Unsolved Murder of Sheila Farrow

0:00On April 5th, over 40 years ago, on June 17th, 1988, a milkman found the body of 49-year-old Sheila Farrow jammed. Into a recess at Weir Mill in Cheetle Heath, Greater Manchester, this mum of eight had suffered a brutal beating that left detective stunned. Her frail frame was partially closed, face fractured, ribs broken, and had forced into a great pure violence with no clear motive. This ruled out robbery early on, and while sexual assault couldn't be confirmed, the attack seemed senseless. Leading detective Jim Grant called it a frenzy assault on a harmless woman who couldn't fight back much, she weighed just seven and a half stone instead of five foot two, limited by artificial hips from a prior accident. That night, Sheila had been at the King's Arms Pub from 8pm till nearly midnight, downing pints of bitter. The landlord saw her again near Tivia Dale, and she seemed fine. This spotted her chatting with the policemen, then in Merseyway Shopping Center till around

1:001pm, last walking off with a man in his late 20s, five foot eight, spiky brown hair, shiny light suit. She lived in a council house in Stockport with friends, known locally as non-violent and well-liked, no enemies in sight. Appeals brought witnesses, even a computer-generated sketch of that suspect, but no arrests followed. Her son stayed hopeful years later, praising police efforts. Later Manchester police keep the case open, ready for any new tips that could crack it after all this time. The millsights now turning into apartments, but Sheila's story lingers as a call for justice unsolved.