UK UK - Emma Alice Smith, 16, Sussex England, 1926

[Robin Hood]

Kat, non of the dates match up and her father didn't believe it either, hence his search wanting more info. If the family are in doubt it certainly puts me in it too.

 

[Robin Hood]

From http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9129...x_mystery_solved/?action=complain&cid=9498586

"However, it has been established, as far as is possible, that Emma Alice Smith was not murdered, but eloped with a man by the name of Thomas Wells, a 33-35 year-old roadworker, who left his wife and four young children between October 1928 and May 1930. It is believed that he and Emma Alice went to Southern Ireland.

If indeed they had run away they would have gone IMO at the same time, it appears Thomas Wells went BETWEEN 1928 and 1930, you would think his wife would have been interviewed by the police at the time and he was either there or not IYSWIM.
Also, people don't seem to make outlandish claims on their deathbed, usually it has a grain of truth.

 

[?!?]

Didn't want TEN YEARS to go by with no action on this thread!

The quote of 'as far as is possible' and 'it is believed' doesn't quite cut it....

 

[Loralee]

Does anyone know anything about Thomas Wells? One article said they eleoped. If they eloped there should be a marriage record available, somewhere and a family that could verify it was indeed the same woman. So strange that the articles gave so little information.

I've looked at Ireland civil records and there is one person with this name who married in 1928, but her name was Cecilia Dean in Althone, Westmeath, Ireland

Irish Genealogy

The first marriage in England to a Thomas Wells and wife with the first name Emma was in Lincolnshire in 1934. Possibly long enough for his divorce to go through, assuming he divorced?

 

[Resourceress]

This would be difficult to crack without knowing who the man who confessed on his deathbed was, and whether his friends/ family knew anything more of this.

It is difficult to blindly search, especially when as stated in the articles some of the potential bodies of water in the area no longer exist.

Would need to know more about cycle route, where this confessor lived, and ideally which body of water she was put.