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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Luke Green & Lorna Hughes

Mystery of girl, 9, missing for nearly 50 years

Police are still trying to solve the mystery of a nine-year-old girl who went missing after leaving her home - 49 years on from her disappearance.

Christine Markham was last seen on May 21, 1973 and has never been seen again. The police investigation has remained open and in the decades since, several theories have arisen as to what could have happened to her.

Grimsby Live reports that according to The Sun, some have suggested Christine was taken by the notorious Robert Black. Black kidnapped and murdered four girls between 1981-1986, but was also suspected of committing other child murders dating back to 1969. He was eventually caught in 1990 with a six year old girl in the back of his van.

Black travelled the country in his van and is believed to have been in Hull on the day Christine disappeared. Years later, it came out that Black had admitted to another eight or nine cases, including Christine's.

Others believe Joseph Kappen, known as the "Saturday Night Strangler", is responsible for Christine's disappearance. Kappen, who died of cancer in 1990, was announced as the serial killer linked to three teen girls in Port Talbot in the same year as Christine went missing. An anonymous note received by police in 2006 suggested he may be the one who took Christine, but no update was ever given.

Paedophile killer Robert Black was believed to be the prime suspect in the case.

Christine's parents both died with no knowledge of what happened to their daughter. Her mum left the porch light on every night hoping that Christine would one day return.

In statement to The Sun, Humberside Police said: "Our officers remain dedicated in trying to piece together what happened to Christine and this remains an ongoing investigation. Unfortunately, no new information has come to us recently. However, if anybody has any information, no matter how small you think it is, we would ask that you come forward so that we can look into it."

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