Decades of silence and a shocking accusation | Forensic Files

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app store or google play that's friends without the r best fiends [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often
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today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all listeners
thirteen-year-old scottish girl janet anderson hurried along the footpath she had gone home over her lunch break
which was due to end shortly as she neared her school janet passed a small black car parked to the side of
the road its bonnet was up and the tall man in overalls was peering down at the car's
engine noticing janet he called out to her and asked if she could help him by holding
the bonnet up for a minute while he looked under the vehicle for signs of a fold
janet had been brought up to respect her elders and the man looked pleasant enough so she agreed
the car's bonnet was heavy janet had to use both hands to keep it raised while the man crawled under the
car before long janet was startled by something the man had reached out from below and
was groping her beneath her skirt janet screamed let go of the bonnet and fled after running a short distance janet
realised that she should take down the license plate of her attacker's vehicle so he could be identified a later
she turned and looked back at the car memorizing the mix of letters and numbers stamped onto its license plate
before rushing off to the safety of her school the moment she arrived she jotted down
the plate's details then went to inform a teacher of what had happened the police were notified and school
administrators warned students to travel in pairs as a bad man was lurking in the
neighborhood the assault couldn't have happened at a worse time janet and her family were already
dealing with the terrible trauma just a few weeks earlier on a regular saturday afternoon
janet's sister had vanished without a trace [Music] [Music] a blizzard hit the small town of
copebridge scotland on saturday february 23 1957. that late afternoon moira anderson
trudged through the fallen snow towards laird street the 11 year old had been sent by her
uncle to purchase some butter needed for her grandmother's dinner that night moira was happy to oblige
she often ran errands for her family and made a little pocket money doing the same for an elderly neighbour
the second of three daughters moira was industrious and mature she even had a part-time job delivering
milk which was hard work she had to push a heavy cart stacked with milk bottles door-to-door
she had become a recognizable and much-loved presence within her close-knit community
the walk to the co-op store on the corner of laird street was only about 500 yards from moira's grandmother's
home but she had to move quickly as the shop was due to close in less than half an hour
her blue coat was buttoned up tightly to protect against the icy air while a dark
blue scarf and a navy blue wool pixie style hat with red bands kept her neck and head warm
the streets were silent and deserted due to the terrible weather with very few vehicles on the road
by that night the anderson family was overcome with worry parents andrew and maisie had spent the
past few hours making enquiries as to the whereabouts of their daughter moira no one had seen or heard from her since
she left for the co-op at around 3 50 pm she hadn't wound up at a friend or relative's house
nor could she have gotten lost on the short journey as she knew the local streets like the back of her hand
the bad weather also made it unlikely that she'd grown distracted and was playing outside somewhere
the local library was checked in case moira had gone there and lost track of time reading which she had a habit of
doing but she wasn't there either moira had missed the 5 pm screening of the film guys and dolls at a local
cinema that she had planned to see with two of her older cousins it was an outing that she was very
excited about but her cousins assumed she had chosen to do something else entirely when she failed to meet with
them and didn't raise the alarm hours passed before anyone realized something was seriously amiss
as the streets grew darker and colder any plausible explanation for moira's absence seemed less and less likely
just before midnight andrew anderson contacted copridge police to report his little girl as
missing the following day was maisie anderson's 40th birthday celebrations were cancelled as she spent
it desperately looking for her daughter the search grew in size and scope over the next few days with local volunteers
helping to check abundant buildings yards and sheds rumors that moira was a difficult child
led police to consider the possibility that she'd had an argument with her parents or sisters and ran away
some thought the 11 year old might have traveled as far as london a family thought they had seen moira at
a fun fair in the nearby city of glasgow other sightings arose in west scotland and the north of england
while police considered it probable that moira had vanished willingly and would turn up sooner or later her family felt
very differently maisie anderson told the daily record newspaper i know my daughter has been taken away
against her will she would never speak to strangers andrew echoed his wife's thoughts
stating i fear she has been picked up in a car and taken away somewhere but moira never liked to leaving the
town even to go to glasgow she spent almost all her spare time playing around the house
a woman came forward with a story that seemed to support andrew and maisie anderson's belief that their daughter
had been taken she lived in the area of moira's last known whereabouts and recalled hearing
the sound of screeching breaks on that saturday afternoon she said that when she looked out her
window she saw a car speeding away the woman suspected that the motorist had accidentally hit moira as she was
walking then bundled her body into the car in a panic officers followed up on the report by
visiting the woman's home after peering out of the window that she'd indicated they dismissed her
theory almost immediately it wasn't possible for her to have seen the street from that location
they also noted that the amount of snow on the day in question would have muffled the noise from any vehicles
passing outside despite copridge's relatively close proximity to scotland's largest city of
glasgow the town's small and safe community felt worlds away nobody was a stranger least of all moira
anderson who was often recognized wherever she went her trip to the co-op store had been no
exception mrs twycross was clearing away a heavy layer of snow outside her house on the
afternoon of february 23 when she spotted moira anderson walking past on her butter buying mission
