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Sodder Children Disappearance
A house fire on Christmas Eve 1945 killed five Sodder children. But no remains were ever found. The fire burned too briefly. The phone lines were cut. A witness saw the children being driven away. Were they kidnapped and the fire set as cover?
December 24, 1945
West Virginia, USA
10+ witnesses
The Sodder children may not have died in that fire.
The Night
December 24, 1945:
- House caught fire
- Five children upstairs
- Parents escaped
- Couldn’t reach children
- House burned
The Missing Five
Who vanished:
- Maurice, 14
- Martha, 12
- Louis, 10
- Jennie, 8
- Betty, 6
The Oddities
What didn’t add up:
- No remains found
- Fire too brief
- Ladder missing
- Phone lines cut
- Trucks didn’t start
The Sightings
After the fire:
- Children seen in car
- At hotel miles away
- Photo sent in 1967
- Resembled Louis
- Never confirmed
The Parents’ Theory
What they believed:
- Children kidnapped
- Fire was cover
- Mafia involvement
- Previous threats made
- Died believing this
The Investigation
What happened:
- Ruled accidental
- Parents protested
- Billboard erected
- Never solved
- Case still open