But they said the results now ruled out Jones as a suspect in her murder. Would you be able to tell me please if Harries has been cleared of Muriels murder as well. I was able to edit the comment for you before it went live. Are you able to help please? Just before his execution, Harries gave an extraordinary interview to the tabloid press from his jail cell. In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect . On June 27, 1946, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea (UK). DNA was taken from the relatives of both Muriel and Ronnie Harries but the results have not been made public. Published: 08:03 EST, 1 May 2019 | Updated: 13:00 EST, 1 May 2019. The police statement that Jones was ruled out is a misleading statement. The D.N.A. Video, 00:01:00, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Dog found alive after 23 days under rubble. found on Muriels coat and D.N.A. Her mother was in the kitchen and . The 73-year-old stain was discovered during a cold case review in 2003 and is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of evidence in the world. 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. Swansea 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater, who was shot after being sexually assaulted in 1946, Officers searching the farmland in the days after the murder, Muriel's schoolmates with flowers for her grave, A picture of the gun police believe was used, Harold Jones, a convicted child killer who was also a suspect in Muriel's killing, Ronnie Harries, the last man to be sentenced to death in Carmarthen, The book that was found in a charity shop. He died at that address in 1971. "Given the sheer level of violence that he inflicted on his own relatives, I can't quite believe that this would be the first instance of his violence.". Given that Hoyles was the last person to see Muriel alive, he quickly fell under a thick veil of suspicion. And if you want to write a guest post that covers the update for distribution on the website, let us know. 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. I am not a DNA scientist so sadly I cannot answer this question for you. She was shot twice in the chest. taken from Jones exhumed body can the police honestly say catergorically that Jones was or was not Muriels killer. Although the decision was made immediately it took nearly 7 weeks until 16 August 2021 to get a formal decision. The murder of Muriel Drinkwater is an unsolved 1946 child murder case from Wales. 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. [8][4], In 2003, detectives re-opened the case in the hope of finding DNA evidence on the gun, but were not successful as too many people had handled the weapon. They visited the Carmarthen bookshop to identify if the killers family had taken the books there. In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect was extracted from her clothes, possibly the oldest one in the world to . Some people turn to the murder weapon for answers and suggest that the killer was either an American serviceman who had previously been stationed at Penllergaer or that an American soldier may have sold the gun to the perpetrator in the village. Only the exhumation of Jones body or D.N.A. Just before she entered the woods she looked up to see the farm in the distance. Although he was first registered at Widdows Fulham address at Hestercombe Avenue in 1947 as Harold Jones, the following years and up until 1962 he was registered as Harry Stevens. They pieced together evidence from the time, used new forensic breakthroughs and links to other cases in the area to identify who they think murdered Muriel in the most horrific way. South Wales Police detectives requested the original case file from Kent Police to determine if there was a connection. 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. The identity of the man who murdered a schoolgirl in 1946 remains a mystery after DNA left on her'little red riding hood' coat failed to link to a notorious child killer. It was tracked down to a store room, in a current police station, in a very dark corner. "If information comes in from the public or other forces we act on it.". 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. Was a local stalking Muriel? [7], The next day, Drinkwater's body was found in the woods by a police inspector. A familial DNA profile was extracted using a technique called Y-STR, but no match was found in the national DNA database. The new B.B.C. If information comes in from the public or other forces we act on it. The police have DNA but keep any results they may have a closely guarded secret. Photo added by Tracey. If true, it could have placed him in the area at the time of Muriel's murder. The police found the murder weapon in the undergrowth near where Muriels body had been discovered. During the course of the investigation the finger of blame had sometimes been pointed at Muriel's father, John. Video, 00:02:36Who killed 'Little Red Riding Hood'? She had been attacked on the lane and then she was dragged to where the body was left.". "Each case is reviewed periodically. Muriel Drinkwater was born on January 12, 1906 in New York . Great questions! To see documentary google Dark Lands Muriel Drinkwater iplayer. They had been regular churchgoers, but stopped going to church and moved away from the farm within two years of the murder. "It does make you think that Muriel Drinkwater (who passed her 11-Plus to get into grammar school) is the sort of girl he would have been interested in. 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. Updated: August 30, 2013 . Her eyes were wide open and her skin was deathly white. There are, of course, other theories regarding who was lying in wait on that fateful day. The murder of Muriel Drinkwater ,[2] also known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder, is an unsolved 1946 child murder case from Wales. Learn more about managing a memorial . 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? [4], More than 3,000 mourners attended Drinkwater's funeral on 2 July. Something went wrong, please try again later. Police confirmed a cold case review on the stain found on Muriel's coat in 1946 had now been tested by forensics teams. