Babes in the Wood murders
Encyclopedia
The Babes in the Wood murders is a name which has been used in the media
to refer to several child murder
cases in which the bodies of multiple victims were found concealed in woodland
. Babes in the Wood
, also known as Children of the Wood, is a traditional children's tale.
between Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania
, and Huntsdale, Pennsylvania, in the US. The three girls were twelve-year old Norma Sedgwick, and her two half-sisters Cordelia and Dewilla Noakes. The girls were killed by Elmo Noakes (Norma's stepfather and Cordelia and Dewilla's father) and his niece and lover, Winifred Pierce. Noakes later killed Pierce and himself in a murder-suicide. It is believed that Elmo Noakes suffocated his children because he did not want to see them starve.
, Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
on Wednesday, January 14, 1953. The investigation was hampered when the medical examiner concluded that the victims were one male and one female. A DNA test conducted in 1998 proved that both victims were male. This case remains unsolved.
, south-east England
, after they went missing from their homes in Enfield
, north London
, in March 1970. Thirty years later, Ronald Jebson, already serving a life sentence for the 1974 murder of eight year old Rosemary Papper, confessed to the murders.
, north of Brighton
, England
, in 1986. A local roofer, Russell Bishop
, was tried for the rape and strangulation of the two girls, but was acquitted. The case remains open.
Bishop was convicted in 1990 for the kidnapping
and attempted murder
of a seven year old girl.
near Watton
is the setting of the old English ballad
The Babes in the Wood
. First published in 1595, it tells the tale of two Norfolk children abandoned and left to die in the woods by their uncle. The legend is depicted on the town sign, which occupies a prominent position in High Street in front of the clock tower.
Wayland Wood is a popular dog walking and relaxation spot.
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
to refer to several child murder
Child murder
The murder of children is considered an abhorrent crime in much of the world; they are perceived within their communities and the state at large as being vulnerable, and therefore especially susceptible to abduction and murder. The protection of children from abuse and possible death often involves...
cases in which the bodies of multiple victims were found concealed in woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood is a traditional children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents entering unawares into any potentially dangerous or hostile...
, also known as Children of the Wood, is a traditional children's tale.
Pine Grove Furnace
On November 24, 1934, three young girls were found dead, wrapped in a blanket, in the woods of South MountainSouth Mountain (Maryland and Pennsylvania)
South Mountain is the northern extension of the Blue Ridge Mountain range in Maryland and Pennsylvania. From the Potomac River near Knoxville, Maryland in the south, to Dillsburg, Pennsylvania in the north, the long range separates the Hagerstown and Cumberland valleys from the Piedmont regions of...
between Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania
Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller lakes in Cooke Township. The park provides various outdoor recreation activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an...
, and Huntsdale, Pennsylvania, in the US. The three girls were twelve-year old Norma Sedgwick, and her two half-sisters Cordelia and Dewilla Noakes. The girls were killed by Elmo Noakes (Norma's stepfather and Cordelia and Dewilla's father) and his niece and lover, Winifred Pierce. Noakes later killed Pierce and himself in a murder-suicide. It is believed that Elmo Noakes suffocated his children because he did not want to see them starve.
Stanley Park
The remains of two unidentified victims (murdered in 1947) were discovered in Stanley ParkStanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on Wednesday, January 14, 1953. The investigation was hampered when the medical examiner concluded that the victims were one male and one female. A DNA test conducted in 1998 proved that both victims were male. This case remains unsolved.
Epping Forest
The bodies of Susan Blatchford (eleven years old), and Gary Hanlon (twelve years old), were discovered in a copse on Lippitts Hill, Epping ForestEpping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
, south-east England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, after they went missing from their homes in Enfield
Enfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
, north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in March 1970. Thirty years later, Ronald Jebson, already serving a life sentence for the 1974 murder of eight year old Rosemary Papper, confessed to the murders.
Wild Park
The bodies of two nine year-old girls, Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway were found in Wild Park, MoulsecoombMoulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb is a large suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area...
, north of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1986. A local roofer, Russell Bishop
Russell Bishop (sex offender)
Russell Bishop is a convicted child molester and abductor. He is serving life imprisonment for the abduction, molestation and attempted murder of a seven-year-old girl in the Whitehawk area of Brighton. He committed the crime on 4 February 1990, and was sentenced on 13 December 1990...
, was tried for the rape and strangulation of the two girls, but was acquitted. The case remains open.
Bishop was convicted in 1990 for the kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
of a seven year old girl.
Watton, Norfolk
Wayland WoodWayland Wood
Wayland Wood is an ancient woodland near to Watton in Norfolk, England. Although the name has been claimed as a corruption of 'Wailing Wood', Wayland is the name of an historic Norfolk hundred, within the area of which the wood stands.- Habitat :...
near Watton
Watton, Norfolk
Watton is a market town in the district of Breckland within the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the crossroads of the A1075 Dereham-Thetford road and the B1108 Brandon-Norwich Road, about west of Norwich....
is the setting of the old English ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
The Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood is a traditional children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents entering unawares into any potentially dangerous or hostile...
. First published in 1595, it tells the tale of two Norfolk children abandoned and left to die in the woods by their uncle. The legend is depicted on the town sign, which occupies a prominent position in High Street in front of the clock tower.
Wayland Wood is a popular dog walking and relaxation spot.
External links
- Babes in the Woods (Epping Forest case) from The Malefactor's Register