she called out a greeting to the little girl who shouted one back in return mrs twycroft thought she heard moira ask
is the bus away yet as moira continued on her way mrs twycroft went back inside her home
moira anderson was next sighted boarding a bus near the co-op store it was unclear why she decided to catch
a bus or where she was heading but a man waiting at the stop recognised the girl
as he knew her family from a window of a nearby residence an elderly woman also spotted moira at the
bus stop moira had been playing in the snow when suddenly she slipped and fell she seemed fine and quickly got back up
then began rummaging through her pockets bag in the snow as though she dropped something
the elderly woman thought moira might have lost money for her bus fare as she kept glancing up as though checking for
the bus's arrival the bus appeared moments later and when it drove off again the woman saw that
moira was gone when moira boarded the bus she took a seat at the front of the vehicle as the
driver greeted her she locked eyes with a woman she knew and the pair exchanged a smile
the woman carried on down the aisle towards the back she thought moira was still on the bus
after she herself disembarked via the rear door the bus was bound for kirkwood a
neighborhood on the outskirts of town there was no reason for moira to go there as she didn't know anyone who
lived in the area but one local resident did raise police suspicions they wondered whether moira had crossed
paths with a mentally disabled man named ian simpson he lived in kirkwood but his sister owned a house next to the
laird street co-op that moira was headed to police questioned simpson and discovered
he had a solid alibi for the afternoon of the 23rd [Music] he'd been away that weekend with the
territorial army the british army's volunteer reserve force despite this at least one coatbridge
inspector remained suspicious of simpson [Music] others felt that the answers they sought
were closer to home prompting them to search a holiday property on scotland's east coast which
was owned by the anderson family nothing of significance was found suspicion also fell on moyra's uncle jim
who had sent her to buy butter on the afternoon she went missing as the last person to see her alive and
an unmarried man some investigators considered him suspect police questioned him repeatedly but he
stuck to his story and adamantly denied harming his niece despite the lack of any evidence against
him rumors of his involvement persisted moira's disappearance was discussed endlessly at shops pubs and other
meeting places throughout town coat bridge residents waited for news that might explain what had happened
believing that investigators must be making progress behind the scenes but no news came
fear kept children from staying out late as they constantly worried that whatever
happened to moira anderson might happen to them as well janet anderson missed her younger sister
terribly although she and moira were two years apart they looked so alike that they
were often mistaken for twins moira confided in janet much as a twin would telling her things that she
wouldn't tell anyone else one such story shared with the janet occurred a week before moira vanished
moira had been walking alone in the same area she later disappeared from when a young man stopped her
he held a knife and threatened moira with it demanding she go with him in exchange for money
terrified moira fled janet questioned whether this encounter was significant to what later happened
to moira but it couldn't be proven janet soon had her own frightening experience with a stranger
weeks after moira vanished janet had been returning to school after spending a lunch break at home when she was
sexually assaulted by a man who'd asked her for help to fix a car janet ran away from the man but
remembered to take down his car's license plate details which she later passed on to authorities
she was interviewed by two female police officers but her family never heard anything more about what was being done
to catch the man who had attacked her andrew anderson was devastated one of his daughters was missing and the
other had been assaulted in public in broad daylight he no longer had any faith in local law
enforcement to protect his family the andersons believed the copebridge police lacked the necessary experience
to handle a case like moira's people let alone children almost never went missing from cowbridge and the
local police force weren't equipped to deal with it eventually the anderson's campaigning
led to glasgow's criminal investigation department taking on the case glasgow detectives turned their
attention to a man named peter manuel it was believed manuel had murdered seven people across southern scotland
between 1956 and his arrest in 1958 while most of his victims were older he did kill a ten-year-old boy
most of his murders were shootings carried out during break-ins but he did stalk rape and murder a 17-year-old girl
whose body he buried in a field it was believed he also did the same to another 17 year old but this murder
charge was dropped due to insufficient evidence manuel was active around alanacha the
county where cobridge lay and hadn't yet been apprehended when moira anderson vanished
the glasgow crd thought they might be able to link manuel to her disappearance but soon discovered he was imprisoned
for another offence at the time the lead reached a dead ant just like every other one that investigators had
pursued months turned into years and soon decades had passed without moira anderson's family ever learning what had
happened to her on the afternoon of february 23 1957 sandra brown was eight years old and
living in coat bridge when the town was rocked by moira anderson's disappearance
as sandra was three years younger and attended a different school she hadn't known moira well but she was familiar
with her like other children in cobrage sandra was permitted fewer freedoms after moira
vanished she avoided play areas that had previously felt safe and began looking over her shoulder frequently fearful of
whatever forces had taken moira away sandra was also dealing with a rocky home life
her father was staying in hospital due to illness leaving sandra her mother and her two younger brothers to fend for
themselves sandra helps her mother carry out cleaning jobs to support the family and
also assisted in raising the two boys the absence of sandra's father alexander garchor was felt throughout town
he was a constant presence in the day-to-day lives of coatbridge residents and he knew many of them by name
just before christmas in 1956 some men had arrived at the garth shaw house and taken alexander away
