WV WV - Sodder Family - 5 children, Christmas eve 1945 - #4

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Trident said:
I can agree with this post - to a point. What did/do the children who survived the fire say about their siblings? Did they try to resuce them? Were they too far away? What did the survivors say?
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I can also agree to a point, why the 5 children who were up late are dead and not the the others or some of them?
Isn´t odd?
 
DIRK SCHILLER said:
I can also agree to a point, why the 5 children who were up late are dead and not the the others or some of them?
Isn´t odd?
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Because that is what happens in a fire. Some people escape. Sometimes others don't. It isn't odd at all.

Apparently there was no investigation by whatever fire investigators that West Virginia might have had in 1945. There is no mention of any police involvement.
 
Falcon500 said:
Because that is what happens in a fire. Some people escape. Sometimes others don't. It isn't odd at all.

Apparently there was no investigation by whatever fire investigators that West Virginia might have had in 1945. There is no mention of any police involvement.[/QUOTE

have you read about the children staying up late than the parents and other kids? and don´t you find it odd?
I do, because they may scape to that fire or there were no home before family was up
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Falcon500 said:
DIRK SCHILLER said:
If you are asking if some of the children stayed up later than their parents and other kids then no, I do not find that odd. In a family of twelve does everyone go to bed at exactly the same minute? Of course not.

The rest of your post is gibberish. Rephrase it.
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no, I´m asking you to read all about the Sodders and specially about the 5 children that died that night

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Sodder_Family
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I've read that and many other sites that address this case. This "Unsolved Mysteries Wiki" is full of holes and I will address them.

1. Cause of fire traced to defective wiring - who determined that? everything that I have read says that the fire department did not respond until eight hours after the fire and the fire department consisted of a fire chief who didn't even know how to drive the fire truck. no fire marshal or police detective ever responded to investigate so I believe that this is bunk.

2. 1968 someone mailed a photo to the family - obviously a nut who wanted to cause trouble.

3. Hiring of a detective - a detective who was a thief and took off with all of the money without doing any investigating. The detective probably sent the photo with a plan to steal their money.

4. Billboard - my opinion is that the parents did everything to convince others that their children were kidnapped to cover up their own failure to save their lives in the fire.

5. Suspects not known but "suggests" that they were kidnapped. - "suggests by who? where can you produce any credible source that "suggests" that these children were kidnapped by anyone let alone a "child selling agency" think about it. if a "child selling agency" was involved why would they set fire to a house in hopes that someone would escape and then kidnap them without being seen? just a pile of b.s.

6. Insurance guy - i have never heard this one but I would put it in the urban legend file.
 
Hi everyone! I joined this site so that I could comment on this case. I've been reading all through the posts here, as well as online, and I believe I'm up to date on everything.

This is frustrating, because it seems like this could either be put to rest or moved forward with a simple, modern excavation. Didn't Jonathan Bandy get approved? Is the family still working on this? Does anyone know why they're so opposed to allowing media to be made? I don't know that a "made for TV" movie would help, but I would think that Discovery Channel, or some outlet might want to do a special and investigate. It sounds like Florida or Italy would be worth looking into if no remains were found on the site.

Also, I've seen throughout the threads where a few people have posted and basically said "I grew up local, and one time my grandfather told me more about this." and then disappeared...what?! Did anyone ever press these people?

It just really seems like this could be solvable if the few right people spoke up and allowed help.
 
amocksun said:
Hi everyone! I joined this site so that I could comment on this case. I've been reading all through the posts here, as well as online, and I believe I'm up to date on everything.

This is frustrating, because it seems like this could either be put to rest or moved forward with a simple, modern excavation. Didn't Jonathan Bandy get approved? Is the family still working on this? Does anyone know why they're so opposed to allowing media to be made? I don't know that a "made for TV" movie would help, but I would think that Discovery Channel, or some outlet might want to do a special and investigate. It sounds like Florida or Italy would be worth looking into if no remains were found on the site.

