On December 14, 1931


 On December 14, 1931, 10-year-old Vera Page left her home in Notting Hill, London, to collect two school swimming certificates she had left at her aunt’s house, only about 50 yards away. She arrived safely, picked up the documents, and left to walk home around 4:45 PM. But Vera never made it back. That evening, her parents called the police to report her missing.

An urgent S.O.S. message went out across the city, and several people called in to say they had seen a short man with dark hair, wearing a black overcoat, giving candy to children in the Notting Hill area. Vera’s mother was so devastated by her daughter’s disappearance that she became seriously ill.

The investigation revealed that after leaving her aunt’s house, Vera was seen talking to a school friend outside a chemist at about 5:40 PM. The friend said Vera was carrying a white envelope under her arm and mentioned she needed to hurry home. This was the last time anyone saw her alive.


Two days later, a milkman found Vera’s body in some bushes beside a house on Addison Road, about a mile from her home. There was no attempt to hide her body, suggesting the killer wanted her to be found.


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