UK woman found alive and well 52 years after going missing

A missing woman in the UK has been found alive and well after 52 years, solving one of the country's longest-running cold case disappearances.

Sheila Fox went missing at age 16 from Coventry in the West Midlands in 1972 and police at the time hoped she had moved from the area, but she was never found.

West Midlands police launched a fresh appeal after Christmas to help find Fox, releasing an old black-and-white image of her from around the time of her disappearance.

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Within hours, a member of the public got in touch and helped police track Fox down.

Fox was confirmed to be safe and well and living in another part of the UK, police said.

It marks a happy end to one of the oldest missing person cold cases in the area.

"We're absolutely delighted to have found Sheila after more than five decades," Detective Sergeant Jenna Shaw said.

"We searched through every piece of evidence we could find and managed to locate a photo of Sheila.

"We are a small team of officers and I'd like to recognise the work of DC Shaun Reeve, who managed to resolve this case with help from the public."

Shaw added: "Every missing person has a story, and their families and friends deserve to know what happened to them and, hopefully, be reunited with them."

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