Also, I've seen throughout the threads where a few people have posted and basically said "I grew up local, and one time my grandfather told me more about this." and then disappeared...what?! Did anyone ever press these people?

It just really seems like this could be solvable if the few right people spoke up and allowed help.
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1. what family? the parents are long dead and the siblings (if they are alive) most likely could care less. if they are still around they KNOW the truth and want to live their lives in peace and not want outsiders to poke into the lives of their family, especially their parents.

2. excavation - who is going to do that? do you think that the county is going to pay for an excavation of a long ago fatal house fire that no one really cares about besides Internet sleuths? you are talking about a crime scene search of a piece of land that might already been built on by a county that is probably not qualified to do such a thing.

3. made for TV movie - oh c'mon. Why would any company want to make a movie about a case that has been made into an urban legend?

4. local people - they probably did not "press" anyone because they knew the truth. country people may not have a lot of education but they are street smart. If I had to bet they know the answer and (see my previous posts) and don't want outsiders messing with their business.
 
amocksun said:
Hi everyone! I joined this site so that I could comment on this case. I've been reading all through the posts here, as well as online, and I believe I'm up to date on everything.

This is frustrating, because it seems like this could either be put to rest or moved forward with a simple, modern excavation. Didn't Jonathan Bandy get approved? Is the family still working on this? Does anyone know why they're so opposed to allowing media to be made? I don't know that a "made for TV" movie would help, but I would think that Discovery Channel, or some outlet might want to do a special and investigate. It sounds like Florida or Italy would be worth looking into if no remains were found on the site.

Also, I've seen throughout the threads where a few people have posted and basically said "I grew up local, and one time my grandfather told me more about this." and then disappeared...what?! Did anyone ever press these people?

It just really seems like this could be solvable if the few right people spoke up and allowed help.
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I believe it is difficult but not impossible!
Send a message to JENNIE, she is a member of the family, she said something like she or her mother did promise to both grandparents to do something to know what happened to their family
Heidi S. mom of abducted Dirk Schiller
 
Falcon500 said:
1. what family? the parents are long dead and the siblings (if they are alive) most likely could care less. if they are still around they KNOW the truth and want to live their lives in peace and not want outsiders to poke into the lives of their family, especially their parents.

Two grandchildren - Jonathan Bandy and Jennie (screename "Granddaughter") were active here several years ago and swore to always have interest in the case. Jennie's mother is one of the original Sodder kids present the night of the fire, and she often relayed information from these discussions with her.

2. excavation - who is going to do that? do you think that the county is going to pay for an excavation of a long ago fatal house fire that no one really cares about besides Internet sleuths? you are talking about a crime scene search of a piece of land that might already been built on by a county that is probably not qualified to do such a thing.

A grandson of the Sodder's stated here that he got approval from the current landowners to excavate, and that he intended to go through with that.


3. made for TV movie - oh c'mon. Why would any company want to make a movie about a case that has been made into an urban legend?

I've read here repeatedly that the remaining family has refused offers for such attention. For the record, I suggested that a "made for TV" movie was unlikely to be as productive as an investigative piece, which I do believe would be interesting to the public and therefore viable.

4. local people - they probably did not "press" anyone because they knew the truth. country people may not have a lot of education but they are street smart. If I had to bet they know the answer and (see my previous posts) and don't want outsiders messing with their business.
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Then they would they surface here, simply to simultaneously act clueless and insinuate that they'd been privy to more information?
 
it certainly seems like this case would be perfect for discovery channel or the history channel. i'm sure there are a lot of producers who would gladly shop a one-hour show about the case and the subsequent dig of the site.
 
