Relatives of murdered woman come forward after appeal in the Derry News

Several people have come forward to say they believe they are related to a Derry woman murdered in London 67 years ago.

It follows an article in the Derry News last week outlining the tragic story of Ellen Carlin.

Ellen left Derry in 1946 when she was 20-years-old for a new life in England.

However, within a few years, she was dead.

She was found strangled by a stocking at a flat in the Pimlico area of London on September 6, 1954.

No one has ever been charged with Ellen's murder.

When she died, Ellen had a two-year-old son called Daniel.

Daniel was adopted by a family who changed his name to Martin Matthews.

Martin only found out he had been adopted when he was told by his adoptive mother shortly before her death.

After this, he did some research into his biological mother's tragic death but he died from an illness in 2005 without ever having tracked down any surviving members of Ellen's family.

Now, Martin's daughter, Emma, is hoping that she will be able to find any of Ellen's family or their descendants who are still living in Derry.

The article in the Derry News last week appealed for anyone who may be related to Ellen, or who had information about her family, to come forward.

After the article was published, a number of people of people contacted the Derry News to say they believe they were related to Ellen.

Local amateur genealogist Joe Carton also took a keen interest in Ellen's story as he believed that there may have been links between the murdered woman's family and his own.

However, after researching what is known about Ellen's family, Mr Carton established that, in fact, he was not related to her.

His research, however, has uncovered new information about Ellen's family which could help Emma find some of her relatives.

According to Mr Carton's research, Ellen's parents were James and Margaret Carlin (nee Breslin) who had lived at Rossville Street in the Bogside area of Derry.

They married on April 4, 1915 in St. Eugene's Cathedral.

Mr Carlin was originally from Nailor's Row and his parents were Manasses (Manus) Carlin and his mother was Sophia O'Neill.

Mrs Carlin was originally from Wellington Street. Her father was Patrick Breslin and her mother was Ellen (nee Kelly).

Mr Carton's research shows that Margaret Carlin died in 1937 when her daughter Ellen would have been around 10 or 11 years-old.

After leaving school, it is believed that Ellen worked in a shirt factory in Derry before leaving the city for London.

Although no one has ever been charged in connection with the Derry woman's murder, serial killer Peter Manuel is alleged to have confessed to killing her before he was executed in 1958. Manuel was convicted of seven murders in Scotland and England but the police officers who caught him believe he had killed more people.

At the time of the Derry woman's death, another line of enquiry for investigating officers had been that she was killed by an American serviceman.

Police found two packets of American cigarettes and American whisky bottles in her room and it was said that she had been seen with a US serviceman on the night she died.

It was reported shortly after the murder that police had plans to question all American servicemen based in and around London.

On September 11, 1954, the Londonderry Sentinel carried a report of a short inquest hearing which had been held at Westminster Coroner's Court in connection with Ellen's murder.

The report said that the victim had been identified as Ellen Carlin, the 28-year-old daughter of James Carlin and the late Mrs Carlin from Rossville Street in Derry.

The newspaper report said that Ellen's sister, Sylvia McGill, who was described as a canteen assistant from North Kensington in London, told the inquest that her sister had also used the name Helen Kelly and had no occupation.

Mrs McGill, the report said, spoke in a 'trembling voice' and broke down when a pathologist told the inquest that the cause of death had been strangulation.

Anyone who has information they believe would be helpful to Emma in her search for Ellen's relatives is asked to email ciaran.oneill@derrynews.net