UK UK - Ruth Wilson, 16, Dorking, 27 Nov 1995

[mrC]

if another car was going to pick her up the best place to do it from would of been outside the pub not a side street i allways it was a rather strange to ask to be dropped

 

[mrC]

ruth must o had a reason to ask to to be droped in a side street but what would e there that was of intrest to her

 

[mrC]

im slightly skepical of the sightings i mean there must of been plenty of people who looked like her especialy in london and the witnesses dident know her

 

[John/Jane Doe]

498DFUK - Ruth Wilson

 

[Officer Dibble]

498DFUK - Ruth Wilson

Do we know her middle name?

 

[Notascreenname]

Do we know her middle name?

She didn't have one
Source: Ancestry

 

[Officer Dibble]

She didn't have one
Source: Ancestry

Thank you. How odd. Surely people without a middle name are rare?

 

[Mayfly]

Thank you. How odd. Surely people without a middle name are rare?

Not as rare as you might think, I know three people with no middle names. One was a newborn foundling and was given the name of the train station she was left at (Victoria). The other two the parents couldn't agree on any name they both liked so in one case the child was named after a grandparent and the other was named after the midwife that delivered her.

 

[elframo]

Thank you. How odd. Surely people without a middle name are rare?

Not at all ,in our household growing up my Father and I had middle names while my Mother and Brother never.

 

[mrC]

it would be helpfull if she had becouse it would a google so much easier.

 

[Konstantin]

if another car was going to pick her up the best place to do it from would of been outside the pub not a side street i allways it was a rather strange to ask to be dropped

It was a bridle path not a side street. Not a paved street or alley. And it was pitch dark so walking down there, particularly in the rain, when it would be muddy with no lights to see what's in front of you, strikes me as an odd thing to have done. I'm not convinced Ruth would have gone down the bridle path at all that night.

It seems like she might have planned her actions pretty well. What I am wondering is if she wasn't just standing in the rain waiting for the taxi to leave. Maybe she was standing there so the taxi would see her standing there and remember it. She had a taxi take her to the library that lunchtime or morning. Then she took another one to Box Hill. She sat in the library most of the afternoon, it seems. Was she setting a trail for people to follow to give the impression she had tried to take her life? As a message or acting out for her parents? One of her friends from that time said (on an old Facebook group IIRC) that Ruth hated her father. The notes hidden under a bush also maybe point to her trying to set a scene.

It strikes me that the police found the taxi driver who dropped her off very quickly (how quickly?). How did the taxi driver know to come forward? Was it the same taxi who attended her home and picked her up from there earlier? Was it a taxi firm she rang and booked?

When her ex boyfriend turned up at her house that day offering her a lift, after she would normally have gone by bus, did he often do that on the off chance she was home? Why call round that day when Ruth would normally have bussed in with her sister? Or is that wrong information? She had told him and another friend that a meal she bought would be to remember her by, but she told him she would see him later. So he turned up unannounced on the day she had planned whatever it was and she brushed him off?

If all this was planned, did Ruth do all that herself or did she have some help or confidantes to run her plans by? Where did she spend that night if she wasn't on Box Hill in the cold and rain? She had no coat.

 

[Konstantin]

if another car was going to pick her up the best place to do it from would of been outside the pub not a side street i allways it was a rather strange to ask to be dropped

It was a bridle path not a side street. Not a paved street or alley. And it was pitch dark so walking down there, particularly in the rain, when it would be muddy with no lights to see what's in front of you, strikes me as an odd thing to have done. I'm not convinced Ruth would have gone down the bridle path at all that night.

It seems like she might have planned her actions pretty well. What I am wondering is if she wasn't just standing in the rain waiting for the taxi to leave. Maybe she was standing there so the taxi would see her standing there and remember it. She had a taxi take her to the library that lunchtime or morning. Then she took another one to Box Hill. She sat in the library most of the afternoon, it seems. Was she setting a trail for people to follow to give the impression she had tried to take her life? As a message or acting out for her parents? One of her friends from that time said (on an old Facebook group IIRC) that Ruth hated her father. The notes hidden under a bush also maybe point to her trying to set a scene.

It strikes me that the police found the taxi driver who dropped her off very quickly (how quickly?). How did the taxi driver know to come forward? Was it the same taxi who attended her home and picked her up from there earlier? Was it a taxi firm she rang and booked?

