On Christmas Eve 1945, the Sodder familyβs home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, caught fire. George and Jennie Sodder and four of their ten children escaped, but fiveβMaurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5)βvanished and were never seen again.
The fire department arrived seven hours later. Suspiciously, one firefighter was related to a man who had recently threatened George. Officials claimed the missing children died in the fire, yet no remains were ever foundβno bones or teeth. Experts said that was unlikely.
Before the fire, Jennie Sodder received a strange call from an unknown woman, with laughter and clinking glasses in the background. That night, the familyβs ladder was found far from the house, and a phone line was deliberately cut. Witnesses later said they saw fireballs thrown at the home and children in a strange car driving away during the blaze.
The Sodders faced dead ends. Leads were ignored and files went missing. Years later, they received a photo they believed showed Louis as an adult, though officials dismissed it.
George died in 1969 still searching for answers. Jennie mourned in black until her death. The five children were never found, and no arrests were ever made. Whether they perished, were taken, or lived on remains a mystery.
Eerie historical photos:
bit.ly/3MhKiB3