after that the other adults in the family would whisper to one another in hushed tones
always stopping when sandra walked into the room one day sandra's paternal grandfather
explained to her that her father had been hospitalized for mental illness the significant stigma around mental
illness at the time meant that sandra couldn't visit her father and his situation was rarely spoken of
when her father finally returned home in 1959 he settled back into the community
and resumed his position behind the wheel of the bus he drove for the baxter's coach company
alexander's treatment was shrouded in mystery sandra didn't understand the extent of
it whatever it entailed she came to find it hadn't changed him much once back home he returned to his old
bad ways he continued cheating on his wife with multiple women including a lengthy
affair with a co-worker half his age this was the catalyst that led to sandra's parents separation and eventual
divorce in 1965 alexander started a new family and a new life in leeds england effectively ending his relationship with
his daughter sandra many years passed sandra eventually married and had two children of her own while also pursuing
a successful career in teaching in the early 1980s sandra and her family relocated to the scottish highlands
sandra immersed herself in her new neighborhood by participating in community theatre productions
at an after party for one such production sandra was surprised to run into a former neighbor from coat bridge
the two began to chat and the neighbor told sandra how she particularly remembered sandra's father
his height good looks and dark hair meant that he'd been easy to notice before sandra could explain that her
parents had divorced the neighbor remarked i always felt sorry about what happened
to him as her former neighbour continued speaking it became clear to sandra that
she had been lied to her father had never had an extended stay in a mental health hospital during
her childhood between 1957 and 1959 alexander garchor had been in prison for raping his children's 13 year old
babysitter sandra remembered her old babysitter well she was the sister of one of her
father's colleagues sandra had never liked the way her father looked at the bubbly blond-haired
young teen the discovery that her father was a convicted rapist rattled sandra to the
core although his crime had been covered in the local papers at the time sandra had
been too young to read the articles and her family had withheld the truth sexual assault was a taboo subject
and alexander's positive reputation in the community shielded him from backlash many co-bridge locals rallied behind
alexander believing he was being unfairly charged and laid some of the blame on his 13 year old victim
this mentality carried on into subsequent court proceedings the victim claimed alexander had coerced
her into having sex with him then paid her so she wouldn't talk about it the two had met repeatedly over a
six-month period in dunbath park a large public reserve popular with children the defense worked to paint the ongoing
abuse as something more like a love affair while depicting the victim as mature for her age and promiscuous
they claimed that their client only continued seeing the teen because he was scared that if he ended things she would
tell his wife about his infidelity the judge was unconvinced by the defense's attempt to victimize their
client saying nothing could minimise the seriousness of alexander gartshaw's offences
he was sentenced to 18 months in prison the news that her father was a rapist was shocking to sandra but she had
always felt something wasn't right about him she remembered how he would leer at
young women and make crass jokes while grabbing at or stroking their bodies sometimes he'd pin them to the ground if
they struggled then lift their clothing and rub his stubbled face all over their
skin he dubbed this the beardy game and insisted that women loved it his inappropriate behaviour wasn't
limited to adults alexander liked to take sandra and her friends out in his black baby austin car
on one particularly hot day he drove them to a remote lake when they arrived he gave sandra some
money and asked her to go and buy ice creams for the group [Music] sandra got out of the car and headed
back to an ice cream van they had passed on the way it was a fairly long walk and the ice
creams were melting by the time sandra returned to her father's car [Music] she noticed its windows were fogged up
and the doors were locked peering inside sandra saw some items of her friend's clothing scattered about
she wondered if the group had been playing the beardy game on another occasion sandra watched her
father lean over from behind the wheel to tickle and pinch her friends in the back seat
sandra had been sitting beside him in the front passenger seat and when she turned to see what he was doing to her
friends she saw he had pulled their underwear down and was touching their chests
he also liked to join in on their games of hide and seek telling the girls that he knew of excellent hiding spots if
anyone ever wanted to hide with him eventually sandra's friends began telling her that they couldn't play with
her anymore when she asked why they replied just not to and we're not allowed to say why
then there was the incident when sandra was seven years old tasked with delivering her father his
lunch while he worked sandra headed to a nearby bus stop on main street that she
knew he pulled into every 30 minutes the bus was already waiting there when sandra arrived so she boarded with
sandwiches in hand her father and three other adults were seated in the back as sandra moved down the aisle towards
them she sensed something wasn't right her father was grappling with the young woman who worked on his bus as a
conductor a pair of women's underwear was sticking out of his trouser pocket next to them was one of the company's
other drivers who was likewise engaged with another female employee sandra struggled to process the scene in
front of her she spoke to them all announcing her arrival and the four adults scrambled to
cover themselves in a furious voice her father bellowed get the hell out of here
sandra fled from the bus and ran to the home of her aunt who comforted her as she sobbed
sandra was terrified that her father would be angry at her a leather belt that he wore around his
waist doubled as a weapon if he thought his children had misbehaved then alexander would remove
the belt and whip them with the buckle and he also thought it was funny to punish
sandra by dipping a teaspoon in freshly made tea before pressing it against her bare leg or arm leaving burns on her
skin then he'd tell her mother that sandra had hurt herself by carelessly spilling
