80 Years Old Mystery of 5 Missing Kids

It was Christmas Eve, 1945. In the small town of Fayetteville, West Virginia, the Sodder family was celebrating with joy and laughter. George Sodder, his wife Jenny, and their ten children filled their home with holiday cheer. The fireplace crackled, presents lay opened, and the children played happily with their new toys.

But by the early hours of December 25th, this night of celebration turned into a chilling nightmare—one that remains one of America’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.

A House in Flames, and Five Children Gone

Around 1:00 AM, Jenny Sodder awoke to the smell of smoke. Rushing to the kitchen, she found flames engulfing the room. George and Jenny quickly gathered four of their children and escaped outside.

But five of their children—Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5)—were sleeping upstairs.

George tried everything to rescue them. First, he ran to grab his ladder, which was always kept beside the house—but it was missing. Then he attempted to drive his coal trucks to reach the second-story window, but both trucks mysteriously failed to start, despite working perfectly the day before.

Desperate calls to the fire department went unanswered. When help finally arrived—seven hours later—the house had burned to the ground. No remains of the children were found. Not even bones. Not a single tooth.

Authorities ruled the fire accidental and closed the case. But the Sodder family never accepted that explanation.

Something Didn't Add Up

The official cause of the fire was said to be faulty wiring. But George disputed this. He had recently had the entire house rewired, and it passed inspection.

Forensic experts later confirmed that the fire didn’t burn long or hot enough to completely cremate human bones, especially not five children's remains. In fact, human bones and teeth can withstand even furnace-level temperatures, so how could five bodies vanish completely?

Further suspicions were raised when Jenny remembered receiving a mysterious phone call at 12:30 AM, just half an hour before the fire. A woman on the other end laughed hysterically, then abruptly hung up.

Later investigation confirmed that the Sodders’ telephone line had been cut from outside the house—a chilling detail that ruled out the possibility of it burning in the fire.

Strange Clues and Chilling Evidence

The missing ladder was later found in a nearby ditch, far from where it was usually kept.

George’s two trucks both failing at once? Too convenient to be a coincidence.

Jenny recalled hearing something hit the roof with a loud thump, shortly before the smoke woke her. Months later, when snow melted, a rubber-like object was found near the house. It was suspected to be a “pineapple bomb”—an incendiary device.

A bus driver traveling near the house that night later claimed he saw people throwing something that looked like fireballs toward the house.

Was It Arson? Or Something Bigger?

In the months following the tragedy, more disturbing clues emerged.

A life insurance salesman had visited the Sodders before the fire. When George refused to buy a policy, the man allegedly threatened him:

"Your house is going to go up in smoke, and your children will pay for your defiance."

George, an Italian immigrant, was a vocal critic of Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy. Some believe his political opinions may have made him a target—possibly by the Italian mafia.

Sightings of the Missing Children?

After the fire, numerous reports emerged of people claiming to have seen the missing Sodder children:

• One woman said she saw them in a hotel accompanied by an unusual couple.
• Another witness claimed to have seen them peering out of a car window, being driven away from town.

Despite a growing list of sightings, nothing was ever confirmed.

The Sodder family erected a massive billboard along Route 60 displaying photos of the children and offering a reward. It remained for decades, a symbol of their relentless search.

A Mysterious Letter and a Haunting Photo

In 1967, over 20 years after the fire, Jenny Sodder received a letter postmarked from Kentucky. Inside was a photo of a young man resembling her missing son Louis. Written on the back were the chilling words:

“Louis Sodder. I love brother Frankie. Ilil boys. A90132 or 35.”

The family hired a private detective to investigate, but he vanished without a trace. The lead went cold.

A Mystery That Still Echoes

George Sodder died in 1969, never knowing what happened to his children. Jenny, devastated, spent the rest of her life wearing black and grieving in silence. She passed away in 1989.

After her death, the billboard was finally taken down.

But the mystery remained.

Were the Sodder children kidnapped that night? Was the fire a cover-up? Or was it all just a tragic accident clouded by coincidences and conspiracy theories?

To this day, no remains have ever been found. No one knows what truly happened to the five Sodder children. This is one of America’s greatest unsolved tragedies—a Christmas mystery that chills the soul even decades later.