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

[mrC]

we cant really be certan about of the sightings even the taxi driver could be mistaken imean i dont think he knew ruth

 

[TheRockingRev]

the thing that goes against Ruth leaving of her own free will is she doesn't take anything with not her walkman or tapes not a change of clothes or even a coat.

that doesn't strike me as someone who's planning run away it doesn't even strike me as someone whos planning to stay out the night thats strikes me as someone who is planning to return home

i mean he parents are at work, her sister is at school, she has all day to pack a bag but doesn't

The thing is that a coat is a pretty stand-out item - so dependent on what sort of coat she had, she may not have wanted to have taken it if then people would've remembered her on that night (remember she was trying to pull off the idea of a suicide). IMO she had help getting away, so a friend may have had a coat for her late on that evening.

 

[TheRockingRev]

she wasnt carrying anything in the taxi if she didn't go home that night how could she be carrying a suitcase the next day

Because she may have left it with a friend. Over time she could've removed items of clothing from her wardrobe and then stashed them with a friend - interestingly it's remarked quite often that she wasn't much of dresser and didn't really care about fashion. It would mean that potentially there wasn't anything stand-out in her wardrobe that perhaps anyone would've noticed missing.

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

I see this case has been going on for a while... Is there any evidence aside from the timeline?

 

[TheRockingRev]

I see this case has been going on for a while... Is there any evidence aside from the timeline?

Not really. Some things, like the footage of the girl in the shop, have just vanished from on-line. It'll be interesting to see as the case reaches its 30 year anniversary next month if the press pick it up again and more details come out, the family make any statements or, and this would be the best, that we hear from Ruth herself (I'm still very much of the opinion that she stared a new life)

 

[alb1on]

Not really. Some things, like the footage of the girl in the shop, have just vanished from on-line. It'll be interesting to see as the case reaches its 30 year anniversary next month if the press pick it up again and more details come out, the family make any statements or, and this would be the best, that we hear from Ruth herself (I'm still very much of the opinion that she stared a new life)

The one piece of evidence we do have is that the police do not have a scooby. This is not a criticism but they do not conduct a case review using a Superintendent if they know what happened.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Has an age progression image ever been made of Ruth?

 

[TheRockingRev]

Has an age progression image ever been made of Ruth?

I can't remember for sure, but something makes me think one was done, but it may have been an amateur one instead of anything official.

 

[davidt]

I've read conflicting reports whether or not Ruth's blue bag was recovered with some of her possessions. Can anyone confirm one way or the other?

 

[snappadoo]

Hey all - first time Websleuths poster here. This case (alongside Andrew Gosden) is one that has haunted me over the years. RW has a special significance as I’m from the area (albeit a bit younger than Ruth) and know Dorking / Betchworth / Box Hill well.

A few recurring thoughts I’ve had on the case, partly based on my local knowledge. I’m sure many aren’t new to Websleuth’s users but thought I’d share:

