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Moors murders

SOLVED1960sSaddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, England3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · sexual violence · crimes against children — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

Overview

The Moors murders refer to a series of child killings committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in and around Manchester, England, between July 1963 and October 1965. The five known victims — Pauline Reade (16), John Kilbride (12), Keith Bennett (12), Lesley Ann Downey (10) and Edward Evans (17) — were aged between 10 and 17, and at least four are believed to have been sexually assaulted. The bodies of two victims were found in 1965 in graves dug on Saddleworth Moor; a third grave was located there in 1987, more than two decades after the trial. Bennett's body is thought to be buried on the moor but has never been recovered despite repeated searches.

The killings

Reade disappeared on 12 July 1963 after being offered a lift by Hindley; Brady later killed her on the moor. Kilbride was lured from a market in Ashton-under-Lyne on 23 November 1963 and killed and buried on the moor. Bennett disappeared in Longsight on 16 June 1964 under a similar pattern involving a decoy request for help before Brady took him onto the moor. Downey was abducted from a funfair in Ancoats on 26 December 1964, taken to the couple's house, where she was photographed, assaulted and killed; an audio recording of the attack was later recovered by police. Evans was killed at the couple's home on 6 October 1965, an attack witnessed in part by Hindley's brother-in-law, David Smith, who subsequently contacted police.

Investigation and trial

Smith's call to police in the early hours of 7 October 1965 led to Brady's arrest after Evans's body was found at the couple's Wardle Brook Avenue house. Hindley was arrested days later. A search of left-luggage suitcases at Manchester Central station uncovered photographs and an audio tape linked to Downey's murder, and subsequent searches of Saddleworth Moor located the bodies of Downey and Kilbride. Brady and Hindley were charged only with the murders of Kilbride, Downey and Evans. At a fourteen-day trial at Chester Assizes beginning 19 April 1966, both entered not guilty pleas. On 6 May 1966, the jury convicted Brady of all three murders and Hindley of the murders of Downey and Evans; both received life sentences, the only sentence available following abolition of the death penalty six months earlier.

Later developments

The investigation was reopened in 1985 after Brady reportedly told a journalist he had also killed Reade and Bennett. Hindley, who had maintained her innocence, confessed to all five murders in 1987, and both were separately taken to Saddleworth Moor to assist searches; a third grave containing Reade's remains was subsequently located, but Bennett's body has never been found. Hindley died in 2002 at West Suffolk Hospital, aged 60, having served thirty-six years in custody. Brady, diagnosed as a psychopath in 1985 and held at Ashworth high-security hospital, died in 2017 aged 79, having served fifty-one years. Neither was ever released.

Key facts

Victims
Edward Evans, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, Pauline Reade
Date
1960s
Location
Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, England
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1963-07-12

    Pauline Reade, 16, is abducted and murdered; she is the couple's first victim.

  2. 1963-11-23

    John Kilbride, 12, is lured from a market in Ashton-under-Lyne and later killed and buried on Saddleworth Moor.

  3. 1964-06-16

    Keith Bennett, 12, disappears in Longsight, Manchester, and is killed; his body has never been found.

  4. 1964-12-26

    Lesley Ann Downey, 10, is abducted from a funfair in Ancoats, taken to the couple's home, and killed.

  5. 1965-10-06

    Edward Evans, 17, is killed at Brady and Hindley's home in Hattersley; David Smith witnesses part of the attack.

  6. 1965-10-07

    David Smith contacts police; Brady is arrested after Evans's body is found in the house.

  7. 1965-10-11

    Hindley is arrested and later charged as an accessory to Evans's murder.

  8. 1965-10-16

    Police searching Saddleworth Moor find an arm bone, later identified as Downey's remains.

  9. 1965-10-21

    The body of John Kilbride is found on Saddleworth Moor; Brady and Hindley appear in court charged with Downey's murder.

  10. 1966-04-19

    Trial of Brady and Hindley begins at Chester Assizes.

  11. 1966-05-06

    Jury convicts Brady of three murders and Hindley of two murders; both are sentenced to life imprisonment.

  12. 1985

    Investigation reopened after Brady reportedly confesses to killing Reade and Bennett to a journalist; Brady is diagnosed as a psychopath and later confined at Ashworth Hospital.

  13. 1986-12-16

    Hindley makes the first of two visits to Saddleworth Moor to assist police in searching for graves.

  14. 1987

    Hindley confesses to all five murders; a third grave, containing Pauline Reade's remains, is located on the moor.

  15. 2002

    Myra Hindley dies at West Suffolk Hospital, aged 60.

  16. 2017

    Ian Brady dies at Ashworth Hospital, aged 79.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Edward Evans

    VICTIM

    17-year-old killed on 6 October 1965 at the couple's home in Hattersley.

    citation on file

  • John Kilbride

    VICTIM

    12-year-old killed on 23 November 1963; body recovered from Saddleworth Moor in 1965.

    citation on file

  • Ian Brady

    CONVICTED

    Convicted at Chester Assizes on 6 May 1966 of the murders of Kilbride, Downey and Evans; later confessed to the murders of Reade and Bennett; sentenced to life imprisonment; died in 2017 at Ashworth Hospital.

    citation on file

  • Keith Bennett

    VICTIM

    12-year-old killed on 16 June 1964; body never recovered.

    citation on file

  • Myra Hindley

    CONVICTED

    Convicted at Chester Assizes on 6 May 1966 of the murders of Downey and Evans and of harbouring Brady; later confessed to all five murders in 1987; sentenced to life imprisonment; died in 2002.

    citation on file

  • Lesley Ann Downey

    VICTIM

    10-year-old killed on 26 December 1964; body recovered from Saddleworth Moor in 1965.

    citation on file

  • Pauline Reade

    VICTIM

    16-year-old killed on 12 July 1963; body recovered from Saddleworth Moor in 1987.

    citation on file

Places

Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, England

53.5333, -1.9833

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Between July 1963 and October 1965, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley killed five children and teenagers in and around Manchester, England, burying most victims on Saddleworth Moor; both were convicted at trial in 1966 and received life sentences.
Where did the murders happen?
Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, England.
Who was convicted?
Ian Brady (Convicted at Chester Assizes on 6 May 1966 of the murders of Kilbride, Downey and Evans; later confessed to the murders of Reade and Bennett; sentenced to life imprisonment; died in 2017 at Ashworth Hospital.) and Myra Hindley (Convicted at Chester Assizes on 6 May 1966 of the murders of Downey and Evans and of harbouring Brady; later confessed to all five murders in 1987; sentenced to life imprisonment; died in 2002.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.

Sources

  1. Moors murderswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-05
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Guardiannews · The Guardian · 2026-07-05

Last verified JUL 2026

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