Mystery Haunts Fayetteville, West Virginia, 62 Years After Sodder Children Disappeared

Christmastime Fire, Disappearances Remain a Mystery

Christmas has come to Fayetteville once again. With the coming season, the memories of a cold, wintry Christmas in 1945 begin to surface once again. According to reports in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, in a tight-knit community nestled in the Appalachian mountains, five children disappeared in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Since that fateful day, they have never been heard from, although numerous sightings were reported at first.

A huge billboard with haunting pictures of the five, and a $10,000 reward put up by the parents, stands for all to see. The billboard is old and faded like that Christmas day when a mother lost five of her children, never to see them again. Where are the children? A question that has been asked for 62 years remains a mystery.

The Sodder family was a large family. In addition to the mother and father, there were 9 children, ranging in ages from 23 to 3. The family lived in the small coal mining town of Fayetteville, WV. Mr. Sodder owned a small coal trucking business. Mrs. Sodder, as was typical in that day, was a mother and housewife

After a busy day the Sodders decided to turn in early that night, taking 3 year old Sylvia with them. Two of the older boys who worked with their father went to bed early also. The two youngest boys and 3 of their sisters begged to stay up a little later and play. Consenting and reminding them to finish their chores, Mrs. Sodder went to bed.

Shortly after midnight the telephone rang. When Mrs. Sodder answered, a woman asked for someone whom she had never heard of. Dismissing it as a prank, Mrs. Sodder later recalled the woman had a really strange laugh. Before returning to bed she noticed that the lights were all still on and the shades were not drawn. This was one of the chores the children always took care of before going to bed.