Fourteen-year-old Sarah Benford lived with her mother Vicky and her two siblings in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. She was described as a “troubled” teenager and had run away from home on several occasions; because of this, she often spent time at Welford House children’s home in Northampton.
On April 4th, 2000, Sarah ran away from the care home, and two days later, met up with her mother in Kettering town center. Later on, witnesses spotted her in the area several times on the same day, but after April 6th, there were no more sightings of her.
While it seems her case was treated as a missing persons investigation at first, in 2003, police launched a murder inquiry, even though no body had been found. Authorities discovered that Sarah had likely been involved in drugs, and had possibly been lured into prostitution. While they held out hope that she could still be alive, they suspected she had been murdered not long after her disappearance.
After interviewing several persons of interest, investigators searched a number of separate residences in Kettering and South Wales, searching for evidence of what had happened to Sarah Benton. Also in 2003, a total of eight arrests were made, but all suspects were released without charge.
In the spring of 2016, in advance of what would have been Sarah’s thirtieth birthday, detectives searched a wooded area near Warkton that was known to be frequented by associates of Sarah Benton when they wanted to dispose of stolen property. There they found an old handgun which may or may not have had any connection to the case, but had clearly been there for some time.
Though Sarah Benton’s remains have not been found, police have stated that she is “unlikely” to still be alive. They encourage anyone with any information as to what might have happened to her back in April of 2000 to come forward and help solve the crime.
Crime Immemorial 