Skip to main content

Search on Wikipedia

Search results

SO Sad! Transgender Woman Pleads For Life Before Mob Beat Her To Death. click image to read story

SO Sad! Transgender Woman Pleads For Life Before Mob Beat Her To Death. click image to read story
42-year-old Dandara dos Santos was kicked, punched, and hit with shoes and a plank of wood in front of residents in Fortaleza, Ceara state, Brazil... till death. click image to read story

Featured Post

10 Reasons Why Men Should Quit Watching Po*n

The Children Who Went Up In Smoke

The Children Who Went Up In Smoke
A tragic Christmas mystery remains unsolved more than 60 years after the disappearance of five young siblings




On Christmas morning in 1945, a fire started in the soldier family home and destroyed the entire house. Unfortunately, the sodder children were left inside of the house as the fire erupted, making people believed that they had died in the blaze. However, no bones or bodies were found in the ashes, meaning the children had just vanished. The police strongly believed they died in the fire though. But the mother had other beliefs because the night before the fire, she received a few phone calls that had no one on the other end of them. She believed that the phone calls were coming in because someone was checking to see if anyone was at home and during the night she heard movement on the roof To this day. Though it is a great mystery as to what truly happened to the sodder family children 

For nearly four decades, anyone driving down Route 16 near Fayetteville, West Virginia, could see a billboard bearing the grainy images of five children, all dark-haired and solemn-eyed, their names and ages—Maurice, 14; Martha 12; Louis, 9; Jennie, 8; Betty, 5—stenciled beneath, along with speculation about what happened to them. Fayetteville was and is a small town, with a main street that doesn’t run longer than a hundred yards, and rumors always played a larger role in the case than evidence; no one even agreed on whether the children were dead or alive. What everyone knew for certain was this: On the night before Christmas 1945, George and Jennie Sodder and nine of their 10 children went to sleep (one son was away in the Army). Around 1 a.m., a fire broke out. George and Jennie and four of their children escaped, but the other five were never seen again.

George had tried to save them, breaking a window to re-enter the house, slicing a swath of skin from his arm. He could see nothing through the smoke and fire, which had swept through all of the downstairs rooms: living and dining room, kitchen, office, and his and Jennie’s bedroom. He took frantic stock of what he knew: 2-year-old Sylvia, whose crib was in their bedroom, was safe outside, as was 17-year-old Marion and two sons, 23-year-old John and 16-year-old George Jr., who had fled the upstairs bedroom they shared, singeing their hair on the way out. He figured Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie and Betty still had to be up there, cowering in two bedrooms on either end of the hallway, separated by a staircase that was now engulfed in flames.

He raced back outside, hoping to reach them through the upstairs windows, but the ladder he always kept propped against the house was strangely missing. An idea struck: He would drive one of his two coal trucks up to the house and climb atop it to reach the windows. But even though they’d functioned perfectly the day before, neither would start now. He ransacked his mind for another option. He tried to scoop water from a rain barrel but found it frozen solid. Five of his children were stuck somewhere inside those great, whipping ropes of smoke. He didn’t notice that his arm was slick with blood, that his voice hurt from screaming their names.

His daughter Marion sprinted to a neighbor’s home to call the Fayetteville Fire Department but couldn’t get any operator response. A neighbor who saw the blaze made a call from a nearby tavern, but again no operator responded. Exasperated, the neighbor drove into town and tracked down Fire Chief F.J. Morris, who initiated Fayetteville’s version of a fire alarm: a “phone tree” system whereby one firefighter phoned another, who phoned another. The fire department was only two and a half miles away but the crew didn’t arrive until 8 a.m., by which point the Sodders’ home had been reduced to a smoking pile of ash.

George and Jeannie assumed that five of their children were dead, but a brief search of the grounds on Christmas Day turned up no trace of remains. Chief Morris suggested that the blaze had been hot enough to completely cremate the bodies. A state police inspector combed the rubble and attributed the fire to faulty wiring. George covered the basement with five feet of dirt, intending to preserve the site as a memorial. The coroner’s office issued five death certificates just before the new year, attributing the causes to “fire or suffocation.”

But the Sodders had begun to wonder if their children were still alive.

George Sodder was born Giorgio Soddu in Tula, Sardinia in 1895, and immigrated to the United States in 1908, when he was 13. An older brother who had accompanied him to Ellis Island immediately returned to Italy, leaving George on his own. He found work on the Pennsylvania railroads, carrying water and supplies to the laborers, and after a few years moved to Smithers, West Virginia. Smart and ambitious, he first worked as a driver and then launched his own trucking company, hauling dirt for construction and later freight and coal. One day he walked into a local store called the Music Box and met the owners’ daughter, Jennie Cipriani, who had come over from Italy when she was 3.

