Evelyn Washburn

Evelyn Washburn was found lying face down on a grass triangle in Vicarage Walk at the junction with King George Avenue on the night of Saturday 11 February 1950 at about 11pm.

Her body was found by a builder’s labourer who lived in Braemar Avenue. He said that her scarf was on the back of her neck but noted that her clothing was not disarranged.

He said that he spoke to her but got no reply.

After she was found her body was taken to a man's house. When the police arrived at the man's house at 11.20pm they found her slumped in a chair. The policeman that saw her said that her blouse was tied at the neck in a bow.

The police said that shortly after seeing Evelyn Washburn that they went to the spot where she was found and made a search but could find nothing unusual and a police guard was then placed over the plot.

The following day the police took samples of the turf away for examination.

When her body was first examined at the Victoria Infirmary, it was said that there was no sign of a struggle and that no cause of death could be found.

Her death was later given as being due to shock, which was translated in the press as being due to fright and her death was titled in the press as the 'Frightened schoolgirl mystery'.

She was dead when she was admitted to hospital and had no visible injuries.

It was thought that she had been with a man a few minutes before her death and foul play was not ruled out. The police said that the man was described as being tall, dark haired and wearing a light raincoat'.

She was a schoolgirl and had lived with her sister in Danefield Road and was found dead in some grass in Vicarage Walk shortly after leaving a dance at the Baths Hall. Vicarage Walk was described as a fairly frequented road.

She had been to the dance with a 15-year-old girlfriend who had lived in Braemar Avenue, Northwich and they had left together but had separated at the foot of the bridge leading to the housing estate where Evelyn Washburn had lived.

The police later said that they thought that her body might have been dumped where it was found. They said that they thought that she had been interfered with and had died from shock and that her body was then dumped where it was found which was about 200 yards from her home.

The police later reconstructed her walk from the dance hall to the grass triable in Vicarage Walk on the day of her funeral.

The police said that they took more than 300 statements from the people who were in the locality of Evelyn Washburn's home between 10.30pm and 11pm on the Saturday night.

The police said that they had reduced the unknown time since she was last seen to when she was found dead from 15 minutes to 5 minutes after a 62 year old woman who lived a few yards from Evelyn Washburn's home said that she saw a tall young man shielding a young girl dressed in light clothing about ten yards from where her body was found at about 10.55pm.

The police later said that they had reduced that time gap down to three minutes and said that they thought that after leaving the dance that Evelyn Washburn had met a man somewhere between the railway bridge and the corner of King Gorge Avenue where she was found.

On the night of Saturday 18 February 1950, 50 policemen cordoned off 300 houses on the Danefield Council estate in Northwich, described as being the home to more than 1,000 people, in the hunt for Evelyn Washburn's killer.

On Monday 20 February 1950 the police visited the school where Evelyn Washburn was a pupil to interview her friends and people that knew her.

The police put a team of thirty detectives together to investigate her death and it was said that by 8 March 1950 that the police hoped to have developed a clear picture of the movements of nearly 5,000 men aged between 15 and 28 who were in the Northwich district on the night of 11 February 1950. It was said that Tuesday 7 March 1950 was the last day for men to come forward and make voluntary statements, with those that had not assisted to be visited in their homes and asked, 'Did you know Evelyn Washburn? Where were you on the night of February 11?'.

Evelyn Washburn's funeral took place on Thursday 16 February 1950 and she was buried in Witton Cemetery in Northwich. Her funeral was attended by about 1,000 people.

At her inquest jurors were shown a children's book that contained writing at the top of a page. The book was 'Teddy Tails' Annual' and the writing was recognised as being Evelyn Washburn's. However, the coroner did not reveal what was written.

An eight-foot-long plan of the area detailing the route that Evelyn Washburn had taken home the dance was also shown.

Her mother, who had lived in Jubilee Street, Northwich, said that Evelyn Washburn was a healthy girl apart from some bilious attacks. She noted that she had always been nervous, but said that she had become especially nervous after she had been attacked earlier by a man in Church Walk in August or September 1949, and said that she was afraid of the dark but had gone out on the Saturday night that she died because she thought that her friend would have been with her.

Her mother noted that she didn't think that Evelyn Washburn could have been taken to have looked older than her age 13 1/2.

Her sister said that she had told Evelyn Washburn to be home early from the dance, at about 10.30pm. However, she said that she worked late and would normally get home herself by about 11pm and said that as long as Evelyn Washburn was home by the time she got home at about 11pm then it was all right.

She said that she had never known Evelyn Washburn to have a boyfriend.

Evelyn Washburn's friend, the 15-year-old girl and a silk worker, who lived in Braemar Avenue said that she had attended the dance with Evelyn Washburn at the Baths Hall but said that she didn't accompany Evelyn Washburn home as she had been told to go home by the main road and to be home by 11pm. She said that she and Evelyn Washburn had danced together and that neither of them had danced with any boys and said that they left the dance hall by 10.45pm having been to the cloakroom to get their clothes earlier, adding that she thought that it must have been about 10.50pm when they left. She said that Evelyn Washburn asked her to accompany her all the way home, but said that she refused because her father had told her to go home by the main route.

She said that when they separated that Evelyn Washburn ran off in the direction of her home. She said that she then went off along Victoria Road and reached the railway station at 10.56pm.

She said that Evelyn Washburn didn't appear to be interested in boys and didn't talk about them.

An open verdict was returned at her inquest which concluded on Wednesday 16 August 1950 stating that she had died from shock but that there was insufficient evidence to show the cause.

The police said that they spoke to 17,000 people and took 8,400 statements.