Mary Flanagan was just 16 when she vanished. A bubbly, lively teenager, recently engaged and adored by her three younger siblings, she had her whole life ahead of her when she disappeared without a trace.
She is now regarded as the subject of the longest-running known missing person case in Britain.
Ashas raised £165,000 to launch SafeCall – a free new service providing children in crisis with confidential support, guidance and a route to safety – and continues to raise more, we tell Mary’s story and why she has never been forgotten.
Mary disappeared on New Year’s Eve 1959 after leaving her family home in West Ham to attend a work party. The now 82-year-old was never seen or heard from again, but her family’s fight for answers persisted for decades.
Her siblings never stopped searching for the truth, yet both of her sisters died without ever knowing what happened to her.
In 2021, Mary’s younger sister Brenda wrote a letter hoping to reach her: “I am writing this in the hope you may read this letter. I have missed you so much over the years, and I have been looking for you for many years and will continue to do so.
“I have so much I want to share with you, but for now I want you to know I love you and I would love for you to make contact with me and we can take things at your own pace.”
Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give £10 to Missing People – enough for one child to get help.
Almost nothing is known about the circumstances of Mary’s disappearance. All case files from the time were destroyed in a flood, leaving the Metropolitan Police with few clues when they reopened the investigation in 2013.
In the early 1960s – before CCTV, electronic records or routine documentation – it was far easier for someone to go missing without leaving a trail. It is also possible that vital evidence was never collected at all.
The night before she vanished, Mary told her family she was heading to a New Year’s party at the Tate and Lyle sugar factory where she worked. When she failed to return home, her parents went to the factory, only to be told she had not been at work for several weeks, despite leaving the house each morning. It remains unclear whether a party ever existed.
She had also been engaged to a man named Tom McGinty, who may have held crucial information. By 2013, police were unable to establish who he was.
While leads have surfaced over the years, none have ever produced solid evidence. Yet Mary’s case remains open, and police continue to search.
Brenda recalled her sister on The Detective Podcast: “Mary was a very happy-go-lucky girl, very bubbly, lively, she was lovely-looking. She looked older than she [was], she had her own mind, and if she wanted to do something, she was going to do it.
“I always watched Mary when she was getting ready to go out, putting her makeup on and things like that, wishing that I could go with her.”
Amy-Kathleen Walker of Missing People was the caseworker supporting Mary’s family for more than a decade before Brenda’s death.
“It’s an unusual situation to be in,” she said, “and the longer you’re in it, the harder it is for anyone else in your life, no matter how much they love and care for you – they don’t know what to say anymore.
“While you have hope, we’ll have hope, and we will be alongside you however long you need us.
“Everyone matters. Everyone is somebody’s someone, and it doesn’t matter how long that’s been. If there is still a desire for us to keep trying to get an answer, we won't give up.”
Recent events show that even long-term cases can still be solved. In January, Sheila Fox – missing for more than five decades – was found safe and well by West Midlands Police.
Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller, national policing lead for missing people, said: “Where there is no explanation for someone going missing, or concern exists that they may have come to serious harm, the circumstances are thoroughly investigated, and cases will remain on file, usually with periodic reviews, pending new information.
“Advances in science, technology, and policing have seen many long-term or so-called cold cases resolved. With that in mind, we would always encourage those with new information about ‘old’ cases to come forward, as even the smallest clue could prove key to solving a case and providing longed-for answers to those who need them.”
Missing People is no longer in touch with any surviving relatives of Mary. Ms Walker has urged any family members who would like support to contact the charity.
Please donate now to The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which has raised £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.
For advice, support and options if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000. It’s free, confidential and non-judgemental. Or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
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