the hot drink as the head of the household his word wasn't to be questioned sandra's aunt reassured her that she
wouldn't be in trouble but also cautioned her against telling her mother what she'd seen
it would be best if sandra forgot the whole thing her father took the same approach and
never mentioned the incident instead he started to dode on his wife more taking her out on dates
despite alexander's sudden shift into becoming a kinder person sandra struggled to trust her father
at the theatre production after party many years later she finally came to learn that her feelings had been
entirely justified it would take another decade after learning her father was a convicted
rapist before sandra could address the matter with her family head on in 1992 following the death of a
relative sandra made her way to their house to help with funeral arrangements to her shock her father was there
it was the first time she had seen him in decades by now sandra was in her mid-40s and
alexander garcia was almost 71. taking the opportunity to confront him about what she had since discovered
sandra asked to speak to her father in private the two went to a bedroom and sat side
by side on the bed alexander was smiling but his expression fell as sandra began to tell him how
disgusted she was by him when she brought up his conviction for rape alexander became defensive
he insisted that he tried to improve himself following his release from prison but struggled when he found not
everyone was willing to forgive him although his wife and mother had given him a second chance his father never
trusted him again after a tense moment of silence sandra asked why wouldn't your father forgive you
her father waited a long time before speaking finally he said he wouldn't forgive me for the moira
anderson thing case file will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
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com slash case file to sign up for your trial alexander gartshaw's father sunny was
horrified when he heard that moira anderson was missing he immediately suspected that he knew
who was responsible his own son [Music] he was well aware that in the previous month alexander had been arrested and
charged with carnal knowledge of a minor for raping his children's babysitter alexander had been quickly released on
bail and the company he worked for allowed him to resume his bus driving job while awaiting trial
[Music] when news broke that 11 year old moira anderson had vanished alexander mentioned to his father how the girl had
boarded his bus on the afternoon she went missing witnesses had placed moira on his bus
with one female passenger recalling how alexander had said hello moira when she boarded
he'd been the last person to see or speak to her that day sunny was instantly suspicious
he knew about his son's fixation with little girls as evidenced by his recent charge for raping one
sonny feared that his son had abducted and killed moira and demanded that alexander tell the police where he had
put the little girl's body he was so certain of this that he used a crowbar to tear up alexander's kitchen
which had recently been renovated sunny pulled up the floorboards and broke through the false paneling behind
the brand new sink just to check that moira hadn't been placed under there then he stormed through the rest of the
house searching every room he didn't find any sign of the little girl but his niggling instincts remained
in the days that followed sunny examined the vehicles his son drove and other areas where someone could conceivably
hide a small body these efforts also failed to uncover anything two months later in april alexander was
convicted and sentenced for rape at which point he left his family for what his children were told was an extended
hospital stay for the rest of his life sunny continued to believe that his son was responsible
for moira anderson's disappearance [Music] now decades later in 1992 alexander spoke of his father's
suspicions to his own daughter sandra brown he didn't confess to having done anything to moira but sandra knew he was
fully willing and able moira anderson was exactly the type of little girl alexander used to pay
attention to her family had described her as a tomboy and she'd been slender and lively with a
striking and mischievous smile in an effort to discover the truth sandra spoke with other family members
to see if they could recall anything from the afternoon of saturday february 23 1957.
sandra had been just 8 years old at the time and was home sick with the flu her mother mary had been looking after
her while her father worked an afternoon shift from 2 till ten yet he didn't return home until midnight
mary noted how exhausted her husband looked and attributed it to long hours driving the bus coupled with the bad
weather the following afternoon a relative visited the guard shaw home and informed
the family that moira anderson was missing the next week alexander arrived home to
find his wife chatting with her sister who had stopped by for a visit he told the two women that he had to
head back out again to speak with the police as he was already out on bail for raping
the family's 13 year old babysitter this news upset mary and she demanded to know
what was going on alexander explained that someone had mistakenly reported that moira anderson
had boarded his bus on the day she went missing and heard him greet her by name he had to tell the police that it was
all a mix-up the young passenger he'd picked up that afternoon was another little girl named
moira liddell gutshaw left for the police station and was back home within an hour
a short while later mary received an anonymous letter crafted from letters cut out of newspapers
the author warned that the babysitter wasn't alexander's only rape victim and told mary she should take her children
and move away to australia the letter concluded why don't you go if you know what's good
for you you think you know what he's done but you don't know the half of it he won't stop with the lassie anderson
mary took the letter to the copridge police when no one followed up on the matter
mary disregarded the letter and forgot about it all together curious to know if her father had been
ruled out of the investigation into moira anderson's disappearance sandra reached out to an old friend who worked
as a police inspector he put her in touch with a colleague who worked near coke bridge
within a few days two plainclothes detectives visited sandra at home one of them who introduced himself as
detective inspector jim mcewen was carrying a large file filled with case documents
detective mcewen informed sandra that there was no record of any interview with her father in relation to moira's
