Exclusive:
The daughter of woman who suddenly vanished in 1969 is still fighting for truth, after amassing a paper trail of documents and newspaper clippings since the late 70s
No one has seen or heard from Isabella Skelton in 55 years.
Her disappearance in 1969 is a complete mystery, especially to her only daughter Lynda Chapman. The 70-year-old has been searching for answers for more than five decades, amassing a paper trail of documents and newspaper clippings since the late 70s.
And although she is “frustrated at the amount of lies” around her mother’s disappearance, Lynda, who was 14 when her mum vanished, vows to never give up on finding out what really happened to her. Scottish-born Isabella was 35 when Lynda last saw her at home in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester.
Her daughter says: “It was Friday the 6th of June, a school day, and I remember getting up in the morning and there was just me and my father. I had two brothers, but I don’t know where they were that day.”
The children’s dad Lewis Skelton told them their mum had gone away for work and was in the US. Lynda says: “There was no follow up, no explanation. She’d just gone. My father gave us Christmas presents and said Mum sent them. We never talked about it as a family. To this day, [my father] doesn’t talk about it.”
Lynda searched far and wide, contacting the Salvation Army, the Mormon Church and register offices – which led to one major discovery. She says: “That’s when I found out my parents were actually divorced. I was shocked. None of us knew about the divorce until I dug into it.
“I started asking about my mother’s family, contacting her relatives in Scotland. I discovered my mother didn’t even attend her own brother’s wedding. It was like she was completely disconnected from her own family. It was unsettling.”
In 2019, Lynda reported her mother missing to police. After some initial reluctance as it was so long ago, the cold case unit in Manchester officially declared it a murder investigation. They spent ages searching the house.
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Lynda says: “It took three months. They dug down to the cellar and back in front of the house.” But their efforts returned no clues. Lynda adds: “My father couldn’t understand why I was doing all this.”
In 2019 her dad, who had lied to Lynda saying Isabella had had an affair, was interviewed by police but no charges were filed. Separately, this year Lewis, 91, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of child cruelty in the 70s and 80s.
Lynda does not know what information her dad has about her mother vanishing, but she is furious about his lies. She says: “For 50 years, he has done what he’s done.” She is estranged from her surviving brother and has been struggling with the emotional impact of not knowing what truly happened.
Thankfully the grandma has found support in the charity Missing People, which this newspaper is supporting this Christmas. Its dedicated team has helped her launch public campaigns and raise attention of Isabella’s case.
Lynda says: “They’ve helped me keep my mum’s story alive. People like me would be lost without people like them. Missing People has always been there for me, especially on anniversaries and times like Christmas. It’s this constant feeling of not knowing that eats away at you. Not having the answers feels like limbo.”
Lynda, who is fighting to have land near her old family home excavated, is determined never to give up, adding: “I don’t think my mum would have walked away from us. The hope is there. That’s all you need.”