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I have informed South Wales Police regarding this information to save them a fortune on a wild goose chase trying to extract D.N.A. Pinterest. Hi Christine. It was believed the victim's clothes had been lost. left on the coat was compared to D.N.A. Roll on another 2 months for a denied request. An autopsy later determined that Muriel had been bludgeoned, raped, and shot twice in the chest. It doesnt take much working out who the unnamed source with South Wales Police was! Police and soldiers search the area for clues of Muriel's murder, A picture of Muriel's schoolmates with flowers for her grave, Freda Burnell (left) and Florence Little (right) - Jones' first victims, At 35-years-old Jones is released from prison, only to vanish. 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. Two months too young to face the gallows, he was sent to Usk Prison where he sensationally confessed to the first killing, blaming the voice of a 'demon' in his head. 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. All the best with pursuing answers in this case, and please keep us updated. Harries was hanged in 1954 for the double murder of John and Phoebe Harries. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. 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. I really appreciate how youre helping keep the true crime community informed on whats going on behind the scenes in this frustrating and heartbreaking case. Sorry I doubled up on some of the above but cant edit it. Required fields are marked *. Her mother later went to the village to look for her when she did not return home; more than a dozen men from the area began a search. And please do not forget tosubscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. Do not sell or share my personal information. Police believed 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater might have been a victim of a known serial killer when she was raped and murdered in 1946. Thank you for listening to this episode of The True Crime Files. (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. The electoral register having been suspended because of the war means details are hazy about where he ended up - although he did eventually resurface in South London under the name Harry Stevens, leading some to believe he was also Jack The Stripper - the serial killer who battered and strangled a number of women across the capital during the 1960s. I am awaiting D.N.A tests to be carried out on Harold Jones family members. "(The murder) turned our family upside down and has been talked about through the generations. Even though Jones died in 1971, his male descendants DNA could be tested to determine if he was the culprit responsible for Muriels murder. will do what you suggest. Muriel Drinkwater was laying on her back, one arm outstretched by her side and the other slightly raised. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to share your thoughts. [18] The public can no longer access the Drinkwater files by Freedom of Information Act requests or in person at the archives office in Kew. Officers are now examining a semen stain on Muriel's coat to see if it can be linked to Jones. But he was later released and served in World War II before his military career ended in 1946. Thanks again! And no idea and Japanese workers. 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On June 27, 1946, twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea. Despite a number of leads and suspects, police have not been able to identify her killer. Jones, originally of Abertillery, South Wales, is a suspect in the killings of six women in London in the 1960s. Hi Neil. Something went wrong, please try again later. Joseph James DeAngelo, the suspected Golden State Killer, The real waking the dead: This schoolgirls savage murder has mystified police for 62 years. Regards. In a Welsh village during the summer of 1946, a 12-year-old girl is brutally murdered. In mid 2007, I had extensive contact with Detective Constable Paul Rogers of the London Metropolitan Police. [3] In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect was extracted from her clothes, possibly the oldest sample . She may or may NOT have been Jones biological daughter. We can also deduce it is a average male because he must have had enough power to dominate a 12 year old girl. 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.". It was supposed to have been abandoned in 1944 but I know there were GIs who married Swansea girls still around in 1946. Heres hoping one day soon Muriel gets some semblance of justice. Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? 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This will conclude a 10 year wait to see if Jones was indeed Muriels killer. Neil. She was pulled from that path into the woodland beside it, attacked and murdered amongst the undergrowth of Penllergaer Woods, near Swansea, just yards from safety. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Due to advances in forensic technology, we have been able to look again at evidence from the murder in 1946 and I am now able to rule out Harold Jones completely as a suspect in this case.. "South Wales Police has had considerable success with cold case reviews being one of the first forces in the country to set up a review team in 1999 to conduct cold case reviews. D.S. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[3]='ADDRESS';ftypes[3]='address';fnames[4]='PHONE';ftypes[4]='phone';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Liked it? DNA was found on evidence & matched a man already in prison. 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. It was an article that said that Harries had worked for Muriel's father John at the time of her murder. 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On 30 March 2010 the Times Online quoted an unnamed police source with South Wales Police as saying: We have a real problem with amateur sleuths in this area. He can't understand why people would think he killed them. Muriel Drinkwater - Swansea, 1946 On 27th June 1946, Margaret Drinkwater was making tea in the family farm house in Penllegaer near Swansea when she looked out of the window to see her daughter . She was was found murdered in 1980 in a field in Dixon, CA. Muriel Joan Drinkwater was the youngest of four daughters born to John Percival and Margaret ( ne Morgans) Drinkwater. I informed D.C.I. A US Army Colt .45 service revolver was used to shoot Muriel Drinkwater, 12, in the chest, after her killer had beaten and raped her. Trump rages at Mark Zuckerberg amid claims group linked to Facebook boss gave $2 million to Georgia elections board - and says Dems are 'trying to steal a SECOND election'. 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