• There are really two ‘Box Hills’ - the Country Park and the Village. They’re about a mile apart, so close but distinct locations. The Wikipedia map shows it quite clearly Box Hill, Surrey - Wikipedia.
  • The pub Ruth was dropped off at is the far side from the Country Park / natural beauty spot. Whilst you can walk to the hill from there, I think it more likely that the purpose of her trip was to do something in the village, and not on the hill.
  • The village is small but not completely tiny - there’s several hundred properties if you include the mobile homes.
  • To be clear, I don’t think this necessarily helps us know what happened to her. But a lot of the media coverage describes her as going ‘missing on the hill’, which isn’t particularly accurate to me.
• By Surrey standards, Box Hill is pretty out-of-the-way. Public transport is poor (no trains, and from my experience infrequent and unreliable buses).
  • I therefore doubt she got the taxi with the intention of continuing her journey by public transport. As she wouldn’t have been able to drive / walking would have been dark, I think it unlikely that she left Box Hill solo.
  • Of course, someone could have collected her. However, driving to the village involves going down small country lanes - there are far easier places to pick someone up. If someone did collect her, I think there’s a good chance they had a connection to the village already.
• I believe her friends later mentioned she spent time in Box Hill before going missing. I’ve never seen this elaborated on.
  • Is it known whether her friends went there as a group, or was she going without them (i.e. potentially meeting someone else)? And was she going up the hill, or into the village?
• With the taxis / buying her friends meals, she seems to spend pretty freely for a 16-year old.
  • I know she had a job but my understanding was that Saturday jobs for teens back in the 90s (pre minimum wage) paid pretty poorly. Certainly when my friends and I had part-time jobs in the 2000s, we weren’t routinely getting taxis.
  • This could point to suicide (not caring about saving money long-term), but could point to her having another income source.
• There are two quarries in the area - Brockham Quarry and Betchworth Quarry. Both are close-ish to where she was dropped (albeit would involve going down dark paths).
  • The Betchworth Quarry wiki page Betchworth Quarry and Lime Kilns - Wikipedia says that at the time of her disappearance, the quarry accepted waste for dumping. I don’t know what that looked like in practice.
  • It’s horrible to think about, but could a body have been disposed of without anyone knowing (either by a killer, or Ruth killing herself in such a way that her body wouldn’t be found)? Was this considered by police at the time?
• Personally, I’m sceptical that she stayed in the area after going missing. I don’t think the taxi ride was a ‘red herring’ as has sometimes been suggested.
  • These are small towns where it’s hard to avoid getting recognised. The Wilson’s in particular seem to be very involved in the community.
  • If I were Ruth and I wanted to disappear without detection, I would look to leave the area ASAP.
  • I think her getting a taxi to Box Hill and then going back into Dorking / Betchworth would increase the chances of being recognised. I think she would have avoided that.

There are multiple compelling theories as to what happened to her. My gut instinct is that she was unhappy at home and decided to run away, with the assistance of someone (an older man?). I hope she managed it, but it’s entirely plausible that she came to harm. While it’s certainly possible to imagine someone in her situation committing suicide, it seems less likely to me given the lack of body (although that’s why I question what was the situation with Betchworth Quarry at the time).

Sorry for the long post! I'd be keen to get other people's views on this.

 

[davidt]

It's said she used to frequent Box Hill. As you say there seems little information on how often, what for, with friends or without. That's something that strikes me about this case. There's a lot of things reported with very little clarity or detail.

For instance the paracetamol packaging and alcohol bottle were found nearby to the letters. But there seems no information if they were tested for fingerprints or DNA. Also I've not seen anything that puts in to context what "nearby" means. Within a couple of feet, a few yards, twenty yards or whatever? It's all rather relative without further information.

Something else strikes me about that taxi journey that doesn't sit right with me. When she got there it was dark or shortly would be. The weather was poor and it was raining. She was dressed completely inappropriately for walking and when the taxi pulled away she apparently just stood there in the rain. It's almost as she wanted to draw attention to herself and for the taxi driver to remember that trip.

From past behaviour I've tended to think this was a planned attempt at running away rather than intending to take her own life. When her friend was interviewed six months or so after the disappearance the police searched her wardrobe amongst other things. That does tend to suggest that the police were far from convinced Ruth wasn't still alive.

 

[davidt]

One question I wanted to ask for those who know the area and the terrain. Is it known exactly where the letters were found? If so how far from where Ruth was dropped off is it? Given the weather, it was dark and her inappropriate clothing how long would it likely take for Ruth to get to that spot?

 

[Professor Moriarty]

The pub Ruth was dropped off at is the far side from the Country Park / natural beauty spot. Whilst you can walk to the hill from there, I think it more likely that the purpose of her trip was to do something in the village, and not on the hill.