When her ex boyfriend turned up at her house that day offering her a lift, after she would normally have gone by bus, did he often do that on the off chance she was home? Why call round that day when Ruth would normally have bussed in with her sister? Or is that wrong information? She had told him and another friend that a meal she bought would be to remember her by, but she told him she would see him later. So he turned up unannounced on the day she had planned whatever it was and she brushed him off?

If all this was planned, did Ruth do all that herself or did she have some help or confidantes to run her plans by? Where did she spend that night if she wasn't on Box Hill in the cold and rain? She had no coat.

 

[mrC]

does anybody know thedate the hill was searched

 

[alb1on]

does anybody know thedate the hill was searched

It was searched the night she went missing using helicopter, heat seeking kit and dogs. Further searches occurred in the subsequent days, including of Betchworth Quarry on the side of Box Hill. In addition to these immediate searches there was the period leading up to the 2012 Olympics when Box Hill was the hill climb section for the cycling road race. It was thoroughly covered for security reasons at that time (and there were thousands there during the race). Add in the myriad of walkers on there every day and the chance of remains staying undiscovered for this long is small.

 

[quibble]

It was a bridle path not a side street. Not a paved street or alley. And it was pitch dark so walking down there, particularly in the rain, when it would be muddy with no lights to see what's in front of you, strikes me as an odd thing to have done. I'm not convinced Ruth would have gone down the bridle path at all that night.

It seems like she might have planned her actions pretty well. What I am wondering is if she wasn't just standing in the rain waiting for the taxi to leave. Maybe she was standing there so the taxi would see her standing there and remember it. She had a taxi take her to the library that lunchtime or morning. Then she took another one to Box Hill. She sat in the library most of the afternoon, it seems. Was she setting a trail for people to follow to give the impression she had tried to take her life? As a message or acting out for her parents? One of her friends from that time said (on an old Facebook group IIRC) that Ruth hated her father. The notes hidden under a bush also maybe point to her trying to set a scene.

It strikes me that the police found the taxi driver who dropped her off very quickly (how quickly?). How did the taxi driver know to come forward? Was it the same taxi who attended her home and picked her up from there earlier? Was it a taxi firm she rang and booked?

When her ex boyfriend turned up at her house that day offering her a lift, after she would normally have gone by bus, did he often do that on the off chance she was home? Why call round that day when Ruth would normally have bussed in with her sister? Or is that wrong information? She had told him and another friend that a meal she bought would be to remember her by, but she told him she would see him later. So he turned up unannounced on the day she had planned whatever it was and she brushed him off?

If all this was planned, did Ruth do all that herself or did she have some help or confidantes to run her plans by? Where did she spend that night if she wasn't on Box Hill in the cold and rain? She had no coat.

I have always felt, for no reason that I can say that she with help left all behind. I remember this well because I lived about 35 miles away at the time. Where ever she is I hope she is enjoying life.




I did not hae a very happy home life and in 1972 had planned to do something like this, complete break, nothing more. Fate intervened and I got married saw my family now and then, more then than now.

 

[mrC]

how did they know to search the hill night she went missing untill the cab drier came forward there was no evedence she had been there and he couldent off come forward that quickly

 

[mrC]

the ca frier probely hear about the search of the hill and put 2 and 2 together one thing i wonder is can we be certan it was ruth that got in his taxi i mean did he know her had a photo of her been published at the time he went to the police

 

[Joshw2022]

It was a bridle path not a side street. Not a paved street or alley. And it was pitch dark so walking down there, particularly in the rain, when it would be muddy with no lights to see what's in front of you, strikes me as an odd thing to have done. I'm not convinced Ruth would have gone down the bridle path at all that night.

It seems like she might have planned her actions pretty well. What I am wondering is if she wasn't just standing in the rain waiting for the taxi to leave. Maybe she was standing there so the taxi would see her standing there and remember it. She had a taxi take her to the library that lunchtime or morning. Then she took another one to Box Hill. She sat in the library most of the afternoon, it seems. Was she setting a trail for people to follow to give the impression she had tried to take her life? As a message or acting out for her parents? One of her friends from that time said (on an old Facebook group IIRC) that Ruth hated her father. The notes hidden under a bush also maybe point to her trying to set a scene.

It strikes me that the police found the taxi driver who dropped her off very quickly (how quickly?). How did the taxi driver know to come forward? Was it the same taxi who attended her home and picked her up from there earlier? Was it a taxi firm she rang and booked?

