the afternoon.
As it stands, Ruth's case is Surrey's oldest outstanding missing persons' case. So, what happened to her?
Ruth was born to Ian and Nesta Wilson (née Landeg) on January 21st 1979. Ian and Nesta had another daughter, Jennifer, at some point in 1982. Ian was a teacher. Little is known about Nesta, apart from the fact that she had been adopted as a baby and had connections to the town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. They lived in a picturesque 17th-century cottage in the sleepy Surrey village of Betchworth. Despite being a small village, Betchworth lies within the London commuter belt, meaning that it was easy to travel to London from there. By all accounts, they were a stereotypical middle-class family. However, it wasn't long until disaster struck.
Nesta died on December 10th 1982. Ian remarried a fellow teacher called Karen less than a year later. Although Ruth and Jennifer called Karen 'mum', they were raised under the belief that their mother had died after having a tragic accident.
Ruth developed into a bright, studious and well-mannered girl as the years passed. She was studying A-Level Chemistry and Biology at a local sixth form school (The Ashcombe School in Dorking). Despite being described as 'unconventional' and 'not cool' by her ex-boyfriend, she had a small, tight-knit group of friends. Outside of school, she enjoyed reading, playing electric guitar and piano and riding her bike. She regularly babysat for people in the community and had a Saturday job working in a music shop.
Ruth was also a very active member of the local church, in which her father was parish councillor. She sang in the choir, played the organ and enjoyed ringing the church handbells.
In the October of 1995, Wilson began to believe that she had been lied to about how her mother died. She travelled to London to see her mother's death certificate and confided in her friend Catherine Mair about this. Ruth discovered that her mother's cause of death had been recorded as suicide by hanging, not falling down the stairs as Ruth and Jennifer had been told. Neither Ian nor Karen were aware that Ruth had discovered this until after her disappearance. At this time, Catherine and her family were due to move away to Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Ruth had asked if she could move with them, once the family had settled.
Another of Ruth's friends, Ben Anderton, stated that Ruth had tried to run away a month before her final disappearance. She hid at his house in Betchworth. Ruth also slept over at Catherine's house around the same time. Catherine's mother recalled that Ruth was adamant that she didn't want to go back home, but wasn't sure why. Catherine has stated that Wilson had talked about running away in the past, but had never spoken to her about committing suicide. Meanwhile, Wilson's parents have refuted claims that their daughter's home life was unhappy.
The Saturday prior to her disappearance, Ruth worked her normal shift at the music shop. After this, she took her ex-boyfriend, Will Kennedy, and another friend, Neil Phillipson out for a meal. Both Kennedy and Phillipson have said that Wilson paid for the meal and told them that it would be 'something to remember her by'.
Wilson went to handbell practise the next day, before going to Kennedy's house for supper. His mother had gifted her some old clothes. Her family remember her being relaxed that day.
Ruth disappeared the following day - Monday, November 27th 1995. Both of her parents had left early for work that morning, leaving Ruth and Jennifer to get ready and catch the school bus. Ruth told Jennifer at the last minute that they wouldn't be taking the bus together. Jennifer wasn't surprised by this as the sixth form school that Ruth attended often started later than Jennifer's secondary school, though she was surprised that Ruth had left it so late to tell her.
Shortly after Jennifer had left for school, Will Kennedy drove to Ruth's house and offered to give the sixth form student a lift. Ruth declined his offer and told him that she would meet up with him later. However, Ruth didn't go to school that day. Later in the morning, she took a taxi into Dorking - a nearby town. Wilson was seen ordering flowers for her step-mother from a high-street flower shop at midday. Wilson asked that these flowers not be delivered until the following Wednesday.
After this, Wilson went to Dorking Library. She spent most of the afternoon there. At 4pm, she took a taxi from Dorking train station to Box Hill. She was dropped off on a bridleway a short distance from the Hand in Hand Pub (now The Box Tree) on Box Hill at 4:30pm. The taxi driver said that he had observed Wilson acting strangely once he had dropped her off - she simply stood still in the rain. Some reports say that the taxi driver saw Ruth looking round for someone. This was the last confirmed sighting of Ruth.
When she disappeared, Ruth was wearing a red knitted jumper, black pixie boots and a small lady's wrist watch on her left wrist. She was also carrying a small blue duffel bag with a personal stereo and tapes. One of the police officers investigating Ruth's disappearance, Liam McAuley, observed that Ruth was dressed to get into another car. He implied that a third party may have been involved in her disappearance and that running away was a more likely theory than suicide.
Wilson disappeared 13 days before the 14th anniversary of Nesta's death.
Surrey Police launched a search for Wilson that night. They used a helicopter, police dogs and thermal imaging equipment and scoured the Box Hill area. Their search produced no solid clues as to her whereabouts. It was subsequently discovered that Wilson would frequently go to Box Hill after school and that she was concerned about her performance at school. Ruth had hidden a school report from them that weekend.
On November 29th, 2 days after Wilson's disappearance, the flowers ordered by Wilson were delivered to her step-mother Karen. Subsequent reports described the flowers delivered as an 'expensive bouquet' and there was no note attached them. Catherine Mair interpreted these flowers as Wilson 'sticking two fingers up' to her step mother.
It was reported that 3 notes were found hidden under a bush in the undergrowth on December 1st at the top edge of Betchworth Quarry in Box Hill. Although the contents of the notes have never been divulged to the public, the notes amounted to farewells to her family, her best friend and a boy that she knew. At the same time, empty packets of paracetamol and a half-empty packet of Vermouth were found nearby.
The next day, a large scale search for Wilson was organised by the local emergency services. The search included 60 volunteers, comprising of; local members of the public, school friends and National Trust wardens. The search also involved a police helicopter, tracker dogs and thermal imaging equipment. A trained search and rescue team also undertook a detailed search of the Betchworth Quarry end of Box Hill. Mark Williams-Thomas (the family's liason officer) stated that the search yielded no evidence to suggest that Wilson had committed suicide.
8 months later, the police visited Catherine Mair at her Sheffield home. They broke off from questioning Catherine to look in her wardrobe, as if they thought that Mair had been harbouring Wilson. Wilson's family have stated that they believe Wilson is alive and well somewhere, but too afraid to come home.
There have been several possible sightings of Ruth in the years that have followed. On the first anniversary of Ruth's appearance, a person thought to resemble Wilson was caught on CCTV at Dorking Newsagents - two miles from Box Hill, where Wilson had last been seen. The female teenager was distressed and had requested a copy of each of the local newspapers. She became visibly upset when she found out that one paper had sold out. The local newspapers featured a reference to Ruth's disappearance. The shop owner saved the CCTV footage and reported his encounter to the police. Ruth's parents have stated that they think this is Ruth.
Police Sargeant Shane Craven said that there had been some fairly reliable sightings of Ruth in the weeks after her disappearance by local Surrey people that had known her well, when speaking on the 10th anniversary of her disappearance.
After a local newspaper sent out an appeal in 2018, more people who knew Ruth came forward with information. Roxy Birch - a girl who had gone to school with Wilson and portrayed her in a police reconstruction video - claimed that Wilson didn't have a passport and didn't drive. This would have made long-distance travel difficult for Wilson. Another friend, Kay Blenard, stated that they believe Ruth had planned to do something.
Ruth disappeared with only the clothes on her back and a few stereo-tapes. Whether or not she took money with her is not disclosed, but she spent a large amount in the lead up to her disappearance.
So... what really happened to Ruth?
