Unsolved killing an eight-year-old schoolgirl in Birmingham, England, in 1975
The 1975 killing of eight-year-old Helen Bailey in Birmingham remains officially unsolved, with the original verdict overturned to unlawful killing only in 2019.
Key Facts
- Victim's age
- 8 years old
- Date body found
- August 1975
- Location found
- Great Barr, Birmingham, England
- Original verdict
- Undetermined causes (1976 inquest)
- Verdict overturned
- Unlawful killing, 2019
- Media nickname
- Little Girl Blue
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In August 1975, eight-year-old Helen Bailey went missing in Great Barr, Birmingham. A suspect later confessed in the late 1970s to having strangled her and cut her throat, also providing forensic details not publicly released at the original 1976 inquest, though no one was ever charged.
Bailey's body was discovered in a secluded area of Great Barr with her jugular vein severed. The 1976 inquest returned a verdict of undetermined causes, suggesting a possible accident or practical joke, despite the nature and location of the injuries. Her killer was never identified or prosecuted.
The original verdict was overturned in 2019 and replaced with one of unlawful killing, formally recognising Bailey's death as a homicide. The case remains officially unsolved, and investigators continue to believe a suspect who confessed in the late 1970s was responsible, though no charges have been brought.