Thirty-four-year-old mother of two Ann Law was in the process of divorcing her husband Gilbert in 1973, although the pair were still living together in their home in West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. However, on March 24th, Ann mysteriously disappeared.
Some time after she went missing, police questioned Gilbert concerning her whereabouts, but he claimed he had no idea where she was, and he wasn’t charged.
Several years later, though, in 1982, Gilbert got drunk and allegedly confessed to his son and other family members that he had killed Ann and buried her near Bywell, on the banks of the River Tyne. He was summarily arrested.
While in police custody, Gilbert claimed initially that his wife had drunk herself to death and that he had then buried her body, but later he told investigators he’d strangled her. Shortly after this, he recanted the entire confession and returned to his original stance that he didn’t know where she was or what had happened to her.
Gilbert Law was placed on trial for the murder of his wife in 1983, but the proceedings were stopped due to Gilbert’s worsening mental illness. A second trial commenced in 1984, but this time, the judge ordered the jury to acquit, as there was no solid evidence tying him to the crime.
Authorities did an extensive search of the river bank where Gilbert asserted he’d buried the body, but nothing was ever found. No one else was ever charged, no remains were ever discovered, and the fate of Ann Law remains a complete mystery to this day.
Crime Immemorial 