Early on Christmas morning 1945, a suspicious fire destroyed the home of George Sodder, his wife Jennie and nine of their children in Fayetteville, West Virginia.
The parents and four children escaped. Remains of the other children were never found. Firemen concluded they were dead.
However, strange findings and strong doubt led the parents to conclude their children were still alive - kidnapped perhaps - and they began a search for clues, even erecting a billboard and offering a reward.
The mystery has never been solved.
Journalist Stacy Horn, who reported on the 60th anniversary of the blaze, said: "There is enough genuine weirdness about this whole thing ... that if someday it is learned that the children did not die in the fire, I won't be shocked."
Around 1 a.m. Mrs. Sodder was awoken by a telephone call from a laughing woman she didn't recognize. Later, the children reported a loud noise on the roof. The flames then followed.
Firemen found no remains. Experts said bone fragments typically survive - even at extreme temperatures - casting doubt on a fire chief's claim that the blaze was hot enough to incinerate the children.
The family's telephone line, which went dead when the fire started, had been cut - not burned.
A ladder George Sodder kept near the home was missing, leaving him helpless as the flames roared. His trucks wouldn't start when he tried to drive for help. The fire department never arrived until the house was gone.
Witnesses reported seeing the missing Sodder children, including a waitress at a highway restaurant who said she served them breakfast on Christmas morning.
Finally, in 1968, the Sodders received a photograph in the mail of a man resembling their son, Louis, bearing a cryptic message - that led nowhere.
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