100 Murder Cases

The disappearance of the Sodder children.

In the middle of the night on Christmas Eve in 1945, the home of the Sodder family burned down. At the time, George and Jennie Sodder and nine of their 10 children were inside, and only four of the children escaped safely. The bodies of the other five weren't recovered from the blaze, and the Sodders suspected the fire had been caused by arson, and the children abducted. George, an Italian immigrant, had been very outspoken against Mussolini, and there were theories that the kids had been taken by the Sicilian Mafia.

The Sodders spent years travelling across the United States to try and track down their children, following tips and reported sightings. In 1967, Jennie received a letter that enclosed a of a young man who looked a lot like how Louis would have looked as an adult. Written on the back of the photo was:

"Louis Sodder
I love brother Frankie
Ilil boys
A90132 or 35"

The letter had no return address and the family were unable to track down the man in the photo. Both parents continued searching for their children until they died.