Fred and Rose West were a prolific serial killer duo who murdered young women over two decades. They buried many of their victims' remains beneath the cellar floorboards and garden patio at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester. Their daughter Heather West was murdered by them and buried in the backyard.
Heather West disappeared in 1987 and was never reported missing by her parents. Fred and Rose West lied that Heather had run away with a lesbian lover. Police discovered Heather's body in the backyard in 1995, leading to further excavations that revealed more victims.
That ended up being where many of his victims were kept.
Fred West confessed to burying Heather in the backyard and indicated there were more bodies. Fred West committed suicide in prison in 1995. The crimes might have remained hidden if the West children had not been taken into custody due to family violence, leading them to speak about Heather's disappearance.
Karen Hamilton, a former lodger at 25 Cromwell Street for about a year in the early 1990s, was unaware of the crimes. She noticed a sickly smell from the ground floor of the house, which she later realized was from the murders. Fred West warned Karen Hamilton never to enter a small metal door at the bottom of the basement stairs, which was where many victims were kept.
It wasn't until I found out about the murders that it hit me what that smell actually was.
A new Netflix documentary titled 'Fred and Rose West: The British Horror Story' covers the case, featuring interviews with victims' families and investigating police.
The intention was to find Heather, but that was just the beginning.