Despite the lack of any remains and the presence of suspicious evidence at the site of the home, local authorities assumed the children had died in the fire, and refused to investigate further, despite an innkeeper's claim that she had seen four of the five Sodder children in the company of four adults in her inn the week following the fire.
Death certificates were issued on December 30, 1945, just five days after the fire, despite the fact that not one trace of human remains had been found at the home. The surviving Sodder family members staunchly believed that the children had been abducted, but were thwarted in their every effort to solve the mystery. In 1952, George and Jennie placed a large billboard at the site of the fire advertising a $10,000 reward for information relating to the children's disappearance. It remained on that spot until Mrs. Sodder's death in 1989. Although the land has since been sold and the billboard torn down, many in Fayetteville still wonder what became of the five Sodder children on that cold Christmas Eve over sixty years ago.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence that the children survived the fire lies with Louis. In 1968, Mrs. Jennie Sodder received an envelope in the mail that contained only a picture of a young man who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. On the back of the photo was written "Louis Sodder." The Sodders believed this to be proof that at least one of their missing children was still alive, but their efforts to locate the young man in the photograph proved fruitless.
For more information on this mystery, please visit http://www.register-herald.com/local/x519073643/Where-are-the-children or http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Sodder_Family.
Despite the lack of any remains and the presence of suspicious evidence at the site of the home, local authorities assumed the children had died in the fire, and refused to investigate further, despite an innkeeper's claim that she had seen four of the five Sodder children in the company of four adults in her inn the week following the fire.
Death certificates were issued on December 30, 1945, just five days after the fire, despite the fact that not one trace of human remains had been found at the home. The surviving Sodder family members staunchly believed that the children had been abducted, but were thwarted in their every effort to solve the mystery. In 1952, George and Jennie placed a large billboard at the site of the fire advertising a $10,000 reward for information relating to the children's disappearance. It remained on that spot until Mrs. Sodder's death in 1989. Although the land has since been sold and the billboard torn down, many in Fayetteville still wonder what became of the five Sodder children on that cold Christmas Eve over sixty years ago.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence that the children survived the fire lies with Louis. In 1968, Mrs. Jennie Sodder received an envelope in the mail that contained only a picture of a young man who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. On the back of the photo was written "Louis Sodder." The Sodders believed this to be proof that at least one of their missing children was still alive, but their efforts to locate the young man in the photograph proved fruitless.
For more information on this mystery, please visit http://www.register-herald.com/local/x519073643/Where-are-the-children or http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Sodder_Family.
Family Members
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John Frederick Sodder
1923–2001
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Joseph Samuel "Joe" Sodder Sr
1924–2010
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Mary Ann "Marion" Sodder Crowder
1926–2005
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George "Ted" Sodder Jr
1929–2012
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Maurice Antonio Sodder
1931–1945
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Martha Lee Sodder
1933–1945
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Jennie Irene Sodder
1937–1945
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Betty Dolly Sodder
1940–1945
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Sylvia Ann Sodder Paxton
1942–2021
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Michael Sodder
1950–1950