Real story of missing woman who vanished from her home aged 16 – then was ‘found’ alive 52 years later

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Real story of missing woman who vanished from her home aged 16 – then was ‘found’ alive 52 years later
Author: Amelia Stout
Published: Jan, 13 2025 14:01

THE real story of a missing woman who vanished from her home aged 16 has been revealed - after she was "found" alive 52 years later. Police revealed this month that they had finally cracked the case of Sheila Fox, who disappeared from Coventry city centre in 1972.

 [Photo of Sheila Fox as a toddler.]
Image Credit: The Sun [Photo of Sheila Fox as a toddler.]

It was now emerged that Sheila was living just 80 miles away from her family home all along, according to the MailOnline. Born in 1956, Sheila, christened Sheelagh due to having Irish parents, grew up in the working-class neighbourhood in the suburbs of Coventry.

 [Photo of Sheila Fox as a young child.]
Image Credit: The Sun [Photo of Sheila Fox as a young child.]

Her parents, Anne and Chris, had moved over at the end of the Second World War - with bricklayer Chris finding work rebuilding the war-torn city. It is believed that Sheelagh - who by this stage went by Sheila - ran away after striking up a relationship with an older man who worked in insurance, the MailOnline reports.

 [Black and white photo of Sheila Fox, a missing person.]
Image Credit: The Sun [Black and white photo of Sheila Fox, a missing person.]

It is believed that her family either disapproved of the new relationship - or that Sheila was concerned about telling them. Her panicked parents quickly raised the alarm with police and handed over a black and white photo of Sheila - which would eventually lead to the case being closed five decades later.

In July 1973, just 16 months after running away, Sheila and her then husband John Foster had a son called Robert - as pieced together by the Mail using birth and marriage certificates. Almost ten years later, the mum finally decided to get back in touch with her family - but she was in for a shock.

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