Fifty-three-year-old Hilary Ball lived with her husband of nineteen years, Geoff Ball, in West Sussex, England, and worked at an insurance company in Haywards Heath.
On December 13th, 2004, Hilary failed to show up for work and was subsequently reported missing by her concerned colleagues. Her vehicle, a blue Toyota Yaris, was found abandoned later the same day, parked near the Ashdown Cricket Club.
As time went on with no sign of her, her husband Geoff was arrested on suspicion of her murder but was eventually released without charge.
On Boxing Day, December 26th, 2004, a couple walking their dog found Hilary’s body hanging from a tree in a scenic spot called Hindleap in Ashdown Forest, only about a mile from where her car was recovered.
Because she was known to suffer from depression, authorities speculated that she could have committed suicide, but continued to treat the case as a murder inquiry.
As of this writing in December 2024, there have been no further developments in the investigation, and the death of Hilary Ball is still a mystery.
Crime Immemorial 