I think a lot of this case hangs on those letters. It’s interesting why they have never been released. Either they were hoaxes, but if they were I think the police would’ve said, or they reveal the real truth as too why Ruth ran away – and I think there was more bad blood in her family than we know.
I genuinely believe that she’s alive and well, living a new life under a different name. Her friends are probably well aware, and have been for a long time. I think her family are too, but not for as long as her friends were.
I think she was also aided in the whole thing by her friends, many of which knew how unhappy she was. She certainly seemed to have a close-tight-knit and loyal group around her who would’ve helped. The way I see it being played out is:
The place she was dropped at is a complete red-herring. I believe as she didn’t actually go anywhere when the taxi driver dropped her off she either a). walked back into town or b). waited for a friend to pick her up. It appears that her ex-boyfriend had a car, and I’m sure others did too. It’s an affluent area and quite spread out in terms of geography of houess, living in a similar place in the East of England I know that it’s not uncommon for young people to pass their tests and have cars early so that they can get about.
Whilst the focus for the Police was on Boxhill she would’ve had more freedom to go somewhere else.
The sighting of her with a suitcase by someone who knew her at school is interesting, I’ve never read anything about it but I presume that her parents would’ve told police had there been clothes missing. This could mean that she had secretly been buying clothes and storing them somewhere (with a friend?) so that she didn’t have to take them with her, and she wouldn’t necessarily have anything on that would get her noticed. She seemed to have money, so a few new outfits would’ve been possible. It would also explain the lack of a coat. A coat is one of the things which is most used in descriptions when trying to locate someone – at that time of the year you’d also need it on constantly. This leads me onto my next point. CCTV. Not as standard as it is today, but certainly there was CCTV in 1995. Usually at major places, train stations for example. But it was never very clear (look at the footage from the horrendous abduction of James Bulger at a similar time to get an idea) but if you had a distinctive colour or type of coat, that would be picked up. With a new coat, possibly a hat and scarf (not unusual at that time of year) she could’ve been at Dorking train station and not been noticeable.
The other thing about CCTV at that time is that it wasn’t computer controlled, a lot still operated on tape. These weren’t kept for very long. With other cases in the media saying about how CCTV footage had been recorded over after only a short time, it’s perfectly logical that she may have read and realised by making a ‘show’ of being on Boxhill (having a witness in the taxi driver) that the attention would’ve be drawn here rather than anywhere else. By the time the police had got round to checking CCTV at the train station (if there was any) then the likelihood is that it would’ve been wiped.
So I think that either the day she disappeared she hopped a train to somewhere else, or she stayed in the area for a few days (hence the sightings) and then went a few days after. My thoughts are she went the same day. The sightings afterwards seem odd – why did no-one speak to her? Why try and run away but then make yourself visible? It’s not to say she didn’t. It’s not out of the bounds of reality that she could’ve been with a friend, big houses often have outbuildings that have been converted etc. Or that any of her friends had a small flat or bed-sit. Back in 1995 rent wasn’t as extortionate as it is now, and if a bunch of youngsters shared together it was very cheap. The other possibility is knowing someone older who had their own place. When I grew up the sort of proto-emo, music kids (like Ruth was) hung out with some older blokes who had flats and bed-sits. Nothing dodgy, and when I say older it was about 22. We sat round there of an evening, playing guitar and drinking cheap lager.
But back then, particularly in small towns, pubs served youngsters – or just let them in to play pool and have a coke. With a tight-knit community it’s always one of those things of it’s better to have them in a pub and we know where they are, rather than have them out on the street (most of the time there would be someone in the pub, even the landlord, who would know the parents and so would look out for the youngsters). She could've had friends she met in a situation like this.
But of course Ruth also had many hobbies and a part time job, so she could’ve quite easily have met someone through that. Nothing dodgy, but a friend who, being off the radar, could’ve hidden her for a few days before she moved on. But my personal belief is that she went on the same day.
For those of you too young to remember (aren’t you lucky!) in the mid to late 90’s it wasn’t hard to get a job in a pub, café etc. and you never really had to show I.D. Cash was still king and most places still paid in cash. As previously mentioned, the rental market wasn’t as high priced as it is today. Even places like London. There were still lots of the city that wasn’t as gentrified as it is now, and small flats, bed-sits etc. were still reasonable. Often you only had to look in shop windows, time out magazine etc. and there would be adverts for flat shares – again with no real checks as long as you paid cash. It really was a different time.
In conclusion I think she managed to escape her previous unhappy life and is out there living her new one – hopefully happy. It wouldn’t have taken a lot back then to change her name by deed-poll and get new I.D. Having found her mother’s death certificate in a pre-internet (or very early internet) age, she was intelligent and capable of getting things done. She could’ve enrolled at a college, or done an open university course, and become qualified and got a good job – again she was intelligent enough. By now she could be married, have kids etc. It wouldn’t have been as easy as writing this, but it was easily doable.
I think the parents know, I think the police know and I think her friends know – but the truth of her running away would bring a lot more questions on the family and a whole media storm. The letters may reveal some things that we don’t know about. She may still talk to her family, she may not – but I think they know the truth that she is very much still alive and living her own life. Some people can be stubborn and selfish, it doesn’t mean they’re bad people though. And just because we’re bonded by blood, it doesn’t mean you have to like your family.
It explains the lack of new appeals by the police, and why the letters have never been released. If the police did track her down and she said she didn’t want to go home, or have her whereabouts revealed, they don’t need to say anymore than the case is closed. As we often see, the police don’t give exact reasons for things. Remember of course that not long after she vanished she was an adult, so their wouldn’t have been the consideration given that there would’ve been if a child had disappeared.
Will we ever find out the truth too – well remains to be seen? Who knows, this year will mark 40 years since she vanished – maybe she’ll make a return to mark the occasion.
