Jones killed two young girls when he was just 15 and was jailed for 20 years. Just before his execution, Harries gave an extraordinary interview to the tabloid press from his jail cell. Two other specific persons of interest have been put forward. I can be contacted at [emailprotected] or via Facebook messenger. Police confirmed a cold case review on the stain found on Muriel's coat in 1946 had now been tested by forensics teams. It was supposed to have been abandoned in 1944 but I know there were GIs who married Swansea girls still around in 1946. Police believed 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater (left) might have been a victim of a notorious serial killer Harold Jones when she was raped and murdered in 1946. The police have DNA but keep any results they may have a closely guarded secret. Jones, originally of Abertillery, South Wales, is a suspect in the killings of six women in London in the 1960s. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Drinkwater, a 12-year-old schoolgirl, was raped and shot in the woods in Penllergaer, Swansea. The Little Red Riding Hood murder of Muriel Drinkwater. ~ Christine. She was seen by her mother from a distance of 400 yards away, but before Muriel could arrive home she was murdered. On this podcast episode, we cover the unsolved cold case of Muriel Drinkwater. Her murder became known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder. All the best with pursuing answers in this case, and please keep us updated. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to share your thoughts. Officers are now examining a semen stain on Muriel's coat to see if it can be linked to Jones. I personally think whoever did it was a true psychopath and he would probably of done something like it before and has done other crimes since. Fifteen days later, Jones murdered 11-year-old neighbour Florence Little too, hiding her body in the attic of his parents' home. Twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater was singing as she walked along the mile-long path to her home after getting off a school bus. Dubbed the 'Little Red Riding Hood murder', the 12-year-old had been killed amongst the undergrowth at Penllergaer Woods whilst on her way home from school one June afternoon. Why? Video, 00:01:20, WATCH: Key moments from PM's NI Brexit deal speech, EU Chief on NI deal: 'We were honest with each other' Video, 00:00:36, EU Chief on NI deal: 'We were honest with each other', The 'smart suit' that is changing children's lives. The 12 year old loved to sing and there was a skip in her step as she started on the winding path through the forest. Will do Christine. Her killer has never been caught and it remains among the most notorious unsolved murders in Welsh history you can read more of them here. Hoyles told police that the man looked terribly stern and had a local accent. Although this person of interest could have just been out for hike or involved in some other unrelated nefarious activity, the authorities believe that he may have been in involved in Muriels murder. Video, 00:01:00, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Dog found alive after 23 days under rubble. Video, 00:01:00At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Dog found alive after 23 days under rubble. She was seen by her mother from a distance of 400 yards away, but before Muriel could arrive. I appealed that decision and was then informed that as the information I requested was kept in paper format in various locations in South Wales then it would be too costly and time-consuming to check out so the request was denied. The gun was described as aColt 45 American army issue automatic pistol, first issued for World War I but probably also used in World War II, which significantly had the original wooden stocks next to the grip modernised with perspex.. Although the profile was loaded into the UK National DNA Database, it failed to match any of the approximately five million DNA records held there. 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Positive reviews really help others find our show. [6] On 27 June 1946, Muriel took the school bus home from Gowerton Grammar School. You will need a male dna profile from a decendent on harold joness family tree. Norah Irene Bartlett. Her body was eventually found in a nearby lane, but it was the discovery of her handkerchief in the shops shed which saw Jones accused and stand trial for her death. The 73-year-old stain was discovered during a cold case review in 2003 and is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of evidence in the world. "That sounds pompous, but I knew that really he was a simpleton, but I didn't detect any menace in him.". Video, 00:01:00View from the cockpit of a Ukraine combat helicopter. If you can contact [emailprotected] Id really appreciate it. "I was about nine at the time and he was about twice my age, but I felt, at nine, that I was his intellectual superior," he said. Take a second to support Christine on Patreon! If you have any new information I would be extremely interested to hear it! It truly is baffling and I cant help but wonder what they are trying to hide (and why!). Jones was ruled out at the beginning of May, 2019. Muriel Jean Drinkwater Birth unknown Death 1983 Burial. He stated he had long been suspected by some locals of being the murderer and was happy to clear his name. He described the search for the clothes that had been taken from the crime scene. An autopsy later determined that Muriel had been bludgeoned, raped, and shot twice in the chest. To see documentary google Dark Lands Muriel Drinkwater iplayer. The perpetrator left cigarette stubs, sweet wrappers, and pieces of bread at the scene of the crime, which the authorities have said indicates