disappearance he's claimed that he had driven a girl called moira liddell not moira anderson
on the afternoon of february 23 1957 was also disputed as there was no child living in the area
by that name at the time surprisingly despite having been on bail for sexually assaulting a child when
moira disappeared alexander gartshaw's name didn't appear once in her entire case file
there was a line that made reference to a bus driver refuting the sightings of moira on his bus
it read the driver indicated that neither he nor the conductress were aware of any child
answering moira's description the buses female conductor had not been spoken to at all
although it had been 35 years since moira anderson disappeared her case was only ever classified as a
missing person file it had never been upgraded to a murder investigation meaning that it received fewer resources
although it had never been closed it wasn't being actively investigated either detective jim mcewen was genuinely
interested in everything that sandra brown had to say about her father he was convinced that moira had met with
foul play and alexander garcia was a promising person of interest detective mcewen began looking further
into garth shaw's history after his release from prison gartsol hadn't been charged with any further
sexual assaults however after moving to england he was arrested for trying to obtain a mortgage
under false pretenses [Music] detective mcewan tracked down retired police inspector john mcdonald who had
overseen the original investigation into moira anderson's disappearance mcdonald had a clear memory of alexander
garchor as a local bus driver but no recollection of his conviction for raping a minor
when detective mcewen raised the possibility of garth shaw's involvement in moira's case mcdonald replied
it couldn't have been him he stopped his bus for all the old ladies and dropped them at their gates
and the kitties all gave him sweets instead macdonald still suspected ian simpson the mentally disabled kirkwood
resident who'd had a strong alibi for the day in question detective mcewan didn't get much further
with most of the other rex officers who'd been involved in the moira anderson investigation either
but one did confirm that gartshaw had a reputation for predatory behavior and lots of complaints had been filed
against him he was suspected of being a flasher who exposed himself to children in dunbath
park and the nearby area though this was never proven garchor was also well known to local
cinema owners he had a habit of going to film screenings and sitting next to children
or young women harassing them throughout the show the women would often move to another
seat but the children typically stayed where they were too scared to do anything
some parents like those of sandra brown's friends told their children they weren't to go near guard shore
but social mores at the time meant they didn't really discuss why detective mcewen stayed in touch with
sandra brown over the following months with the two updating one another on new information that came to light
sandra revealed that she had started speaking about her father to her six female cousins some of whom had some
very troubling things to share rebecca not her real name was six years old in 1962 when she went to a family
tea party at her grandparents house it was a warm summer's day and everyone was sitting in the garden enjoying the
sunshine everyone except rebecca's uncle alexander gartshaw he was alone in the garage working on
his baby austin car rebecca was playing with her four-year-old sister when her attention
turned to her uncle who was summoning her to the garage garcho was sitting behind his black car
wearing a pair of navy blue overalls over the top of his regular clothes the car's bonnet was up but gutshore was
focused on something else a one bar electrical heater that was lying across his lap
it looked as though he was repairing got shaw called out to rebecca to come closer but she was hesitant to venture
further into the dark garage something just didn't feel right sensing her hesitation garchor said
come here hen there's something i want you to hold for me here rebecca moved to her uncle's side
he spoke again stating come on hold it just for a minute that's all you have to do
it's a cable rebecca looked down at her uncle's lap to see what he was referring to
when she saw that his penis was exposed through his overalls she froze in shock suddenly rebecca heard her four-year-old
sister behind her she had followed rebecca into the garage curious about what she was doing
rebecca grabbed her hand and cried run the two girls fled back outside to where the rest of their family was gathered
when rebecca quietly told her mother what had happened she was warned not to tell lies
but rebecca's mother never let her daughters have much contact with their uncle after that
another cousin told sandra that garcho repeatedly molested her when she was seven or eight years old
he had shoved her into a cupboard that he used as a workspace in his home and assaulted her in the dark
her sister was also assaulted between the ages of seven and ten though sandra was never sexually abused
by her father of her six cousins at least four and possibly five had been garcho offered money and sweets as a way
to bait his victims other times he used his car not many people in coat bridge could
afford a vehicle in the 1950s and going out for a ride in one was a rare treat garth shaw would offer to entertain his
nieces by taking them for a drive and their parents happily accepted this abuse impacted sandra's cousins
well into their adult years resulting in depression anxiety and traumatic flashbacks
some of sandra's school friends spoke of being tormented by her father as well once when he took a group of girls out
on a fishing trip he cornered one child by a riverbank and pressed his weight on
top of her while reaching under her dress she avoided garth shaw after that refusing to even catch a bus in case she
saw him but one day she went looking for sandra at home and her father answered the door
sandra was out so garchor invited the girl inside to wait for her he pushed her into a bedroom and locked
the door behind them then molested her before leaving he handed the girl some money
then told her she could earn some more if she stopped by again when no one else was home
by mid-march of 1993 detective mcewen felt he finally had enough information to interview alexander garchor
he and his superior travelled to leeds to speak with garth shaw in person they showed the elderly gusher a
photograph of a young girl smiling broadly from behind a desk when she was reading a book
when asked if he recognized the girl garchor looked shaken and began to tremble in a halting voice he said
