Bodies found in Upper Flagley

Posted by: Becca on: 30 June, 1998

• In: Ministry News | Muggleborns
• 254 Comments

Their campsite was found destroyed by muggle authorities days after they were taken.

Upper Flagley, a small town which took to the Ministry’s anti-muggle policies like birds take to air, is now finding themselves some serious hot water. Over 1/3 of the population in the town have been charged with various crimes ranging from vandalism to murder; it’s the highest rate of any wizard village in the country. Although the pureblood youth program was immediately reconfigured after the war to accept halfbloods and muggleborns, the gesture seems too little too late to the muggleborn residents of Upper Flagley who watched last year as many of their pureblood neighbours turned against them.

The town faced additional embarrassment and shame when the remains of five muggle campers were found late yesterday afternoon. Earlier under the previous administration, the town had bragged that it had captured these hikers when they accidentally wondered too close to the magical abode.  Although rebels made many attempts to rescue them the town had always managed to block such efforts.

The remains, which included the bodies of three adults and two children, showed evidence of torture, despite their decayed state.  After doing a bit of research, it became clear that the bodies belong to Mr. and Mrs. Greenwich and their two children, 10 year old Eddie and 7 year old Clara. The fifth body is appears to be that of Mark Cooper, who was their family friend.  All five of them were declared missing by the muggle police around the same time Upper Flagley bragged of capturing muggles. The family was also known to frequent those woods due to an annual camping trip.

The bodies have been returned to their families and the muggle police have labelled the murders as the work as a lone mass murderer. As the family and friends of these muggles mourn their loved ones, Aurors have been hard at work trying to find out exactly who in Upper Flagley tortured and killed these people. Right now suspicion falls on Frank and Myrna Godwin, the couple who started the pureblood youth group back in October. When auror searched their house they found the wedding ring that was later identified as Mrs. Greenwich and in the basement was a child’s shoe with blood on it that may have belonged to Eddie.

Although neither Godwin is willing to comment, their lawyer Steven Eden had this to say, “These charges are nonsense. My clients have always obeyed the laws and have been loyal citizens to the Ministry.”

When asked about the pureblood youth group that was set up by his clients that took part in hunting “undesirables”, Eden became very defensive.  “What were my clients supposed to do? They couldn’t go against the Ministry, and the Ministry wanted them to do it. They were just trying to protect their family.” Shortly after Mr. Eden terminated the interview.

Mr. and Mrs Greenwich were both doctors (muggle Healers) who, according to colleagues, devoted their lives to helping people in the poorest parts of London receive healthcare. Mark Cooper was a police officer, the muggle counterpart to our Aurors. Clara, who was described as a typical seven year old who loved animals, would have celebrated her 8th birthday today. From the evidence found, it appears that Mark Cooper was killed immediately while the family survived for months in the hands of their captors. It is unknown exactly how they died although the Killing Curse is the most probable cause, with the exception of  Mr. Greenwich, who possibly died from a broken neck.

The Greenwich family and Mark Cooper were  kidnapped, tortured, and murdered without fully understanding why. Too often when the victims are muggles the abusers are never found. After the last war, less than half of the muggle killings were ever solved. Hopefully, the investigation into these murders are signalling a change, and muggle killings will get the amount of attention they deserve.