that he was waiting in the dense woods for his chance to strike. And police now hope a stain on Muriel's coat will. We could see it [had been] in a police station, but as it closed, where did it go next? A familial DNA profile was extracted using a technique called Y-STR, but no match was found in the national DNA database. In mid 2007, I had extensive contact with Detective Constable Paul Rogers of the London Metropolitan Police. On his way home, he passed Muriel as she walked along the path. This murder shook the village and all the boys came under suspicion. The True Crime Files is dedicated to all things #TrueCrime. On the afternoon of Muriels murder, thirteen-year-old Hoyles purchased eggs from Muriels mother at their family farm. A 73-year-old sample semen has conclusively disproved the theory Harold Jones was the killer of 12-year-old schoolgirl Muriel Drinkwater, Get the latest court and crime news from WalesOnline. And four months after Jones left the army Muriel was raped and shot dead as she walked home from a school bus in Penllergaer, Swansea. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I would like to request an internal review of (an adverse) decision made by South Wales Police regarding information I requested on 28-6-21. DNA was found on evidence & matched a man already in prison. Video, 00:02:56, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Video, 00:02:36, Up Next. I have a special interest in this case as I too was brought up in Penllergaer. Is it possible that scientists could examine Muriels coat and find another profile that could be compared to Jones daughters D.N.A.? http://www.tcbmediarights.com/screeners/dark_son.html. I really appreciate your local insights. "If information comes in from the public or other forces we act on it.". Can you explain please. Police and soldiers search the area for clues of Muriel's murder, A picture of Muriel's schoolmates with flowers for her grave, Freda Burnell (left) and Florence Little (right) - Jones' first victims, At 35-years-old Jones is released from prison, only to vanish. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lewis, head of the South Wales Polices Specialist Crime Review Unit announced to the press in May 2019: The results of the forensic examination categorically confirm that Jones was not responsible for the murder of Muriel Drinkwater. Two months too young to face the gallows, he was sent to Usk Prison where he sensationally confessed to the first killing, blaming the voice of a 'demon' in his head. Ms Darby says: "He denied killing his relatives at all. Would you be able to tell me please if Harries has been cleared of Muriels murder as well. It was the 75th anniversary this year, and still we are no nearer to finding her killer. They have a suspect in the murder case and a cousin of the suspect has given D.N.A to prove whether or not the cousin Ron Harries was the killer. Yet, despite their exhaustive enquiries - not to mention the discovery of the gun used in Muriel's shooting - the culprit managed to evade justice. This will enable the police to identify Muriels murderer by taking and testing swabs from the perpetrators sons, grandsons, or even great-grandsons. The Photo Request has been fulfilled. But they said the results now ruled out Jones as a suspect in her murder. "South Wales Police has had considerable success with cold case reviews being one of the first forces in the country to set up a review team in 1999 to conduct cold case reviews. Video, 00:02:56Detectives to revisit unsolved murder, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Why on earth would the police continue to stonewall after all these decades? Given that Hoyles was the last person to see Muriel alive, he quickly fell under a thick veil of suspicion. "My grandparents changed completely. On June 27, 1946, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea (UK). ", Muriel Drinkwater who was killed in June 1946. She was pulled from that path into the woodland beside it, attacked and murdered amongst the undergrowth of Penllergaer Woods, near Swansea, just yards from safety. Another witness came forward to tell the team that Ronnie Harries had worked on a farm in Penllergaer, evidence that was supported from a newspaper cutting at the time. The Welsh policehave also examined connections between Muriels case and a second murder that occurred a mere ten days after she was killed. There is no doubt about that.". programme called Crime Secrets presented by H.T.Vs Jonathan Hill. The case, which became known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder, is one of the oldest active cold cases in the United Kingdom. Dubbed the 'Little Red Riding Hood murder', the. 'Due to advances in forensic technology we have been able to look again at evidence from the murder in 1946 and I am now able to rule out Harold Jones completely as a suspect in this case. My enquiries are now complete and have led me to believe that Harold Jones would have presented a danger to young girls throughout his life All relevant information has now been presented to South Wales Police, Major Crime Review Unit,who are currently in the process of making further inquiries into the murder of Muriel Drinkwater. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Some companies will provide you with upto 6 generations. The gym is tucked away in an unsuspecting industrial estate in the Swansea Valley and is run by a world-champion strongman who wants as many people as possible to feel included in his beloved sport. It is frustrating that the Wales Online story of Saturday 7 November states the police have D.N.A. Filmed as part of documentary Dark Land: Hunting the Killers, that is being shown on BBC Wales, the name of murderer Ronnie Harries, the last man to have been hanged in Carmarthen, has been put forward by the team that is headed by the former chief constable of Dyfed Powys Police Jackie Roberts. See link to Jones and other murders. On 30 March 2010 the Times Online quoted an unnamed police source with South Wales Police as saying: We have a real problem with amateur sleuths in this area. Unless he bludgeoned first then he raped, this would have caught her by surprise. On July 7, 1946, eleven-year-old Sheila Martin was raped and strangled in woods near her home in Dartford. This seems like a dubious connection because there is roughly 230 miles (370 kilometres) between Dartford and Penllergaer,but on the day of Sheilas murder a large race meeting was held at Brands Hatch with over 9,000 attendees, one of whom could have been both Muriel and Shielas killer. Hi Nicola. That DNA was initially used to rule from suspicion someone who had been spotted close to the woods on the afternoon Muriel was attacked. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. The hardest part then was actually finding the materials," he told the documentary. In the programme, former Dyfed Powys chief constable Jackie Roberts travelled to met him and he told her how his grandparents (Muriel's parents) had changed after the murder. Jones was released from prison in December of 1941, so he was a free man when Muriel was killed. There was a camp a mile away in Grovesend. It is now more than 70 years since the 12-year-old schoolgirl was brutally raped, battered around the head and shot twice while walking home. Muriel was skipping through the woods on the afternoon of June 27, 1946, as she did every day on her way from school, when the summer's afternoon turned to tragedy. Her blue coat, underwear and school uniform had been wrapped in a paper bag and stored. If information comes in from the public or other forces we act on it. Only by comparing D.N.A. In fact, it was recently used to identifyJoseph James DeAngelo, the suspected Golden State Killer who is thought to be responsible for at least a dozen murders and 50 rapes in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. Victor said that the programme had made him suspicious as to whether Florences killer Harold Jones who had been released from a 20 year prison sentence in 1941 for the Abertillery murders was responsible for 12 year-old Muriel Drinkwaters death. Sometimes the rumours and suspicion in these unsolved cases does almost as much damage to the community as the crime itself. Play it now! She goes to grammar school. Also, as I understand matters, members of Muriels family have given DNA samples to ascertain whether Muriels father may have killed her. Talk about a case hitting close to home for you! Hey Babes!I'm back with another True Crime Tuesday case and todays case is about the murder of Muriel Drinkwater also known as the little red riding hood mur. Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? More recently, however, it was tested against the DNA of one Harold Jones, a convicted double child murderer who slayed two similarly young girls in Abertillery in the 1920s, to see if he might be the perpetrator. I think it was suggested that the police thought that the family knew more than they were letting on. Thank you so much for this detailed update. Brutally beaten, raped and shot twice, the discovery of Swansea schoolgirlMuriel Drinkwater's body in 1946 horrified an entire community. The murder of Muriel Drinkwater (Welsh: Llofruddiaeth Muriel Drinkwater),[2] also known as the Little Red Riding Hood murder, is an unsolved 1946 child murder case from Wales. She said: "He came to public attention in the early 1950s when he was convicted of murdering an older couple. The Crime Review Group already have the information that I request. Click hereto hear the Audio File of this case. The coat had been lying forgotten in police storage for decades but after much searching was found by retired DCI Bethell's cold case team and is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of crime scene evidence in the world. Lloyd-Evans told me that he was convinced that a suspect regarding Muriels murder would soon be identified through D.N.A. Your email address will not be published. Mudgee General Cemetery. The True Crime Files OnJune 27, 1946, twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater made her way home from school inPenllergaer, Swansea. In 2008, a DNA profile of the suspect was extracted from her clothes, possibly the oldest one in the world to . taken from Jones one and only child, a daughter. He died at that address in 1971. 74 years ago, Muriel Drinkwater was murdered. 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(My belief now is that the suspect he referred to was Hubert Hoyles who as a 13 year-old boy had come into contact with Muriels family shortly before her murder. The murder of Muriel Drinkwater is an unsolved 1946 child murder case from Wales. And shockingly the reply was that the information I requested was in written format and would take at least 16 hours at a cost of more than 450 to supply and my request was denied. In 1946, 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater was murdered in the woods of Swansea, Wales. Holly Ann Campiglia was a Jane Doe until she was identified in 1992. She disappeared around the bend into some more dense undergrowth. "Each case is reviewed periodically. Muriels niece is in a dreadful state. Mark Lewis by email of this fact but my email was ignored. Video, 00:01:18, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, WATCH: Key moments from PM's NI Brexit deal speech. Twelve-year-old Muriel Drinkwater was a choirgirl who dreamed of being a schoolteacher. 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