The Moor’s Murders – The Victims

Living in and around Manchester, there is an event that hangs over the area that most people, no matter where they are based in the UK (or perhaps the world) will have heard of and that is the Moor’s Murders.

There has been a lot covered around this topic, so I am not going to rehash it hear, nor will I be mentioning the perpetrators of this crime and instead focusing on the victims of this horrible set of events, specifically the final resting places of four of the children who have been found to date.

With plans to move away from the area, I felt like I should pay my respects before leaving and after a little research, I was able to locate the cemeteries where they are buried and over a couple of months I visited them all.

The following is a short write up about the child victims of this crime and images of their memorial stones.

Pauline Reade

Pauline was the first victim who was killed and buried on the moors on the 12th July 1963, she was 16 years old.

Pauline was the last to be found on 1st July 1987.

John Kilbride

John was the second victim who was killed and buried on the moors on the 26th November 1963, he was 12 years old.

John was the second child to be found on the 21st October 1965.

Keith Bennett

Keith was the third victim who was killed and buried on the moors on the 16th June 1964, he was 12 years old.

Sadly, to this day, the body of Keith has never been located.

Lesley Ann Downey

Lesley Ann was the fourth victim who was killed on the 26th December 1964 and buried on the moors the next morning, the 27th December 1964, she was 10 years old.

Lesley Ann was the first child to be found on 16th October 1965

Edward Evans

Edward was the fifth and final victim who was killed on the 6th October 1965, he was 16 years old and was the only victim not to be buried on the moors.