Isabella ‘Izzy’ Skelton
Isabella Skelton, born Isabella McDowall on January 21, 1934, vanished from her home on Lidiard Street in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Friday June 6, 1969, at the age of 35.
Isabella Skelton pictured in the 1960s. Image: Manchester Evening News
Originally from Anderston, Glasgow, Isabella moved to the Crumpsall area of Greater Manchester in the early 1960s with her husband, Lewis Skelton, and their three children: Lynda, Stephen, and Richard.
At the time of her disappearance, Isabella, a trained typist, was employed at Ball Bearings Services and had previously worked at Atlas Express and Gallagher Cigarettes.
Isabella was also known as Isabel and often went by the nickname Izzy, she spoke with a Scottish accent.
Unfortunately Isabella has not been seen or heard of since 6th June 1969 when she was 35 years old.
A map showing the location of Lidiard Street, Greater Manchester
What we know about Isabella at the time she disappeared:
Date of Birth: January 21st 1934
Age: 35
Ethnicity: White Scottish
Height: 5ft 2” - 5ft 4”
Weight: 98 - 112lbs
Hair Colour: Dark brown
Hair Style: Curly
Eye Colour: Brown
Frame: Petite
Appearance: Neat
Country of Birth: Scotland, United Kingdom
Address: Lidiard Street, Greater Manchester, England
Number of Children: 3
Relationship: Married
Maiden Name: McDowall
Accent: Scottish
Employed: Yes
Skills: Typist
Employment History: Atlas Express in Blackfriars Bridge, Lower Broughton, Salford, Gallagher Cigarettes, Derby Street, Manchester and Ball Bearings Services, Liverpool Street, Salford which is where she was to believed to have worked at the time of her disappearance
Following her disappearance, Isabella's children were led to believe she had packed two suitcases and gone away for work, possibly to the USA but she never returned home nor did she contact any of her children.
Her daughter, Lynda Chapman, who was aged 14 at the time of her mum’s disappearance began searching for her mother in 1978 and officially reported her missing in 2019. This report prompted Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to initiate an investigation, treating the case as a murder inquiry.
In 2020, a man was interviewed under caution on suspicion of Isabella's murder, but no charges were filed.
Isabella’s daughter Lynda Chapman Image: Manchester Evening News
Lynda Chapman with her Husband. Image: Manchester Evening News
Lynda Chapman continues to seek answers regarding her mother's disappearance, expressing the emotional toll it has taken on her and her family. Lynda has explored every possible avenue in her search for Isabella. She has placed newspaper advertisements, collaborated with the Salvation Army and the charity Missing People, and submitted Isabella’s details to the Doe Network in the United States. She even reached out to the Preston branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose headquarters in Utah house one of the world’s largest family history libraries and archives in her quest for information, but to no avail.
Questions You Can Ask Yourself
Even the smallest memory, detail, or sense of familiarity can be the key to unlocking someone’s identity. You may not realise it, but you could hold a vital piece of the puzzle. Ask yourself the following questions— something might stand out.
Don’t forget to the questions with friends, family, neighbours and colleagues who would have lived or worked in the Lidiard Street area of Greater Manchester in the 1960s. They may remember something.
Did I know someone named Isabella Skelton (or Isabella McDowall) in the late 1960s and remember her going missing?
Did I live or work near Lidiard Street, Crumpsall, Manchester, around 1969 and remember the Skelton family?
Do I remember a woman perhaps called Izzy who suddenly stopped coming to work at Ball Bearings Services?
Was there an unexplained event, odd conversation, or rumour in my community at that time that could have links to Isabella’s disappearence?
Did anyone I know ever mention a woman "leaving" her family under unusual circumstances?
Have I ever heard the name Isabella Skelton mentioned in connection with anything odd or secretive?
Do I recall any suspicious activity on Lidiard Street in 1969?
Have I met someone in the USA who resembles Isabella Skelton but maybe goes by a different name?
Do I remember talking to someone who could have been Isabella in Scotland, specifically about her previously living in the Manchester area?
Listen to Isabella’s ‘The Missing’ podcast episode
Isabella Skelton was many things to many people but first and foremost, to her daughter Lynda, she was a Mum. The void she left in the lives of those who loved her has remained, ever since the day she vanished back in 1969, when she left her home on Lidiard Street in Crumpsall, Manchester and was never seen again. Strangely, Isabella wasn’t reported missing to the authorities at the time of her disappearance. Fifty years later, Lynda, determined to find out what happened that day, walked into the police station with her own daughter and reported her mother missing, setting into motion a brand new investigation into a decades old mystery.
There is always hope, and you could be the person that makes the difference.
No matter how seemingly small the information you have, it really may be the answer we need. Information provided can be submitted anonymously, and submissions will be treated in confidence. Everything we receive will be reviewed by our dedicated team of volunteers.
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