moira then he added she looks a lot older there got shaw said he'd first learned that
moira was missing when he overheard passengers on his bus talking about it that very evening
despite the fact that moira's father hadn't reported her missing until almost midnight
she was a regular passenger garth shaw explained but he insisted he had nothing to do with her outside of that
this was contradicted by a friend of moires who'd reported that garchor had once called out to moira while the two
of them were playing in dunbath park and he was working on his car when the two girls approached garshore
he exposed himself to them gutshaw eventually admitted to police that moira had boarded his bus the
afternoon she vanished their interaction had gone beyond a simple hello with moira explaining her intention to
go to a larger supermarket in town because the co-op had been closed early due to the bad weather
she told garth shaw that it was her mother's birthday the next day and she wanted to buy her a card as a surprise
garth shaw told detectives that he had made an unofficial stop at the supermarket moira wanted to visit she
disembarked the bus waved to him and then he drove off garth shaw was correct february 24 had
in fact been moira's mother's 40th birthday but this was the first time police had
heard of moira's plan to buy her mother a birthday card as she hadn't told anyone else about it
the only person who knew this information was alexander gartshaw detective mcewan was more convinced than
ever that the man held many more secrets in the meantime news had spread that investigators were interviewing a man in
relation to the decades-old moira anderson case word of the update was relayed to
moira's sister janet who had since relocated to sydney australia where she built a new life for herself
cobridge held too many painful memories all of which were now being dredged back
up while janet was pleased progress was finally being made it was also bittersweet
moira's parents had longed to know what happened to her but had since died janet and moira's other sister marjorie
still awaited closure over the enduring painful mystery upon learning that a person of interest
had recently emerged janet contacted scottish police to find out more as it happened detective jim mcewen was
in sydney visiting family he made plans to meet janet at her home to speak with her directly
during their conversation janet spoke of her disturbing encounter she had with a
sex past weeks after her sister disappeared thirteen-year-old janet had been walking
to school when a tall man in overalls called her over to his car under the guise of needing help
he got janet into position telling her to hold up the car's bonnet while he crawled underneath to look for a fold
he then groped her janet ran to school in a panic but remembered to look back at her
attacker's black car and take mental note of its license plate number the car was a black baby austin
it belonged to alexander garchor when janet laid eyes on a picture of godshaw she recognized him immediately
the man being questioned about her little sister's disappearance was the very person who had sexually
assaulted her case file will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
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deliver quality content despite alexander garchar having been established as a serial predator who had
interacted with moira at the time she disappeared in circumstances that he was being deceptive about
there was no concrete evidence that he had harmed her the focus turned to trying to find
moira's remains if gart shaw was her killer then detectives speculated that he wouldn't
have driven far to dispose of her body the blizzard that consumed coat bridge that day would have made traveling
difficult and dangerous most likely gartshaw had dumped moira's body somewhere close to his bus route
there were any number of places he might have chosen lennox had been the center of scotland's
coal industry and copridge was dotted with old mine shafts there were ponds lakes marshy areas and
canals that cut right through the town during their search efforts detective mcewen drove around town with a psychic
named william who found himself embroiled in the case after being visited by sandra brown
he knew nothing about moira's disappearance but had told sandra he believed the girl's body was lying near
a quarry not far from her former home in cobrage detective mcewen was willing to explore
this unconventional lead and as he drove with william around town the psychic revealed more information
he said moira had trusted her killer because he wore a uniform then suddenly asked
where is a bus involved in all this i'm clearly picking up that she got on a bus
william then led detectives to a remote area with old mine pits and quarries and
made them stop at a pond he got out of the car and walked towards a marshy area where he became visibly
sick he spoke of sensing moira all around and asked to leave the location was near a bus terminal
that alexander garcia was familiar with investigators had the pond searched but nothing was found
although he hadn't succeeded in finding moira's body detective jim mcewan remained certain she had been murdered
he'd accumulated seven boxes full of documentation relating to the case including new statements provided by a
range of people who knew alexander garchar from former colleagues to his ex-wife
on may 18 1993 more than 36 years after moira vanished detective mcewen arrested
garth shaw on suspicion of murder he was also charged with five counts of lewd and libidinous behavior for abuses
against four of his nieces garchor was immediately released on bail while scotland's crown office reviewed
all the evidence to determine whether the case would go to trial they reached a decision
they wanted the abuse charges dropped stating that it wasn't in the public interest to pursue them
a reason as to why wasn't given without these charges investigators had no way of forcing guard shaw to return
to scotland the crown office also advised that further investigation needed to be
carried out before any murder charges could be laid in the words of the public prosecutor
known in scotland as the debut procurator fiscal there is no murder without a body
the moira anderson case is still officially a missing person's inquiry pure and simple
he noted that while alexander gartshaw had said some incriminating and suspicious things
the police aren't much further forward than in 1957 the moira anderson case remained open
but without a body and with alexander garchar living in england there was little that scottish detectives could do
sandra brown was devastated to learn that her father wouldn't be held accountable for his crimes against her
