In the early morning hours of December 25, 1945, the Sodder family which included George and Jennie Sodder along with their 10 children (one of which was away in war) awoke to a house fire in their Fayetteville, West Virginia home. George, Jennie, and four of their children escaped. The other five children did not. After an investigation, it was determined that the other five children must have perished in the fire, despite their remains not being uncovered. For the next 20+ years for George and 40+ years for Jennie, the family frantically chased every lead believing their children were kidnapped and may still be alive. To this day, no trace of the five missing children has ever been found. Was it grief that led the Sodders to exhaust themselves, never putting the case to rest, or were they onto something and the children were truly kidnapped?

Sources
Smithsonian Magazine (2012)
Legends of America 
r/UnsolvedMysteries 
The Encylopedia of Unsolved Crimes

Documentaries
Nexpo- What Happened to the Sodder Children? (2025)
MysteriousWV- Sodder Family: CASE STUDY (2022)

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