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

[TheRockingRev]

i dont belive she did intend to disapear the flowers could of been some sort of joke rather than a farewell asuming ruth actully sent them

Well it's been reported that she did send them, going into the shop to order them, so she was seen in person. What the joke could be I don't know, but it would be a mighty weird coincidence to send flowers and then disappear on the same day IMO

 

[davidt]

Well it's been reported that she did send them, going into the shop to order them, so she was seen in person. What the joke could be I don't know, but it would be a mighty weird coincidence to send flowers and then disappear on the same day IMO

The flowers are very curious. Timed to arrive after her disappearance. Ruth's friend thinks it was a sort of "up yours" message. However given there was no message/card with them how can anyone know what the intent was? It doesn't appear that the date had any special significance. I would have thought Ruth going about it the way she did would want her stepmother to "get it", otherwise what's the point? Only other thing I can think of is that one report said the flowers mainly consisted of roses and lilies. Lilies are traditionally linked with death and are commonly used in funeral arrangements. I just wonder if the choice of flowers is of significance?

 

[TheRockingRev]

The flowers are very curious. Timed to arrive after her disappearance. Ruth's friend thinks it was a sort of "up yours" message. However given there was no message/card with them how can anyone know what the intent was? It doesn't appear that the date had any special significance. I would have thought Ruth going about it the way she did would want her stepmother to "get it", otherwise what's the point? Only other thing I can think of is that one report said the flowers mainly consisted of roses and lilies. Lilies are traditionally linked with death and are commonly used in funeral arrangements. I just wonder if the choice of flowers is of significance?

If the friend was familiar with the home situation then they may have known, but certainly with the timing of her ordering them on the day she disappeared then it must have some significance (a very, very big coincidence otherwise IMO).
It could well be that the reason behind them was in one of the notes that were found (if these were indeed from Ruth) and if there were more personal reasons then that could be why the police / family have never disclosed them.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

The flowers cost a fair bit. Ruth also used taxis the day she disappeared.

Why didn't she withdraw her savings to facilitate her "escape"? Was this to give the impression of suicide? Were the flowers, with lilies, intended to give the impression of suicide? Was there an older man who took care of costs?

 

[TheRockingRev]

The flowers cost a fair bit. Ruth also used taxis the day she disappeared.

Why didn't she withdraw her savings to facilitate her "escape"? Was this to give the impression of suicide? Were the flowers, with lilies, intended to give the impression of suicide? Was there an older man who took care of costs?

Quite possibly - but have we ever had a definitive answer as to how much she had in savings? I've seen a few thousand mentioned, but nothing conclusively so you just don't know with the internet. Both the family and the police have been quite tight-lipped about the whole thing really.
If it was then, yes, I would be drawn to it being that it looked like a suicide - JMO as I still believe she ran away to start a new life. Could it be an older man? Possibly. Or perhaps she also had a cash haul that wasn't in the bank and she used this instead - depending on what her plans were, she may have had enough. She seemed like a pretty resourceful and intelligent girl, so I would have thought that a lot of planning would have gone into it.

 

[alb1on]

IMO a friend who was tasked with picking her up on Boxhill and then driving her somewhere. The whole Boxhill thing is a big red herring, with plenty of scope to put two fingers up at her parents - fake suicide notes, the idea of suicide (pills and alcohol). Her friends have said she was a drama queen, and she was still only 15 - clever and resourceful maybe - but still only 15, and with that an immaturity that comes with it.

No. This has come up before. She was definitely 16. Her birth record is on Ancestry and she was also in the 6th form which starts at 16.

 

[davidt]

One other thing I've wondered about and I don't know if anyone can help. At one stage a police spokesperson was quoted with words to tbe effect of, "in the days after Ruth's disappearance there were several credible sightings of her from people who knew her". Are the details of these sightings known? It can't be the suitcase sighting or the one in the newsagents as both would be in the wrong time period.

How many sightings is "several"? Who were the people who made the sightings? I don't mean names but were they friends, neighbours, people from church or those she babysat for etc. Basically how well did these people know Ruth. And what were the details and circumstances of the sightings. Did they see Ruth close up or from a distance and was it a brief glance or something longer. Where did these sightungs take place. There's a world of difference between catching a glimpse of someone passing by on a bus or seeing someone from a distance and seeing someone walk straight past you. Does anyone know of any articles etc that give out the details of these sightings?