Weren't the letters, paracetamol packets and vermouth bottle found on the hill? This suggests that she did go up the hill. Or did someone did put them there on her behalf?

Or have I misunderstood the geography?

 

[mrC]

she couldent of writtan those letters there wasnt enough light she couldent of taken paracetemel and drunk vermouth becouse she would beflat on her back if she had and theres the matter of where she could of bought a bottle as she dident hae one in the taxi

she im pretty sure that was all planted there buy someone for whatever reason

 

[davidt]

she couldent of writtan those letters there wasnt enough light she couldent of taken paracetemel and drunk vermouth becouse she would beflat on her back if she had and theres the matter of where she could of bought a bottle as she dident hae one in the taxi

she im pretty sure that was all planted there buy someone for whatever reason

She could have written the letters at any time though. She'd spent time in tbe library beforehand so she could have written them there or earlier depending how much planning went on. As for the paracetamol and alcohol I'm not sure it's ever definitely been linked to Ruth? Just it was found nearby.

However given it was dark, the weather was very poor and Ruth wasn't dressed for it I too have reservations about exactly what happened. Wouldn't totally surprise me if she had received some help, perhaps to run away and that there's an element of staging involved. I'd like to know how far she would have had to walk to get where the letters were found and how practical it would be to do so given what we know.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

The book and film "The Day of the Jackal" exposed a loophole whereby you could apply for the birth certificate of someone who had died and use that to take on a new identity. In the book and film it was used to get a passport, but you could just use it to get a new identity. That loophole was closed at some time so you could no longer use it to get a passport. When was it closed?

And could Ruth simply have used another person's birth certificate to take on a new ID without applying for a passport?

A government minister complained at one time that NI numbers were given out like smarties. If Ruth got a birth certificate, she could certainly have got a national insurance number. Even without a birth certificate, she could perhaps have got a national insurance number.

Maybe Ruth is alive and living under a new ID in, say, Sheffield.

 

[mrC]

as it was pitch black and there wernt any street lights were ruth was dropped i find it hard to belive the cab driver could see her in his rear view mirror when he droe away

but if he couldent see her why did he say he could? That makes him slightly suspect to me

 

[mrC]

i also cant see why she would want to sit on a hill in the dark in the winter with no coat on

 

[Professor Moriarty]

i also cant see why she would want to sit on a hill in the dark in the winter with no coat on

Looking at the geography, but without any local knowledge, I don't know why it is sometimes assumed that Ruth either went up Boxhill or wanted to give the impression that she had done so. Why would anyone think that just from the fact that the hill was nearby? There was a big pub, shops and houses. It isn't a natural conclusion when someone is dropped off there late in the day in winter. Of course, the letters were found later, but they could have been put there before or after and could be the work of an accomplice.

Did she specify a drop off by a pathway that leads to the hill? Or did she ask for the pub?

 

[davidt]

The book and film "The Day of the Jackal" exposed a loophole whereby you could apply for the birth certificate of someone who had died and use that to take on a new identity. In the book and film it was used to get a passport, but you could just use it to get a new identity. That loophole was closed at some time so you could no longer use it to get a passport. When was it closed?

And could Ruth simply have used another person's birth certificate to take on a new ID without applying for a passport?

A government minister complained at one time that NI numbers were given out like smarties. If Ruth got a birth certificate, she could certainly have got a national insurance number. Even without a birth certificate, she could perhaps have got a national insurance number.

Maybe Ruth is alive and living under a new ID in, say, Sheffield.

Yes this did happen. There have been cases where some criminals have used the details of dead individuals, usually infants, to obtain a new identity. I think infants were chosen as there'd be no other 'footprint' to worry about and there'd be no problem with a national insurance number. In my head I have a feeling a few years back the police got in to a bit of bother using the sane techniques when supplying new identities to people being put in to protection schemes. So it's definitely possible.

Whether or not Ruth would have had the knowledge and wherewithal to do this is another matter. Might have had help of course.