The brutal murder of a mum-of-eight that shook detectives in Greater Manchester remains unsolved over 40 years later.
The body of Sheila Farrow was found jammed into a recess in the yard of Weir Mill in Cheadle Heath. Today, the mill beneath an archway of the Stockport viaduct is currently being transformed into a vibrant new neighbourhood.
Sheila’s partially clothed body was discovered by a milkman at around 7:30am on Friday, June 17, 1988. What shocked officers following the discovery was the sheer level of violence that had been inflicted on the 49-year-old.
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Sheila’s head had been pushed down a grid. Her face was badly fractured, and her ribs had been broken. It was later determined that her injuries had been caused by someone stamping or jumping on her, with detectives having to use fingerprints to identify the body.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Grant, who was leading the hunt for the killer, said: “It was a frenzied attack with fists and possibly feet on a frail lady who was not in a position to put up much of a struggle.
“So far it appears to be a senseless killing which lacks any motive.” While it couldn’t be determined if she had been sexually assaulted, police ruled out early robbery as a motive.
Sheila was a divorced mum of eight who lived with two friends in a council house in Gorsey Bank Road in Stockport.
The previous night, Sheila had been enjoying a night out at The King’s Arms on Warren Street. She had been there from around 8pm until almost midnight and was said to have drunk several pints of bitter.
The pub landlord, Bill Armstrong, told the Stockport Express he was shocked by the news having only seen her hours before her death.
He said he had handed over Sheila’s bag to her before she left and said goodbye, but he saw her again near Tivot Dale when he went for a takeaway.
He said: “I wound my window down to say goodnight and asked Sheila if she was okay. She said she was fine.”
He added: “I can’t believe this has happened – she was a frail lady. She was a regular in the pub and didn’t have any enemies. Whoever has done this to a harmless lady deserves to be strung up.”
‘She was subject of a vicious attack –one of pure violence’
After Sheila left the King’s Arms, she chatted to a policeman in the town centre and then carried on towards Merseyway Shopping Centre.
She was seen in the precinct’s covered area between 12.25am and 1.10am and may have spoken to several passers-by.
At one point, she was seen talking with a man aged 25-30, around 5ft 8in tall, with short, spiky brown hair, wearing a light-coloured, shiny suit and a light-coloured shirt. He was seen leaving with her around 1.10am and walking towards Daw Bank.
At 5ft 2in tall and weighing only 7½ stone, Sheila would likely have had little chance against her attacker or attackers. On the day, she was wearing denim jeans, trainers, and a blue St Michael’s track top, which she had borrowed from a friend.
She also wore three jumpers: a pink sleeveless knitted top, a white knitted top with a flower motif, and a white knitted top with red and blue spots.
A road accident a few years earlier had left her with two artificial hips and unable to walk quickly.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Grant added: “Mrs Farrow was not a violent person. She was a harmless character well-known in the Stockport area by many people.
“She didn’t harm anyone and yet was the subject of a vicious attack – one of pure violence. She may have known her attacker, she may not.
“There may have been one attacker, possibly more. We do not know.”
‘There’s never one day I don’t wake up and think about her’
Despite several appeals and witnesses coming forward saying they saw Sheila on the night she was killed, no one has ever been convicted of her murder.
Detectives even used a new computer-aided artist’s impression of a man they saw speaking to Sheila, but he was never found.
Several years after the hunt for Sheila’s killer went cold, her son Terry said: “The police have been very, very helpful, they’ve been a hundred per cent behind us, and they’re still trying their hardest.
“I know its nearly six years ago, but I don’t think they’ll ever stop looking. I believe they’ll get him in the end.”
He added: “There’s never one day I don’t wake up and think about her. I still go into the bathroom and break down in tears.”
Greater Manchester Police have previously said they will never close a murder investigation and remain open to new information at any time.
If you have any information that could help, please contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 5978.
