The Sodder Children Disappearance
Five children vanished when their house burned on Christmas Eve. No remains were found. Their parents spent 40 years believing they were kidnapped. The mystery endures.
On Christmas Eve 1945, fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Nine of ten children escaped. Five did not—but no remains were ever found. Their parents believed until their deaths that the children were kidnapped, not killed.
The Night
According to documented accounts:
- George and Jennie Sodder had ten children
- Fire broke out around 1 AM on December 25, 1945
- Four children were sleeping downstairs; they escaped with their parents
- Five children were sleeping upstairs: Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5)
- George tried to rescue them but his ladder was missing
- The fire department didn’t arrive until 8 AM
- The house was completely destroyed
No Remains
When the ashes were searched:
- No bones were found
- No teeth were found
- No remains of any kind were located
- The fire chief said the fire wasn’t hot enough to completely consume bodies
- Previous house fires locally had left skeletal remains
Suspicious Elements
Multiple factors suggested foul play:
Before the fire:
- George Sodder had refused to donate to the Mussolini cause (he was Italian-American)
- A stranger had threatened his children would be “destroyed”
- A man was seen watching the house
- Insurance had been refused earlier that year
During the fire:
- The phone line was dead
- Both family vehicles wouldn’t start (they worked fine later)
- The ladder was missing (found 75 feet from the house)
- A man was seen at the scene who wasn’t a neighbor
The Investigation
The initial investigation was inadequate:
- The fire chief filled in the basement before thorough searching
- Evidence was destroyed
- Witnesses weren’t properly interviewed
- The case was quickly closed
The Search
George and Jennie Sodder never believed their children died:
- They hired private investigators
- They put up a billboard with the children’s photos (maintained for decades)
- They received tips and possible sightings
- In 1968, a photo arrived claiming to be Louis—adult but recognizable
- They investigated but never found him
Theories
Kidnapping: The children were taken during the fire for unknown reasons, possibly connected to George’s anti-Mussolini stance or Italian organized crime.
Death in Fire: The children died and remains were overlooked or removed.
Running Away: The older children took the younger ones and left (unlikely given the youngest was 5).
Legacy
George Sodder died in 1969; Jennie in 1989. Neither ever stopped believing their children were alive.
The billboard stood until Jennie’s death. The children—if they survived—would now be in their 80s.
The case represents one of America’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.