In 2002, the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire was changed forever by a devastating event that shocked the nation after the abduction and murder of two innocent 10-year-old girls. The incident took place on Sunday, the 4th of August when best friends Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were attending a barbecue at Holly’s home. At 6.
15pm, the two snuck out of the house to get some sweets as their parents believed the two were playing together in Holly's bedroom. However, when Holly’s and Jessica’s parents went to check on them at 8pm, they were left panicked when they could not find the pair. Local police were immediately notified of the missing girls and the town of Soham came together to find them.
It was at this time that the police spoke to local man Ian Huntley who worked at the girls' school as a caretaker and claimed to have seen Jessica and Holly on his doorstep and mentioned that they appeared happy during their brief interaction. Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. (Image: PA) Huntley became involved with the search for the two girls, often appearing in interviews appealing for them along with his girlfriend Maxine Carr.
What did Ian Huntley do? Two weeks after Holly and Jessica went missing on August 17, their bodies were found in a ditch near the perimeter fence of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, around 10 miles east of Soham. The coroner later ruled the girls died from asphyxiation. The search then turned to who could do such a thing.
Locals from Huntley’s hometown of .