They married and had 10 children between 1923 and 1943, and settled in Fayetteville, West Virginia, an Appalachian town with a small but active Italian immigrant community. The Sodders were, said one county magistrate, “one of the most respected middle-class families around.” George held strong opinions about everything from business to current events and politics, but was, for some reason, reticent to talk about his youth. He never explained what had happened back in Italy to make him want to leave.

The Sodders planted flowers across the space where their house had stood and began to stitch together a series of odd moments leading up to the fire. There was a stranger who appeared at the home a few months earlier, back in the fall, asking about hauling work. He meandered to the back of the house, pointed to two separate fuse boxes, and said, “This is going to cause a fire someday.” Strange, George thought, especially since he had just had the wiring checked by the local power company, which pronounced it in fine condition. Around the same time, another man tried to sell the family life insurance and became irate when George declined. “Your goddamn house is going up in smoke,” he warned, “and your children are going to be destroyed. You are going to be paid for the dirty remarks you have been making about Mussolini.” George was indeed outspoken about his dislike for the Italian dictator, occasionally engaging in heated arguments with other members of Fayetteville’s Italian community, and at the time didn’t take the man’s threats seriously. The older Sodder sons also recalled something peculiar: Just before Christmas, they noticed a man parked along U.S. Highway 21, intently watching the younger kids as they came home from school.

Around 12:30 Christmas morning, after the children had opened a few presents and everyone had gone to sleep, the shrill ring of the telephone broke the quiet. Jennie rushed to answer it. An unfamiliar female voice asked for an unfamiliar name. There was raucous laughter and glasses clinking in the background. Jennie said, “You have the wrong number,” and hung up. Tiptoeing back to bed, she noticed that all of the downstairs lights were still on and the curtains open. The front door was unlocked. She saw Marion asleep on the sofa in the living room and assumed that the other kids were upstairs in bed. She turned out the lights, closed the curtains, locked the door and returned to her room. She had just begun to doze when she heard one sharp, loud bang on the roof, and then a rolling noise. An hour later she was roused once again, this time by heavy smoke curling into her room.

Next the Sodders turned to a private investigator named C.C. Tinsley, who discovered that the insurance salesman who had threatened George was a member of the coroner’s jury that deemed the fire accidental. He also heard a curious story from a Fayetteville minister about F.J. Morris, the fire chief. Although Morris had claimed no remains were found, he supposedly confided that he’d discovered “a heart” in the ashes. He hid it inside a dynamite box and buried it at the scene.

Tinsley persuaded Morris to show them the spot. Together they dug up the box and took it straight to a local funeral director, who poked and prodded the “heart” and concluded it was beef liver, untouched by the fire. Soon afterward, the Sodders heard rumors that the fire chief had told others that the contents of the box had not been found in the fire at all, that he had buried the beef liver in the rubble in the hope that finding any remains would placate the family enough to stop the investigation.

Over the next few years the tips and leads continued to come. George saw a newspaper photo of schoolchildren in New York City and was convinced that one of them was his daughter Betty. He drove to Manhattan in search of the child, but her parents refused to speak to him. In August 1949, the Sodders decided to mount a new search at the fire scene and brought in a Washington, D.C. pathologist named Oscar B. Hunter. The excavation was thorough, uncovering several small objects: damaged coins, a partly burned dictionary and several shards of vertebrae. Hunter sent the bones to the Smithsonian Institution, which issued the following report:

The human bones consist of four lumbar vertebrae belonging to one individual. Since the transverse recesses are fused, the age of this individual at death should have been 16 or 17 years. The top limit of age should be about 22 since the centra, which normally fuse at 23, are still unfused. On this basis, the bones show greater skeletal maturation than one would expect for a 14-year-old boy (the oldest missing Sodder child). It is however possible, although not probable, for a boy 14 ½ years old to show 16-17 maturation.

The vertebrae showed no evidence that they had been exposed to fire, the report said, and “it is very strange that no other bones were found in the allegedly careful evacuation of the basement of the house.” Noting that the house reportedly burned for only about half an hour or so, it said that “one would expect to find the full skeletons of the five children, rather than only four vertebrae.” The bones, the report concluded, were most likely in the supply of dirt George used to fill in the basement to create the memorial for his children.

Flyer about the Sodder children. Courtesy of Jennie Henthorn.

The Smithsonian report prompted two hearings at the Capitol in Charleston, after which Governor Okey L. Patterson and State Police Superintendent W.E. Burchett told the Sodders their search was “hopeless” and declared the case closed. Undeterred, George and Jennie erected the billboard along Route 16 and passed out flyers offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of their children. They soon increased the amount to $10,000. A letter arrived from a woman in St. Louis saying the oldest girl, Martha, was in a convent there. Another tip came from Texas, where a patron in a bar overheard an incriminating conversation about a long-ago Christmas Eve fire in West Virginia. Someone in Florida claimed the children were staying with a distant relative of Jennie’s. George traveled the country to investigate each lead, always returning home without any answers.