cousins the fact that moira's case had stalled as a result compounded the blow but she wasn't done with him
sandra arrived in leeds accompanied by a journalist from the sunday mail named marion scott
the pair visited alexander gartshaw's home and he welcomed them both in accepting sandra's word that marion was
just her friend the women then questioned garth shaw about moira anderson he maintained that he had left her at
the supermarket but this time he insisted she was with a friend whose name he didn't know
he added that he had gotten off the bus at the same time as moira new and incriminating detail he hadn't
shared before sandra pressed him on this which led to her father quickly correcting himself
he disembarked so he could go home for an hour-long break in the middle of his double shift
a relief driver had taken over his bus during his absence however sandra knew that her father never used
to return home between double shifts no matter how many different ways sandra pushed him garcho would not admit to
killing moira but he did confess to abusing one of his nieces stating i admit that i did touch her but it was
never the full thing everything else like but she was a relative and i liked her
marampa so it wasn't the whole hog he began to rant about how he'd been cast as a black sheep his entire life
he was sick of police looking for things to pin on him and children accusing him
of things he hadn't done he had kept count of all the times investigators had questioned or
interviewed him over the years in total he had been suspected of committing sexual offenses against
122 children unbeknownst to garchor marion scott had hidden a tape recorder in her bag and
recorded their entire encounter she wrote a full page article about the visit and what gartshaw had revealed
this still wasn't enough for sandra so she began to write a book detailing her experiences with her father and the case
against him over the years she had come to suspect that copebridge police in 1957
might have actively covered up for her father garcia was a member of the freemasons
organization as were most of the town's policemen and they all attended the same
lodge sandra's childhood home had also been just across the street from the police
station and she had observed how her father seemed to know all the officers in 1999 sandra's book was published
she titled it where there is evil in reference to a biblical passage which states that where evil resides it must
be cast out following its publication new witnesses began to contact sandra to share
information one woman who was a teenager in 1957 recalled how she had disembarked to
garth shaw's bus in the town center on the day of moira's disappearance she began walking along an isolated road
to a family friend's farmhouse trudging through the snow as the road gradually became an unpaved track
as she walked she noticed footprints in the snow she also heard a scream the area was remote and there shouldn't
have been anyone else out there so when the girl reached her friend's house she told them what had happened
they didn't think it was anything to worry about and told her not to bother reporting it to the police
a different witness said they'd seen a man in what looked like a baxter's bus uniform dragging a little girl into a
field near a pond the girl was wearing clothes similar to what moira had been wearing when she was
last seen another individual contacted the authorities to report something a now
deceased family member had seen on the night in question a farmer who lived near the neighboring
town to cowbridge had noticed an empty bus parked in a way that was partly blocking the road
its engine and lights were off but the farmer noticed condensation on its windows
the following day the bus was gone the farmer had reported the sighting to police however they never followed up on
it the initial investigation into moira anderson's disappearance was marred by many instances such as this in which
police work was lackluster or botched from the outset there was an unwillingness to take the case seriously
with police more willing to suspect the 11 year old girl had fled all the way to
london than believe she met with foul play alexander garchor was completely overlooked despite his previous
interactions with moira anderson and the fact he was out on bail for raping a 13
year old girl any clues that led to garchor as a suspect were disregarded or never
pursued search efforts were sometimes lazy and in other instances non-existent the town's canal wasn't searched not
because police had deemed it irrelevant or unnecessary but because there were too many weeds
although televisions had been used in scotland since 1952 investigators didn't initially bother
making a televised appeal until three months after moira went missing witnesses who'd provided tip-offs waited
in vain for police to contact them and arrange follow-up interviews one such person mrs twycross had seen
moira walking on the afternoon of her disappearance and overheard her talking about the bus
mrs twycross assumed investigators would door knock all the homes in the neighborhood as a part of their
enquiries which would provide her the opportunity to tell them what she had seen
when they never stopped to buy she concluded that they must have known more than she did and carried on with her
life multiple witness accounts that placed moira on garth shaw's bass were dismissed after investigators spoke to
one of the company's drivers presumably gutshaw himself while the sightings did end up in police
reports they were never shared publicly preventing others from coming forward with additional information that could
shed further light on moira's final movements in 2012 moira anderson's missing person
case was finally reclassified as a murder inquiry scotland's newly formed cold case unit
took over the investigation and two years later prosecutors publicly named alexander gartshaw as the prime suspect
for the first time they stated that he should have been charged with moira's murder back in 1957
but clarified that they were not labeling him as guilty they were merely saying there was enough
evidence against him to warrant an indictment and a likely conviction this declaration came eight years too
late alexander garcia had died in 2006 at the age of 85. he had lived in leeds for the remainder
of his life and passed away in one of the city's hospitals there have been repeated searches for
moira anderson's remains in recent years the grave of one of alexander gartshaw's
friends was exhumed as he had previously made reference to the friend having done
him a big favor the friend was laid to rest three weeks after moira vanished leading to the
belief that garcho stashed moira's body beneath his friend's coffin before the grave was filled in
