Milly Dowler was a 13 year old girl from England who was kidnapped and murdered back in March of 2002. Her killer, Levi Bellfield was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
Amanda Jane Dowler, who eventually went by Milly, was born on June 25, 1988 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England to her parents Sally and Bob Dowler. She had an older sister named Gemma, whom she was incredibly close with.
On March 21, 2002, at approximately 3:07 P.M. Milly left her school with a friend and stopped at a cafe to eat before she had to return home. It was stated that she called her father at approximately 3:47 P.M. and told him that she’d be home in half an hour, but she never showed up. Milly was last seen by one of her sister’s friends at around 4:08 P.M. walking along Station Avenue. Camera footage from the area did not show Milly, but a red Daewoo Nexia was seen driving past this area around the same time that Milly disappeared.
After she did not return home by 7:00 P.M., Milly’s parents reported her missing. A nationwide search was executed to find Milly and special detectives were brought in to investigate her disappearance. Milly’s disappearance was broadcasted across the media on shows like Crimewatch UK, and a young musician, Will Young, whose concert Milly previously attended even made a plea across the media to help find Milly.
At first it was believed that Milly had run away. It was reported that a “mock leaving-home” letter that belonged to Milly had been found, in which had shown that she was feeling unhappy. On April 23, 2002, a body was discovered in the River Thames, which was then speculated to be Milly. Later investigations revealed that the body actually belonged to a 73 year old woman named Maisie Thomas who had previously went missing in March of 2001. The investigation into Milly’s disappearance continued and a reward of £100,000 was offered for any information that would help find Milly. Milly’s parents continued to send messages to her phone in hopes that she would reply someday. That same month, police informed them that their daughter was more than likely dead. This unfortunately was later confirmed in September of 2002.
On September 18, 2002, mushroom pickers discovered naked human remains in the Yateley Heath Woods near Yateley, Hampshire. Dental records later confirmed that the remains were those of 13 year old Milly Dowler. None of the items that were with Milly at the time of her disappearance were ever recovered. Her cause of death could not be determined because of the severity of the decomposition, and the discovery of her body then led to the case being classified as a homicide investigation. Over 6,000 motorists in the area that Milly’s remains were found were questioned, but there were no leads with this. Milly’s father was even suspected to be involved, but he was proven innocent.
There were many claims made by multiple people regarding Milly’s disappearance and death, which were later proven untrue. A man by the name of Paul Hughes was later suspected after it was discovered that he made several death threats to Milly’s sister Gemma, and he even claimed to have killed Milly, which was found to be a lie. Paul Hughes was later jailed for 5 years for these threats and claims. A woman by the name of Lianne Newman of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire called Milly’s parents’s phone repeatedly pretending to be Milly, which is absolutely sickening. Lianne Newman was later jailed for 5 months because of this. Another man by the name of Gary Farr of Retford, Notting Hampshire repeatedly sent emails to investigators on Milly’s case as well as her family claiming that Milly was smuggled out of the country to work as a prostitute and stripper and that her death was just a coverup. Gary Farr’s allegations were proven to be untrue and he was deemed to be a psychological danger to the public. All of these allegations caused much stress to investigators and Milly’s family, but they did not give up on figuring out what happened to Milly and finding who did this to her.
The red Daewoo that was stated earlier to have been seen on camera in the same area that Milly was last seen was never found, but investigators knew that the car belonged to a woman named Emma Mills. Emma Mills was the girlfriend of a man named Levi Bellfield, who later stated in an interview that he was driving that car the same day the Milly disappeared. On February 25, 2008, investigators confirmed that Levi Bellfield was their prime suspect.
Detectives continued to investigate Levi Bellfield until he was finally charged with Milly’s abduction and murder on March 30, 2010. At this time, Levi was already serving 3 life sentences for murder and attempted murder. His trial for Milly’s murder began on May 10, 2011, in which the jury found him guilty. There were multiple circumstances that linked Bellfield to Milly’s disappearance and murder. Besides the car situation and his other murder convictions, it was also discovered that Bellfield was previously charged for the attempted abduction of an 11 year old girl named Rachel Cowles, whom he offered a ride in the same red Daewoo on March 20, 2002.
Later on January 27, 2016, investigators revealed that Levi Bellfield had admitted to the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Milly Dowler. After the trial was over, Milly’s family spoke out about their treatment during investigators. Milly’s family stated that her portrayal during the trial was not a reflection of the girl that Milly truly was. She was portrayed as a depressed and unhappy girl, when in reality, she was known for being a, “happy, vivacious, fun-loving girl.” Along with the trial and investigation, Milly’s family lost their privacy and people felt open to make statements and assumptions about their family and Milly. Milly’s mother stated, “The lengths the system goes to protect his human rights seems so unfair compared to what we as a family have had to endure.” It’s so saddening to see how Milly’s family was treated after everything they were already going through with the kidnapping and murder of their beloved daughter and sister as well as the harassment that they had to deal with.
Despite what Milly’s family was put through, they did not let anything stop them from carrying on Milly’s legacy. Following her death, Milly’s parents created a charity called Milly’s Fund. This charity is used to “promote public safety, and in particular the safety of the children and young people.” A monument called the Amanda Dowler Memorial Garden was also created at the school Milly attended before her murder. It is very heartbreaking and saddening what happened to Milly and what her family was put through afterwards, but they still managed to turn this into something that could help others. It is fortunate that the person responsible for Milly’s murder was put to justice. She may not be here on this Earth, but Milly’s legacy will continue to live on through her family, memorial, and others who share and know her story.
References:
TRUE CRIME REPORT 