The Vanishing of the Sodder Children
Introduction The Vanishing of the Sodder Children is one of America’s most haunting unsolved mysteries. It centers on the tragic events of Christmas Eve, 1945, when a fire destroyed the Sodder family's home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Despite the fire’s intensity, five of the Sodder children—Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie, and Betty—were never found. Their disappearance sparked theories, investigations, and questions that remain unanswered to this day. Christmas Eve: A Family’s Nightmare Begins The Sodder family—father George, mother Jennie, and their ten children—were a hardworking Italian-American family. On Christmas Eve of 1945, after a festive evening, the family settled into bed. Shortly after midnight, Jennie Sodder woke up to the smell of smoke. A fire had broken out in George’s office, quickly spreading through the house. Jennie and George managed to get four of their children out safely, but the five others were trapped in the blaze. George tried desperately t...