 

[davidt]

The flowers cost a fair bit. Ruth also used taxis the day she disappeared.

Why didn't she withdraw her savings to facilitate her "escape"? Was this to give the impression of suicide? Were the flowers, with lilies, intended to give the impression of suicide? Was there an older man who took care of costs?

I read somewhere someone making the point that this is one of those cases where the information available can be used to equally support the theory of suicide or disappearance but that each theory has its own problems when you try and make sense of it. Not helped of course by the lack of clarity over much of the details. You can definitely argue some of it looks staged and suspicious but equally the letters could genuinely point to intention of suicide. The meal she had with friends and paid for telling them it was something for them to remember her by. That could equally point to suicide or running away. In some ways it's why I don't rule out some sort of third party intervention. Could Ruth have been abducted whilst in the act of preparing to take her life. Hence the lack of a body near the notes. I don't believe that if someone has gone to the trouble of writing three letters to three different people that you'd leave them somewhere random and then disappear off somewhere else to commit suicide. You would want those letters found and have them with you at the time.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

If RW made a new life with a new ID, she would be middle aged now, probably unrecognisable and living away from the Dorking area. Unless she wants to make herself known, she will never be discovered.

 

[mrC]

if ruth had withdrawn money from her post office acount after going missing im sure the police would of mentioned it in the appeal but they havent so im guessing she dident but why not if she was still alive what was she doing for money

 

[TheRockingRev]

if ruth had withdrawn money from her post office acount after going missing im sure the police would of mentioned it in the appeal but they havent so im guessing she dident but why not if she was still alive what was she doing for money

If they were looking at the correct account - back then it was so easy to open a bank/building society/post office account. You could multiples very easily. I'm sure the police looked into this, but how deeply who knows. Of course the other thing is that she may have just had cash (which at the time was the norm) or had money with friends. Plenty of ways to get round it.

 

[TheRockingRev]

I read somewhere someone making the point that this is one of those cases where the information available can be used to equally support the theory of suicide or disappearance but that each theory has its own problems when you try and make sense of it. Not helped of course by the lack of clarity over much of the details. You can definitely argue some of it looks staged and suspicious but equally the letters could genuinely point to intention of suicide. The meal she had with friends and paid for telling them it was something for them to remember her by. That could equally point to suicide or running away. In some ways it's why I don't rule out some sort of third party intervention. Could Ruth have been abducted whilst in the act of preparing to take her life. Hence the lack of a body near the notes. I don't believe that if someone has gone to the trouble of writing three letters to three different people that you'd leave them somewhere random and then disappear off somewhere else to commit suicide. You would want those letters found and have them with you at the time.

One of the things we don't have a definite answer on, and it really turns things completely around depending on it, is what was in the notes and when/where exactly they were found. As they have never been refuted (which is normally the case) then we can guess that they were from Ruth.
What it is in them is key IMO, but no-one has ever really said other than a vague mention of who they were for.

 

[davidt]

One of the things we don't have a definite answer on, and it really turns things completely around depending on it, is what was in the notes and when/where exactly they were found. As they have never been refuted (which is normally the case) then we can guess that they were from Ruth.
What it is in them is key IMO, but no-one has ever really said other than a vague mention of who they were for.

If the Wiki page is accurate Ruth disappeared on 27th November and the letters were found on 1 December. However as you note confirmation is another thing altogether. It's the same regarding the paracetamol packaging and alcohol bottle where there's no follow up information to say if they have ever been definitely connected to Ruth or where they were found in relation to the letters. Same with the blue duffle bag which some newspaper reports said was found whilst others make no mention of it at all. The letters were said to have been found under a bush but I can find no details at all where this was or who found them. It would be very useful to know how far from where Ruth was dropped off this was. There doesn't seem to be any way of knowing when the letters were placed there. With the duffle bag surely the police would have quickly published photos of it and its contents in the hope someone might recognise it or have seen someone carrying it.

