Naman Shrestha
In Netflix’s ‘Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story,’ the primary focus is on the gruesome crimes of Fred and Rose West, who were involved in the murder of over ten women, including one of their own daughters, Heather West. With the discovery of her remains buried underneath their property in Gloucester, England, the authorities were able to find the remains of various other victims of the West couple. Supported by the in-depth interviews from the relatives of the victim, the three-part documentary series also sheds light on Heather’s case, including her sudden disappearance and Fred’s chilling confession.
Heather West Disappeared All of a Sudden in the Summer of 1987
On October 17, 1970, in Gloucester, England, Heather Ann West was the first child of Frederick “Fred” Walter Stephen West and Rosemary “Rose” West. Leading a seemingly loving and supportive life at 25 Midland Road along with her siblings, including Stephen West, Anne Marie West, Mae West, Barry John West, and Baby McFall, Heather was a talented and compassionate individual with a bright future ahead of her. In 1972, she relocated to 25 Cromwell Street with her family. She attended St. Paul’s Primary School before going to Hucclecote Secondary School with her siblings.
After her sister, Anna Marie, reportedly ran away from the house in 1979, Heather and Mae West were forced by their father, Fred, to become involved in an incestuous relationship with him. As Heather reached puberty, the sexual and physical abuse inflicted on her by him increased, causing her to exhibit several symptoms felt by victims of child abuse, including alcoholism, biting her nails, waking up from her sleep due to nightmares, feeling uneasy in the presence of males, and more. Noticing these symptoms in her behavior, Fred and Rose reportedly suspected her to be a lesbian. Tired of all the taunts and abuse she received from her parents, Heather opened up to her siblings about her desire to escape the house and lead a nomadic lifestyle in the Forest of Dean.
In an attempt to become an independent woman and get far away from Cromwell Street and her parents, Heather started applying for jobs in the summer of 1986 after leaving school. On June 18 of the following year, her job application to become a chalet cleaner at a holiday camp in Torquay was rejected, leading to disappointment and heartbreak. The following morning was the last time that her siblings saw her, as after they returned home, the 16-year-old girl was nowhere to be seen. When her siblings inquired about her whereabouts, Fred and Rose claimed that she had gotten the job after all and had left to work in Torquay. The couple also told them that she had run away with a lover and was involved in credit card fraud. Thus, Heather was never reported missing to the police.
Heather West’s Remains Were Discovered About Seven Years After Her Disappearance
In the following years, Fred West frequently threatened the rest of the children that they must behave if they didn’t want to “end up under the patio like Heather.” The regular use of this threat raised red flags in the minds of social workers, who eventually alerted the police after more than half a decade of her sudden disappearance. A few months later, on February 24, 1994, the authorities searched the back patio of the West residence and brought Fred and Rose in for questioning. When asked about the whereabouts of Heather, Fred told them that he had recently met her in Birmingham, where she was allegedly leading an independent life as a sex worker. Meanwhile, Rose denied having any knowledge about her reasons for leaving home.
After several hours of interrogation, Fred West admitted to strangling Heather to death in a fit of rage and burying her dismembered remains under the patio of the house’s garden. However, he claimed that his wife, Rose, was unaware of the murder as he ensured to kill Heather when Rose was busy with one of her clients. The whereabouts of Heather West remained a mystery for nearly seven years until her remains were finally found on February 26, 1994, after the chilling confession. He also led the authorities to the exact location of the burial site of his deceased daughter, who had been buried under the back patio of the West household at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, England. The discovery of her remains led the police to discover the remains of several other young women underneath the property, implicating the couple’s involvement in other murders.
During her trial, Rose West claimed that Heather was a lesbian and alleged that she used to inflict physical and psychological abuse on her siblings. However, she told the court that she loved her and was not aware of her murder. However, both Fred and Rose were charged and convicted of Heather’s murder. According to reports, the couple might have decided to kill her because she used to confide in her peers and friends about the physical and sexual abuse she endured at their hands, and they felt threatened by her desire to move out of the house. Evidence suggested that she was also sexually assaulted before her murder, and then buried in a hole under the back patio. While Fred West died of suicide in his prison cell prior to his trial, Rose West was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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