Episode 3.27 // Up In Smoke: The Missing Sodder Children Mystery

On Christmas Eve 1945, the Sodder family home went up in flames. Parents George and Jennie escaped the blaze with four of their children, only to realize that five of their remaining children were missing. The problem was, no trace of their remains was found anywhere in the rubble. As time went by, curious details led some to believe the may have made it out alive. But where could they have gone? More than 60 years later, this tragic mystery remains unsolved.

SOURCES:

• The Mysterious Disappearance of the Sodder Children - Michelle Short - The Crime Wire - Jul 23, 2023

• The Children Who Went Up In Smoke - Karen Abbott - Smithsonian Magazine - Dec 25, 2012

• What Happened to the Sodder Children? - Kate Morgan - HowStuffWorks - Feb 16, 2023

• The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes - Michael Newton - 2009

• Long, Long, Long Sodder Post – Stacy Horn - StacyHorn.com - Dec 28, 2005

• Mystery of Missing Children Haunts W.Va. Town - Stacy Horn - NPR - Dec 23, 2005

• Where are the children? - Audrey Stanton - The Register-Herald - Dec 24, 2006

• 11 Children Die... - New York Times - Dec 26, 1945

• A Christmas Tragedy... - VictoriasLifeBlog.com - May 22, 2021

• Parents Believe Youths Survived Fire - The Raleigh Register - Nov 11, 1948

• Sylvia Ann Sodder Paxton (1942-2021) - Find a Grave Memorial

TRANSCRIPT:

the sodder children

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