Margaret Moody (Bell)

Missing Mums: The family of Margaret Moody (Bell)Missing Mum Margaret Moody (Bell) vanished from her home in Clapperhow Road, Motherwell in 1977. Her children have not heard anything from her since, but are determined to find her, so they can get answers to the questions that have haunted them for over 30 years -  like what made their Mum walk out on 7 young children and why did she never come back for them.

Unfortunately, we don't have any photographs of what Margaret looked like back then. The family mislaid the few they had many years ago and were not able to provide any for this programme.

But had Margaret given any clue that she was unhappy, or thinking of leaving home?  Her children may have all been very young at the time, but some of them can recall their Mum leaving home before, if only for two or three days. Her son Richard (40) remembers how she would always return home upset, and with presents and sweets for the kids. She would vow to never leave home again. But one night in 1977, following a massive row in the house, Robert (41) recalls the children waking up next morning to find that their mother had vanished from the house in the middle of the night.

For the family Margaret left behind, life would never be the same again. Margaret's husband tried his best to bring all 7 children up on his own but, not surprisingly, found it very tough. Margaret's children grew up with mixed emotions towards their Mum. Her daughter, Pearl, now 38, recalls feeling a mixture of anger and bitterness because she left.

During the years that followed, there were several mysterious happenings which have made the children think that their Mum might have been back to the area, or living close by all this time.

In 1993 their eldest brother, Jim, an Army Sergeant, tragically passed away. Pearl (38) remembers how a mysterious black and white photo of a woman and little boy turned up in Jim’s open casket in the funeral parlour, only to disappear soon afterwards. Also, Pearl recalls seeing a woman who she thought might have been her Mum watching Jim's funeral at Larkhall Cemetery.

Pamela (36) was Margaret’s youngest child and has no memories of her mother. She only knows information about her from her older siblings. She, along with her brothers and sister, has trawled the internet, contacted TV programmes and the Salvation Army in search of their mother. She even put out an appeal on a local radio station ‘Radio Clyde’ nine years ago, during their Mothers’ Day Special, but to no avail.

Robert remembers that their mother was a lovely, considerate, beautiful young woman with long reddish-coloured hair. He says that it would crush the family if they were to find their mother and she didn’t want to know them, but he says it would be worth it just to know whether she was still alive and well.