In 1968, more than 20 years after the fire, Jennie went to get the mail and found an envelope addressed only to her. It was postmarked in Kentucky but had no return address. Inside was a photo of a man in his mid-20s. On its flip side a cryptic handwritten note read: “Louis Sodder. I love brother Frankie. Ilil Boys. A90132 or 35.” She and George couldn’t deny the resemblance to their Louis, who was 9 at the time of the fire. Beyond the obvious similarities—dark curly hair, dark brown eyes—they had the same straight, strong nose, the same upward tilt of the left eyebrow. Once again they hired a private detective and sent him to Kentucky. They never heard from him again.

burst into the unlocked front door, told them about the fire, and offered to take them someplace safe. They might not have survived the night. If they had, and if they lived for decades—if it really was Louis in that photograph—they failed to contact their parents only because they wanted to protect them.

The youngest and last surviving Sodder child, Sylvia, is now 69, and doesn’t believe her siblings perished in the fire. When time permits, she visits crime sleuthing websites and engages with people still interested in her family’s mystery. Her very first memories are of that night in 1945, when she was 2 years old. She will never forget the sight of her father bleeding or the terrible symphony of everyone’s screams, and she is no closer now to understanding why.

Undiluted Relationship and information bring you undiluted serial killer story, serial killers facts, murder, true crime, true crimecommunity, horror, truecrime addict, crime , tedbundy , homicide ,halloween, killer, rodneyalcala, murder on my mind, ,history ,netflixandchill ,deadlymen ,crimewatchdaily ,murderisthenewblack ,historic ,fearthyneighbor ,netflixandcrime ,crime memes ,dark ,murderer ,horrormovies ,insane ,history and many. Feel free to share and comment. Bringing you the best. Undiluted Relationship and Information

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Here Are The Marriage Advice You Should Never Ignore

This article you are about to read is an divorce from a married man following 16 years of marriage, by Gerald Rogers. Read what he said below; Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have. 1. NEVER STOP COURTING So never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love. 2. PROTECT YOUR OWN HEART Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place ...

75 Biblical Reasons Why You should Not Drink Alcohol

75 BIBLICAL TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL DRUNK  Many people have argued About whether it is right for Christian to drink alcohol or not. Some say it is okay to drink but not not to drink  too much. However, that is not what the bible says. The bible says that, you should not even look at alcohol no matter how alluring it might seem to you. look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it bitten like a serpent and stingeth like an adder.                 prover 23:31-32 1) Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble. 2) Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality 75 Biblical Reasons Why You should  Not Drink Alcohol  3) Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy. 4) Numbers 6:3 - The Nazarites ...

Reasons Why There Is A High Rate Of Divorce

Marriage is not as the way it used to be. Compare today's marriage to when our parents and grandparents got wedded.   D ivorce is now on the rise. People have come to accept it as an almost inevitable part of life. The fear of going through a divorce has been mitigated. Note also that people still marry for the very same reasons that older generations for, but the rate of divorce today is of increase and the following are the reasons among others 1. Men are Sexists and Chauvinistic in nature Most men are sexists and chauvinistic in nature therefore making them selfish and loathe independent women. They make denigrating remarks about women and you don't expect a serious, logical and virtuous woman to remain with such a rètarded being. Women in other hand, are peace loving and cool but their anti-feminism husband keeps antagonising them and they don't have an option but divorce him. There's no ONE reason for the high rates of marriage failure these days. Rather, I believe...

Place to touch to make her be in sex mood

From her head all the way to her toes, here are 10 of the top erog enous zones to turn her on: Her Head Have you ever been on the receiving end of a scalp massage and felt those warm fuzzy tingles from head to toe? That’s because the skin on the top of your head is loaded with nerves that are extremely sensitive to the touch. Sti mulating the scalp in the right way releases a flood of feel-good ho rmones like serotonin and oxytocin. It also increases blood flow, not just to her brain (the largest s ex org an, remember?) but all over her body.Next time you and your partner are kissing or cuddling, open your fi ngers wide and run them slowly through her hair, lightly stroking her scalp with your fi ngertips. Start behind her ears, at the base of the head, and circulate to the front, kind of like you’re lathering shampoo into your hair. Scalp massages are both soothing and sensual: They help release tension, and get her in the mood for other sti mulating activities. Her Ears ...

