Sodder Children Disappearance - West Virginia 1945
On Christmas Eve, 1945, a fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. While George and Jennie Sodder and four of their ten children escaped, five children (Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie, and Betty) were never seen again. The family believed the children were kidnapped rather than perishing in the fire, citing numerous suspicious circumstances. Despite decades of investigation by the family and authorities, the case remains unsolved, with no definitive answers regarding the children's fate. The last surviving Sodder child, Sylvia, died in 2021, still believing her siblings survived.
Timeline
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Track this story2026
1 update
2026
1 updateNew reports highlight the discovery of beef liver planted at the scene, adding to the questionable evidence suggesting foul play in the Sodder children's disappearance.
2025
5 updates
2025
5 updatesNew reports detail that the Sodder family suspected abduction possibly linked to George Sodder's anti-Mussolini sentiments, and that Fire Chief F.J. Morris's initial claim of complete incineration of bodies was disputed by the family and later experts.
A Reddit post clarifies that the Sodder family initially believed the children died in the fire, with George Sodder even assisting in the search for remains, before they later came to suspect abduction.
via reddit.com
Peculiar events on the night of the Sodder home fire included suspicious phone calls and sounds on the roof, adding to the mystery surrounding the children's disappearance.
via reddit.com
New reports mention that the family's trucks failed to start on the night of the fire, adding to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the children's disappearance.
via youtube.com
Suspicion arose in the Sodder children's disappearance when a former business associate of George Sodder, named Nick, who had a potential motive, was part of the coroner's inquest.
via pod.wave.co
2024
2 updates
2024
2 updatesJennie Sodder's discovery of intact kitchen appliances at the fire scene is highlighted as new evidence, adding to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the children's disappearance.
via express.co.uk
New reports highlight specific evidence suggesting foul play in the Sodder children's disappearance, including a cut phone line and a missing ladder. These details further support the family's long-held belief that the children were abducted rather than perishing in the fire.
2022
1 update
2022
1 updateDeath certificates for the five Sodder children were issued on December 30, 1945, and the case was officially closed without a proper medical investigation.
1989
1 update
1989
1 updateJennie Sodder passed away at the age of 85. The billboard was taken down shortly after her death.
via smithsonianmag.com·en.wikipedia.org·reddit.com·legendsofamerica.com·youtube.com
1967
1 update
1967
1 updateThe Sodder family received a photograph in the mail, postmarked from Centralia, Illinois, depicting a young man who strongly resembled their missing son Louis as an adult. The back of the photo had a cryptic message.
via smithsonianmag.com·en.wikipedia.org·reddit.com·legendsofamerica.com·youtube.com
1950
1 update
1950
1 updateThe Sodder family, doubting the official explanation, began putting up billboards along Route 16 with pictures of their five missing children, offering a reward for information.
via smithsonianmag.com·en.wikipedia.org·reddit.com·legendsofamerica.com·youtube.com
1946
1 update
1946
1 updateAfter the snow melted, Sylvia Sodder, the youngest surviving child, found a small, dark-green, rubber ball-like object near the house, which George Sodder believed resembled a 'pineapple bomb' hand grenade, suggesting arson.
via smithsonianmag.com·en.wikipedia.org·reddit.com·legendsofamerica.com·youtube.com
1945
1 update
1945
1 updateA brief search of the fire site on Christmas Day yielded no human remains. The fire chief suggested the blaze was hot enough to completely incinerate the bodies.
via smithsonianmag.com·en.wikipedia.org·reddit.com·legendsofamerica.com·youtube.com
Story began · 81 years, 4 mo ago