UK Bolton - Woman's body found in Bolton cellar, discovered 14 December 1982

[Nell91]

Again, thank you so much everyone!
I can't use the quote thing on my phone so I'll try and reply as well I can without rambling!
DNA test (via Ancestry?) Is my next shout- I would be so interested to see if there is anybody else out there who could shed some light. Elsie had my nan relatively late in life- she would've been late 50s when she disappeared I believe. I really am hoping she lived a full life, but they were very poor and she would've had to move heaven and earth to find solitude and pay for a name change back then, I think? It's not impossible of course but I know Elsie had no other family, perhaps friends helped her? I really do hope so.
I do live in Bolton indeed! We never moved away haha. I'll pop into the library on my work break this week and see what I can find.
Again, thank you all so much for your help. Even if Elsie isn't this Doe, I really need to put this mystery to bed somehow!

 

[Lyndaloo]

Again, thank you so much everyone!
I can't use the quote thing on my phone so I'll try and reply as well I can without rambling!
DNA test (via Ancestry?) Is my next shout- I would be so interested to see if there is anybody else out there who could shed some light. Elsie had my nan relatively late in life- she would've been late 50s when she disappeared I believe. I really am hoping she lived a full life, but they were very poor and she would've had to move heaven and earth to find solitude and pay for a name change back then, I think? It's not impossible of course but I know Elsie had no other family, perhaps friends helped her? I really do hope so.
I do live in Bolton indeed! We never moved away haha. I'll pop into the library on my work break this week and see what I can find.
Again, thank you all so much for your help. Even if Elsie isn't this Doe, I really need to put this mystery to bed somehow!

I like you hope your great grandmother did leave voluntarily & lived the rest of her life happy away from her abusive husband, however it must have broken her heart to leave her kid/kids,it’s not something a mother could do lightly. However I also can’t shake off the feeling that perhaps your great grandmother Elsie could be this lady found in the cellar. Maybe she had some kind of nervous breakdown & found shelter in this house and sadly died from the starvation/cold? Or maybe she didn’t willingly leave her daughter at all and was kidnapped & held in the cellar? Or god forbid murdered annd hidden there? Perhaps Elsie had no choice to leave? According to this news article Mary Ellen’s remains were exhumed and a dna sample taken, therefor it shouldn’t be too hard to find out if Mary Ellen is indeed Elsie by comparing your dna. I would contact Bolton CID as 1st port of call and explain everything you’ve told us and any particulars you know such as full name address, date of birth ect. Maybe also try contacting the BBC, who featured Mary Ellen in the forgotten dead - The body in the cellar…. if you have any information about Mary Ellen please email jane.wilkinson@bbc.co.uk.
Hoping you get some answers for you and your nan xx

Woman's body found in Bolton cellar mystery reinvestigated

Detectives still do not know the identity of the woman whose remains were found exactly 40 years ago.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Nell91]

Update- I have contacted the Missing Persons Unit UK where Mary Ellen was featured- I couldn't find a none emergency police inquiry line for Bolton but I'll keep looking. I'm wary of contacting the journalist just yet as my Nan 'doesn't want any fuss' and I respect that.
Huge thanks to all helped, the ball is rolling! Hopefully we can have answers soon. And if it isn't Elsie, I will still be diligently working on this as its so close to home.

 

[iamshadow21]

Update- I have contacted the Missing Persons Unit UK where Mary Ellen was featured- I couldn't find a none emergency police inquiry line for Bolton but I'll keep looking. I'm wary of contacting the journalist just yet as my Nan 'doesn't want any fuss' and I respect that.
Huge thanks to all helped, the ball is rolling! Hopefully we can have answers soon. And if it isn't Elsie, I will still be diligently working on this as its so close to home.

Any answer is going to be something. If it's her, then there is going to be a step towards closure. And if it isn't, then you will know that and the police will know that and you and they can turn the focus on other possibilities. I wish you the best of luck in your search.

 

[Lucy6226]

Update- I have contacted the Missing Persons Unit UK where Mary Ellen was featured- I couldn't find a none emergency police inquiry line for Bolton but I'll keep looking. I'm wary of contacting the journalist just yet as my Nan 'doesn't want any fuss' and I respect that.
Huge thanks to all helped, the ball is rolling! Hopefully we can have answers soon. And if it isn't Elsie, I will still be diligently working on this as its so close to home.

If you dial 101 it should put you through to Bolton, if not you can asked to be transferred

 

[Nell91]

Hi everyone,
MPU have contacted me to say that they have passed my information and details on to Greater Manchester Police.
I will keep providing updates as they happen. Thank you again to everyone who advised

 

[Lyndaloo]

Thankyou Nell for keeping us all updated & thankyou for allowing us to share this journey with you. I hope now the balls rolling it won’t be too long before you find out if Mary Anne was actually your great nan Elsie or not. It could turn out to be an emotional journey & I’m aware that speaking to your nan regarding this is difficult, so please know that we will be here to support you along the way…. Please feel free to private message me at any time if you need to chat. I pray this process brings you & your family some much needed answers and some kind of closure xx

 

[Nell91]

Hi all! An update but not much of one I'm afraid. The things I've learnt since the last update:
Missing grandmothers husband (my nanas dad) had at least 10 illegitimate children, he is not listed as a father on my nanas birth certificate.
Missing grandmother had another child 9 years before my nan was born, in her first marriage. This was a shock. Child is still alive but elderly, and I don't want to bother them. They were not brought up by missing grandmother, and my nana either doesn't know of them or doesn't want to talk about it.
So no real update in terms of being contacted by anybody, but from ancestry research I have found out the above.

 

[Nell91]

Hi guys, just popping back on!
Still nothing from GMP, I've emailed twice now. I just simply want to know if there is any DNA available for Mary Ellen that I could be compared against, I feel its something I just need to rule out. If it isn't Elsie, that will be another mystery but we'll cross that bridge.
A local lady has recently done a podcast about Mary ellen, I reached out to her but she has no involvement with LE, she's just trying to spread awareness which is great!
So again, no real update but I'm hoping I can figure something out soon.

 

[iamshadow21]

Hi guys, just popping back on!
Still nothing from GMP, I've emailed twice now. I just simply want to know if there is any DNA available for Mary Ellen that I could be compared against, I feel its something I just need to rule out. If it isn't Elsie, that will be another mystery but we'll cross that bridge.
A local lady has recently done a podcast about Mary ellen, I reached out to her but she has no involvement with LE, she's just trying to spread awareness which is great!
So again, no real update but I'm hoping I can figure something out soon.

Still have my fingers crossed for you that you're able to make a connection with the person responsible for the case and that it's able to be determined one way or the other. Whoever this person is, they've been waiting a long time for their name back.

 

[MarziPanda]

This case was in the news again recently but only because a local man thought it could have been his mum and the police chased the lead and found his mum alive and well, reuniting them: Mary Ellen body in cellar mystery led man to long-lost mum

So it's good to know the police are taking leads seriously!

 

[Nell91]

That's awesome! I'm so pleased for that gentleman!
I may go about it a little differently, and file an MP report. I'm not sure if they'll do it, given the time frame and the fact that Elsie will definitely be deceased now, but I can always try. If Elsie simply walked away to start a new life away from my abusive great grandad, I'll have nothing but respect and love for her. I just need to know, it's like an itch I can't scratch.