A Germany Regiment marching down from their mountain positions surrender to the Americans, Austria, 1945

A Germany Regiment marching down from their mountain positions surrender to the Americans, Austria, 1945 After Germany's surrender in May 1945, millions of German soldiers remained prisoners of war. In France, their internment lasted a particularly long time. But, for some former soldiers, it was a path to rehabilitation. After Germany's surrender in May 1945, millions of German soldiers remained prisoners of war. In France, their internment lasted a particularly long time. But, for some former soldiers, it was a path to rehabilitation. French units lost out to US soldiers in the last meters of the race to reach Adolf Hitler's destroyed Alpine headquarters, the Berghof. But French troops in southern Germany in early May 1945 nonetheless made good progress, capturing one town after the other. After four years of Nazi occupation, France, under General Charles de Gaulle, joined the ultimately victorious Allied powers in 1944. And the country made sure the defeated German natio...

Male Child Is Better Than A Female Child

Here is The Real Reasons Why A Male Child Is Better Than A Female Child A male child is more important because with a male child you can assure that he goes to school because you think that tomorrow he will be the to help in you financial need but a female child you think that in the future that she will go to her husband house and stay And she will leave alone for your needs It true because family send children to school both female and male but female use there’s to buy make up and other assesories but male child would take care of the female and family and also pay for her bride price so to me I think male child is better and am not descriminating Who is the head of the family? The answer is the father and a father is a male child for the parents. A male child retains the fathers name and he brings mony for the family. He is the person who will pay the bride price for him to marry a wife In many cultures, a male child is more important than a female child. A male child w...

From Chantal Uren. This is my story

From Chantal Uren. This is my story... My name is Chantal, I'm a 37 year old Police Officer from Western Australia and I had a severe reaction after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. To the people who threatened me with defamation charges and disciplinary action for telling my story, I am disappointed. I'm disappointed that your priority is to silence me for your own ego and agenda rather than ask if I'm ok and offer me any help! At no time have you asked if I'm ok or cared for a second about my health or welfare. You decided that putting me under more stress, when that stress can cause further risk to my life is your priority. It makes me question humanity and how any person can have such a lack of empathy towards another.  If defamation and disciplinary action is what you deem suitable than I'm not afraid. I've done nothing wrong, I did what you wanted and look what happened. No one has the right to take away anyone else's experiences or tell them how they sho...

Inside The Extraterrestrial Tale Of The 1955 Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter

Inside The Extraterrestrial Tale Of The 1955 Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter On August 21, 1955, the Kelly-Hopkinsville UFO incident terrified the people of western Kentucky and introduced the world to "little green men." Around 11 p.m. on the night of August 21, 1955, eight people showed up at the Hopkinsville, Kentucky police station in a state of panic. "We need help," one gasped. "We've been fighting them for nearly four hours." They quickly explained that the "them" were aliens — creatures with glowing yellow eyes, silvery skin, and long arms who had swooped in from out of the sky. While it may have sounded outlandish, multiple witnesses soon corroborated the story. To this day, the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter remains one of the most compelling stories of an alien encounter on record. See the photos and go inside the bizarre encounter and how it inspired both "E.T." and "Gremlin” by clicking the link in our bio. Around 11 PM...

Meet Tenzing Norgay, The ‘Unsung Hero’ Of The First Successful Summit Of Mount Everest

Meet Tenzing Norgay, The ‘Unsung Hero’ Of The First Successful Summit Of Mount Everest Edmund Hillary was the first person to climb Mount Everest, but he couldn't have done it without Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Born in the Himalayas, Tenzing Norgay grew up revering the "mighty mountain" of Everest and the "goddess of the summit." Though his father gave him a name that means "wealthy fortunate follower of religion" in hopes that he would become a monk, Norgay dreamt of being a mountaineer. He ran away from home multiple times to hike among the peaks, and eventually joined his first official mountaineering expedition at age 20 in 1935. By the time he was 40 years old, he had spent more time on the face of Mount Everest than any other person alive. ⁠ ⁠ So, when a British expedition was looking for local guides in an attempt to reach the summit, they turned to Norgay. And on May 29, 1953, Norgay and New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary became the first peopl...

Meet Oliver Sipple, the veteran who saved President Ford's life - and was punished for it

Meet Oliver Sipple, the veteran who saved President Ford's life - and was punished for it In 1975, a disabled Vietnam vet named Oliver Sipple saved President Gerald Ford from an assassin. Although Sipple was hailed a hero at first, the tide quickly turned when the media outed him as a gay man. Not only did the exposure of his homosexuality overshadow his heroic act, it also led to his family essentially disowning him. Years later, Sipple's lifeless body was found next to a cheap bottle of bourbon in his apartment. He'd been dead for nearly two weeks before anyone found him. See the photos and discover the tragic story of the man who saved President Ford’s life and was punished for it — by clicking the link in our bio. After disarming an assassin, Oliver Sipple was hailed a hero. But the ensuing media storm outed him as gay and upended his entire life. One morning in September 1975, 33-year-old ex-Marine Oliver Sipple went for a walk around his San Francisco neighborhood. Wi...