In a remarkable turn of events, West Midlands Police have solved one of Britain’s longest-standing missing person cases. Sheila Fox, who vanished at the age of 16 in 1972, was found alive and well after an appeal that spanned over half a century.
Last seen in Coventry city centre, Sheila was living with her parents at the time of her disappearance and was thought to possibly be involved with an older man. The force reinvigorated the search for Sheila on Sunday (December 27), releasing a single, dated black-and-white photograph from the 1970s.
Despite the lack of leads, police kept an “open mind”, considering the possibility that she might have relocated without informing anyone. The breakthrough came when West Midlands Police announced on Wednesday (January 1) that Sheila, now aged 68, had been located in the south of England, reports the Express.
A spokesperson for the force expressed their joy, stating: “We are delighted to announce the conclusion of one of West Midlands Police’s longest-running missing person investigations.”
They added: “We recently published a renewed appeal to help find Sheila Fox, who went missing from Coventry in 1972.” The discovery followed the release of the photo which prompted the public to provide crucial information leading to Sheila’s whereabouts. .
They announced that Sheila was “confirmed to be safe and well”, bringing one of the police force’s longest-running missing person cases to a successful conclusion. Detective Sergeant Jenna Shaw, from the force’s Cold Case Investigation Team, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have found Sheila after more than five decades.”
She explained how officers meticulously searched through every piece of evidence available and managed to locate the photo of Sheila.
Ms Shaw praised the work of Detective Constable Shaun Reeve, who she said had managed to crack the case with vital assistance from the public. She added: “Every missing person has a story, and their families and friends deserve to know what happened to them and, hopefully, be reunited with them.”
An appeal led to members of the public getting in touch with police to help trace Ms Fox.
(Image: (Image: West Midlands Police))