| Genette Tate | |
|---|---|
| Born | Genette Louise Tate 5 May 1965 |
| Disappeared | 19 August 1978 (age 13) Aylesbeare, Devon, England |
| Status | Missing for 33 years, 5 months and 30 days |
| Residence | Aylesbeare, Devon, England |
| Nationality | British |
Genette Louise Tate (5 May 1965 - disappeared 19 August 1978) was an English girl whose disappearance became a famous missing person case when she went missing at age 13 while delivering newspapers in Aylesbeare, Devon, England, on 19 August 1978. Her bicycle and scattered newspapers were found lying in the middle of a quiet country lane only minutes after she had been speaking to two friends.[1][2]
Her disappearance remains unexplained. This case is similar to that of April Fabb, who went missing from Metton, Norfolk in 1969. According to Maurice Morson, Norfolk Police visited Devon & Cornwall Police to assist the investigation.
Police have investigated the possibility that she was murdered at the hands of serial child killer Robert Black, who was found guilty in 1994 of murdering three schoolgirls in the 1980s. In August 2008 police announced that there was not enough evidence to charge Black for the crime.[3][4] After Black's conviction in 2011 of the murder of another schoolgirl in 1981, it was announced that police investigating Genette's disappearance might review case against Black again.[5]
In August 2010, Police also investigated a link between the disappearance of Tate and serial killer Peter Tobin, who is known to have lived in the area at the time Genette vanished. Police later said that there is not enough evidence to rule out a link between Tobin and Tate's disappearance.[6]