I don't find anything odd about some of the family surviving the fire while others perished. As another poster commented, it happens all the time. The only thing I find odd is that those who are assumed to have perished are the children who were still awake. Normally you would expect the most likely folks to perish in a fire would be those sound asleep in an upstairs room, not the folks who are awake and alert. I can't explain it and I don't know if the missing children died or not, I think it's likely they did and those looking through the rubble didn't know how to identify cremated remains. I think if the missing children had been those who were sound asleep when the fire started, we would probably conclude they perished. Because the missing children were presumably awake and walking about when the fire started, it casts some doubt on their fate.
 
masootz said:
it certainly seems like this case would be perfect for discovery channel or the history channel. i'm sure there are a lot of producers who would gladly shop a one-hour show about the case and the subsequent dig of the site.
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Right! I think so, too. I heard the family didn't want media projects made though, but those resources seem the most useful.
 
I agree that finding a reputable source to fund an excavation would be the best way to put this mystery to rest. With today's technology, there should be a way to detect if there are any remains left in the rubble that was bulldozed over and finally give answers to this family about what really happened to the children.
 
amocksun said:
Right! I think so, too. I heard the family didn't want media projects made though, but those resources seem the most useful.
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at this point i'm not sure if it matters if distant relatives don't want media coverage. the site is obviously of historical significance.
 
Hello! Bumping this with a question: does anyone have an image of the back of the photo with the handwriting? I know it's been pored over, but just wanted to take a peek to see if it looks like an adult's handwriting or a child's silly scribbles and if the numbers/letter could be interpreted as anything different. Who has the photo now? Thanks for any info!
 
Found this in the paper this morning:

George "Ted" Sodder Jr., 83, of Falls View, passed away November 9, 2012, at his Falls View residence, following a extended illness. He was born in Smithers on September 30, 1929, and was the son of the late George and Jennie Cipriani Sodder. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, Joe and John Sodder; and sister, Marion Crowder.

George was president of Sodder Trucking Company, Alloy, and a licensed pilot. He loved working and inventing things to make a job easier.

http://www.wvgazette.com/Obituaries#116629
 
Hi,
I am fairly new to this site and find this another heartbreaking case. I'd just like to add a point of observation about why the five kids that were up last were the ones that might possibly have perished in the fire. If they went to bed much later than their usual bedtime, they would have been extra tired and much harder to rouse. I understand the mother did not wake smelling smoke until 1.30. A detailed forensic examination of the site of the fire is really necessary to decide once and for all whether they were abducted or not.
 
Canadian4 said:
There is no need to be rude. The Site is still there whether there is a house on it or not. How do u know nobody cares?
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Have you read one paragraph about any family member or a resident of the town lifting one finger to get an investigation going? The answer is NO because they know what happened and don't want outsiders coming to their town to stir up trouble when there is no mystery involved. It was a house that burned down and unfortunately five people died. No investigation was ever done except for a cursory inspection by a fire chief who couldn't even start the fire engine.

The wild rumor that somehow, during a house fire, that five children were abducted never to return to the town is just incredible.

How do I know? I talked to law enforcement in West Virginia several years ago about this case and they basically told me what I have written here.
 
Falcon500, If you read earlier in the Board, there are many posts on my mother's behalf that were made. My mom is now the only surviving of the Sodder children. She personally saw the grief of her parents, which I remember too. I don't recall my grandfather, because I was too young when he passed away. However, I know that my dad drove him out of State not long before he died, with my grandfather lying in the back seat of the car, to investigate a possible lead. These are people who cared deeply and never lost hope that their children survived. There is also an earlier post that the fire site was exhumed and investigated by a team led by a Smithsonian investigator. The investigation failed to yield any evidence of the children's bodies. That is why my mother does not believe another investigation of the site would be beneficial. My family has had a difficult few years due to illnesses, and I have watched this website when I can. Most of the questions that have appeared are answered in earlier posts, and unfortunately I don't have enough time to keep posting the same information. However, we are interested, we do care, and my mother does not believe the children perished in the fire. Thank you, Canadian4, for speaking out on our behalf.
 
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