this theory like many others proved false as of early 2022 moira's remains have not been found
in august 1997 40 years after alexander garchar was jailed for raping his children's babysitter news broke that
another pedophile had been convicted in coke bridge sixty-six-year-old james gallagher was a
retired lorry driver and church elder found guilty of abusing four girls over a 12-year period
in one case he'd assaulted a girl in his bedroom after holding up a bible and telling her it is god's way
the truth of these abuses only came to light decades later after gallagher was accused of assaulting another child
following these revelations parents in the coat bridge area asked their now adult children if they'd ever been a
victim of gallagher and two sets of sisters admitted that they had james gallagher was an old friend of
alexander garchor the two men were colleagues at baxter's bus company and gallogly was
responsible for introducing garchor to his sister the 13 year old babysitter who got shaw
went on to rape gallogly was finally convicted of his own crimes in 1997 and given a 10-year prison sentence
gallogly didn't spend long behind bars he was diagnosed with cancer and died in prison a little over 18 months later in
1999 six months after his death another convicted pedophile named alexander kill
came forward claiming to have knowledge of further crimes fifty-eight-year-old keel said he'd been
cellmates with gallagher and that he'd confessed to being part of a pedophile ring named the untouchables
other members of the ring included police officers politicians and notorious criminals such as english
serial killer fred west and the perpetrator of the dunblane school massacre hill had penned a 26-page dossier
detailing supposed admissions from gallagher amongst them was a reference to moira
anderson gallagher had said that he and alexander garchor abducted and sedated the 11 year
old before assaulting her on garth shaw's bus back at the depot the men had left moira on the bus
overnight and she died from exposure after discovering her lifeless body the next day
gutshaw dumped her in an area of parkland called the witchwood ponds keel tried to sell his dossier to the
sunday mail newspaper for 20 000 pounds before suddenly handing it over without any payment at all
when moira's family first learned of this dossier they held high hopes that her case would be solved
but after looking into the claims more closely investigators dismissed the entire document as a cruel hoax by keel
as he'd provided no evidence to support any of his accusations sandra brown hasn't given up hope that
moira anderson's case will one day be officially solved in the year 2000 she launched the moira
anderson foundation using proceeds from her book sales as a legacy to moira and her family
the charity provides support to children and adults who have been impacted by child sexual abuse
sandra has received an order of the british empire for her services to child protection
moira's sister janet has expressed her gratitude to sandra for establishing the foundation telling a bbc journalist
children now have a voice and someone who will listen just over a month after she disappeared
on march 31 moira anderson would have celebrated her 12th birthday she had been asking for the board game
monopoly as a gift after she disappeared maisie anderson honored her daughter's request and
purchased the game telling the press that she wouldn't give up hope that moira would one day play it
on each birthday in the years that followed maisie would buy her daughter another gift and set a place for her at
the dinner table still holding on to the hopes she had in 1957 and until her death 20 years later
speaking of her beloved sister janet told the scottish sun newspaper i still think of her every day i pray
each night that she's found and i still have nightmares although not so often now
all we want is closure [Music] in 2016 case file covered the disappearance of 22 year old shano
callahan all you can see is headlights of a car flashing it's blatantly obvious that she got in that car whoever had
taken her had done it for criminal purposes now hear firsthand from loved ones and
lead investigator steve bulcher as we unravel how the case unfolded and the minefield of legal and ethical dilemmas
encountered along the way therefore there's only one way to do this it was at that point that steve
fortune decided to take an extraordinary gamble her life is my responsibility all
i could do was plead with him for her life when a killer confesses do you listen he said you and i should
have a chat the fact of his guilt was unequivocal but what if one interpretation of the law
says you shouldn't accept the confession when he got taken to swindon he got a lawyer all that conversation
those vital confessions disappeared of no value what they were doing what were they doing
what happens to the cop who believes he's making the right choice the whole reason we were there
was losing sight what was wrong in getting a confession from a murderer it obviously rehearsed
this line that you ended with which was it was a pleasure to ruin your career you corrupt bastard if it had been your
loved one steve fulcher was looking for what would you have wanted him to do to crucify somebody
for trying his best to get closure for two families doesn't make a lot of sense case file presents the detective's
dilemma available for free on march 14 only on spotify

Case 202: Moira Anderson

On Saturday, February 23 1957, 11-year-old Moira Anderson set out in a blizzard to run a quick errand. When she failed to return home, locals in her hometown of Coatbridge, Scotland began searching the area for any sign of her...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-202-moira-anderson

Brief Summary

The episode details the unresolved case of Moira Anderson's disappearance and the investigation's failures involving Alexander Gartshaw.

Key points

Janet's Assault. A chilling encounter leaves a young girl traumatized and her family in fear.
Moira Anderson's Disappearance. The mysterious case of a young girl who vanished without a trace.
A Father's Dark Secret. Sandra discovers the shocking truth about her father's past.
Justice Served. The judge's firm stance on a father's heinous crimes.
Aunt's Warning. Sandra's aunt tells her to forget a traumatic incident with her father.
Confrontation with Father. Years later, Sandra confronts her father about his past crimes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I know my daughter has been taken away against her will.

Maisie Anderson's belief about her missing daughter

9:18WatchMar 12, 2022

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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