The chilling case of Sheila Martin remains a mystery for nearly 80 years
Fawkham Green: It’s been almost 80 years since the tragic case of Sheila Martin shook this small Kent village. The whole community was left reeling when the 11-year-old girl went missing on July 7, 1946.
Sheila was last seen playing on a swing near her home. When her family realized she was gone, everyone jumped in to help search for her. Sadly, her body was found later that night in a nearby wood.
She was discovered half-buried under nettles in Stony Field Wood. The details were horrifying; she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The police revealed that her attacker used her own hair ribbons to commit the crime.
At the time, a big motorcycle race was happening nearby, and many people were around. Detectives even wanted to talk to a teenager seen near the village school that day. But despite a massive search and interviews with everyone in the area, Sheila’s killer was never found.
This case is just one of 46 unsolved murders in Kent. Each one has been thoroughly investigated, with some dating back to before the war. The cases range from random attacks on women to gang-related violence, but Sheila’s story remains one of the most haunting.
