Mary Flanagan: A look inside the UK’s longest-running missing person case
M.ary Flanagan was only 16 years old when she disappeared. A cheerful, lively young girl, recently engaged and much loved by her three younger siblings, had her whole life ahead of her when she disappeared without a trace.
He is now considered the subject of the longest known missing person case in the UK.
Like Independent She has raised £165,000 to launch SafeCall, a free new service that provides confidential support, guidance and a route to safety for children in crisis and continues to raise more, we tell Mary’s story and why she has never been forgotten.
Mary disappeared on New Year’s Eve 1959 after leaving her parents’ home in West Ham to attend a work party. The now 82-year-old was never seen or heard from again, but his family’s fight for answers continued for decades.
Her siblings never stopped searching for the truth, but both of their sisters died before they knew what had happened to her.
In 2021, Mary’s younger sister, Brenda, wrote a letter hoping to reach her: “I am writing this in the hope that you can read this letter. I have missed you so much over the years and I have been looking for you for many years and will continue to look.”
“There’s so much I want to share with you, but for now I want to say that I love you and would love for you to contact me so we can work things out at your own pace.”
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Almost nothing is known about the circumstances of Mary’s disappearance. All case files from that period were destroyed in a flood, leaving the Metropolitan Police with few leads when it reopened the investigation in 2013.
In the early 1960s – before CCTV, electronic records or routine documentation – it was much easier for someone to disappear without a trace. It is also possible that vital evidence was never collected.
The night before she disappeared, Mary told her parents she was going to a New Year’s party at the Tate and Lyle candy factory where she worked. When he did not return home, his family went to the factory, but they were told that he had not gone to work for several weeks, although he left home every morning. It remains unclear whether a party exists.
She was also engaged to a man named Tom McGinty, who may have important information. By 2013, police were unable to identify him.
Although clues emerged over the years, none provided solid evidence. But Mary’s case is still open and the police continue to search.
Brenda called her sister back Detective Podcast: “Mary was a very lucky girl, very cheerful, full of life, very nice looking. She looked older than she was.” [was]He had a mind of his own and if he wanted to do something he would do it.
“I would always watch Mary getting ready to go out, putting on makeup and things like that; I wish I could go with her.”
Missing People’s Amy-Kathleen Walker was the social worker who supported Mary’s family more than a decade before Brenda’s death.
“It’s an unusual situation to be in,” he said, “and the longer you stay in it, the harder it becomes for everyone in your life, no matter how much they love and care about you—they don’t know what to say anymore.
“As long as you have hope, we will have hope and we will be with you no matter how much you need us.
“Everyone is important. Everyone is someone, and it doesn’t matter how long it’s been. If we still have the will to get answers, we won’t give up.”
Recent events show that even long-term cases can still be solved. In January, Sheila Fox, missing for more than fifty years, was found safe and well by West Midlands Police.
Deputy Chief Constable Damien Miller, national police chief for missing persons, said: “When there is no explanation that someone is missing or there are concerns that they may have suffered serious harm, the circumstances are investigated thoroughly and cases usually remain on file with periodic reviews and until further information.
“Advances in science, technology and law enforcement have enabled many long-standing or so-called unsolved cases to be solved. With this in mind, we always encourage those with new information about ‘old’ cases to come forward, as even the smallest clue can be the key to solving a case and providing long-awaited answers to those in need.”
The Missing People are no longer in contact with Mary’s surviving relatives. Ms Walker urged any family members seeking support to contact the charity.
Please donate now To the Independent and Missing Persons’ Safe Call campaign, which raised £165,000 to create a free nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one is lost, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000 for advice, support and options. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. Or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
