Woman Who Disappeared in 1972 Found ‘Safe and Well’ Thanks to Grainy Photo, Police Say

Mar. 15, 2025

An archival photo of Sheila Fox around the time of her 1972 disappearance.Photo:West Midlands Police / SWNS

West Midlands Police / SWNS

In a Wednesday, Jan. 1, news release,West Midlands Policesaid that Sheila Fox was located and spoke with authorities who confirmed that “she is alive and well.”

According toThe Guardian, Sheila Fox, now 68 years old, was 16 when she disappeared from the English city of Coventry in 1972.

Police said that officers found a blurry black-and-white photo of Fox, which was recently published on the department’s website and social media.

Hours after the posting, authorities said they started receiving information from the public that led to Fox’s discovery.

“Sheila was confirmed to be safe and well and living in another part of the country,” continued the West Midlands Police’s news release.

The discovery marks the end of one of the West Midlands’ longest missing person cases, the department added.

PEOPLE contacted the West Midlands Police on Thursday, Jan. 2, for additional information.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have found Sheila after more than five decades,” Detective Sergeant Jenna Shaw of the West Midlands Police’s cold case team said in a statement.

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Shaw added that every piece of evidence related to the case was searched when authorities came across a photo of Fox.

“We are a small team of officers and I’d like to recognise the work of DC Shaun Reeve, who managed to resolve this case with help from the public,” Shaw said.

No additional information was offered in the news release about the circumstances or reasons that led to Fox’s disappearance more than five decades ago.

“Every missing person has a story, and their families and friends deserve to know what happened to them and, hopefully, be reunited with them,” Shaw continued.

source: people.com