I understand why the contents of the letters wouldn't be disclosed as they could contain anything. What I don't understand is the lack of clarity on some of the basic bits. Confirming tbe letters were found and where, an update on the packaging and the duffle bag etc wouldn't seem to cause any issues and clears up any confusion. There's a lot of vagueness about this case and I can't help but wonder why. Why not provide details of the credible sightings of Ruth. Part of me does wonder if this is a deliberate policy by the authorities and that they know more than they are letting on about what happened. It's almost as if it suits them not to be clear about anything.

 

[dormouse]

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been thirty years today! I grew up very close by. I wonder if this case will ever be resolved. It’s so mysterious.

 

[TheRockingRev]

If the Wiki page is accurate Ruth disappeared on 27th November and the letters were found on 1 December. However as you note confirmation is another thing altogether. It's the same regarding the paracetamol packaging and alcohol bottle where there's no follow up information to say if they have ever been definitely connected to Ruth or where they were found in relation to the letters. Same with the blue duffle bag which some newspaper reports said was found whilst others make no mention of it at all. The letters were said to have been found under a bush but I can find no details at all where this was or who found them. It would be very useful to know how far from where Ruth was dropped off this was. There doesn't seem to be any way of knowing when the letters were placed there. With the duffle bag surely the police would have quickly published photos of it and its contents in the hope someone might recognise it or have seen someone carrying it.

Exactly this - there is a lot of info which seems muddled and unclear. The duffle bag is mentioned, as its contents being a walkman and tapes, but this doesn't seem to have really been confirmed. There is then mention of a suitcase as well, but again nothing set in concrete from a formal source.

I understand why the contents of the letters wouldn't be disclosed as they could contain anything. What I don't understand is the lack of clarity on some of the basic bits. Confirming tbe letters were found and where, an update on the packaging and the duffle bag etc wouldn't seem to cause any issues and clears up any confusion. There's a lot of vagueness about this case and I can't help but wonder why. Why not provide details of the credible sightings of Ruth. Part of me does wonder if this is a deliberate policy by the authorities and that they know more than they are letting on about what happened. It's almost as if it suits them not to be clear about anything.

Yes, I think whatever was in them was personal to the family and thus details haven't been released. IMO I think they are the biggest key to it all - detailing either a suicide or just running way. But even having confirmation that the police/family believe they were from Ruth would make some things clearer.
The vagueness does seem to indicate that people don't want to much scrutiny put on the case - which is slightly odd. And the fact that the CCTV of her in the newsagents has just vanished from the internet, despite this case still picking up column inches and media reports.

 

[TheRockingRev]

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been thirty years today! I grew up very close by. I wonder if this case will ever be resolved. It’s so mysterious.

I wonder if there will be anything put out by the family today. I live in hope that Ruth one day reappears and tells us how she pulled off an escape to her happiness.

 

[mrC]

the letters were found under a bush i belive now does anybody know weather they were ound by the police or a member of they public if they the latter how did they know to look there

 

[davidt]

the letters were found under a bush i belive now does anybody know weather they were ound by the police or a member of they public if they the latter how did they know to look there

That's what I was asking really. Given it was raining at the time Ruth disappeared I'd also like to know if they were protected in any way. I.e. left in a plastic bag or something or were they just left exposed to the elements where anything could have happened to them. But I can only find stuff saying the letters were found under a bush and no other information at all. Some say that even that hasn't been officially confirmed.

But yes detailing the circumstances of the find would be helpful. If it was near where she was dropped off it's not particularly surprising. If it as some distance from that then it does raise more questions.

 

[mrC]

im very suprised that the leters would of bean readeble after that

 

[TheRockingRev]

That's what I was asking really. Given it was raining at the time Ruth disappeared I'd also like to know if they were protected in any way. I.e. left in a plastic bag or something or were they just left exposed to the elements where anything could have happened to them. But I can only find stuff saying the letters were found under a bush and no other information at all. Some say that even that hasn't been officially confirmed.

But yes detailing the circumstances of the find would be helpful. If it was near where she was dropped off it's not particularly surprising. If it as some distance from that then it does raise more questions.

Don't quote me, but I'm sure I'd seen somewhere over the years that they had been found in some sort of plastic container. But then again this could just be a rumour put out on-line (which may be why it's not so easily available)