When her ex boyfriend turned up at her house that day offering her a lift, after she would normally have gone by bus, did he often do that on the off chance she was home? Why call round that day when Ruth would normally have bussed in with her sister? Or is that wrong information? She had told him and another friend that a meal she bought would be to remember her by, but she told him she would see him later. So he turned up unannounced on the day she had planned whatever it was and she brushed him off?

If all this was planned, did Ruth do all that herself or did she have some help or confidantes to run her plans by? Where did she spend that night if she wasn't on Box Hill in the cold and rain? She had no coat.

Hey Konstantin - You make some great points here and I figured I'd respond:

Firstly, you mention quite a bit about the taxi here - I'm wondering how often Ruth travelled by taxi. Buses would have been much cheaper than a taxi, and it seems odd that she would spend this money unnecessarily if she was planning on running away to start a new life. Was Box Hill not very well connected by bus routes at the time?

In terms of the police tracking him down so quickly, I suspect this was simply due to basis enquiries. One of the first things the police do in a high-risk missing person case (which I suspect this was due to the amount of resources they put out that evening), is to check with bus and taxi companies. Although things were different in the 1990s, I suspect this was still a basic enquiry the police would have made in the initial phase of her being missing.

With regards to her ex-boyfriend, I wonder if this was simply common practice. We know they were still somewhat close, and back in the 90s one couldn't text their friends or use social media, so maybe it was just him going round to see if she was home?

One thing I am curious about, and maybe someone can assist, is WHY the police paid so much attention to Ruth that evening. As a police officer in the UK, I can absolutely guarantee that a 16 year old girl who hasn't gone to school that day and who hasn't turned up at home would not be immediately classed as high risk - bearing in mind Ruth also didn't have a great relationship with her father/stepmother and was a pretty headstrong young woman. In all likelihood, if such as report came into the police nowadays, enquiries would be made but it wouldn't be immediate - it would probably be left until later in the night to see if she returned of her own accord. I feel like something must have been said on that initial report to raise significant concerns and make the police expedite their initial enquiries.

 

[alb1on]

Hey Konstantin - You make some great points here and I figured I'd respond:

Firstly, you mention quite a bit about the taxi here - I'm wondering how often Ruth travelled by taxi. Buses would have been much cheaper than a taxi, and it seems odd that she would spend this money unnecessarily if she was planning on running away to start a new life. Was Box Hill not very well connected by bus routes at the time?

In terms of the police tracking him down so quickly, I suspect this was simply due to basis enquiries. One of the first things the police do in a high-risk missing person case (which I suspect this was due to the amount of resources they put out that evening), is to check with bus and taxi companies. Although things were different in the 1990s, I suspect this was still a basic enquiry the police would have made in the initial phase of her being missing.

With regards to her ex-boyfriend, I wonder if this was simply common practice. We know they were still somewhat close, and back in the 90s one couldn't text their friends or use social media, so maybe it was just him going round to see if she was home?

One thing I am curious about, and maybe someone can assist, is WHY the police paid so much attention to Ruth that evening. As a police officer in the UK, I can absolutely guarantee that a 16 year old girl who hasn't gone to school that day and who hasn't turned up at home would not be immediately classed as high risk - bearing in mind Ruth also didn't have a great relationship with her father/stepmother and was a pretty headstrong young woman. In all likelihood, if such as report came into the police nowadays, enquiries would be made but it wouldn't be immediate - it would probably be left until later in the night to see if she returned of her own accord. I feel like something must have been said on that initial report to raise significant concerns and make the police expedite their initial enquiries.

That road (where she was dropped) is only served by buses every 2 hours or so and they may have been even less frequent in the 90s, so a taxi may have been the easiest/most convenient option, especially if she was meeting someone at a specific time. And the flowers would have cost more than the taxi so it seems that money was not an issue.

 

[Joshw2022]

That road (where she was dropped) is only served by buses every 2 hours or so and they may have been even less frequent in the 90s, so a taxi may have been the easiest/most convenient option, especially if she was meeting someone at a specific time. And the flowers would have cost more than the taxi so it seems that money was not an issue.

Thanks alb1on - I'm not familiar with the area so I'm unsure how far she would have had to travel in a taxi (I do plan on visiting the area soon), but I find it interesting that money seemingly wasn't a major issue for her if she was planning on running away and starting up a new life. Also, I presume that as far as we know the contents of any notes that were left have never been revealed?

I do find it frustrating with these types of cases in the UK. Even with cases that have been cold for decades the police never seem to reveal much information beyond the very basics, which I understand, but once it becomes clear that the case is not going to be solved it surely makes sense to put more information in the public domain. And I say this as a police officer!!