The Babes in the Wood: How DNA Finally Caught a Killer

On 9 October 1986, two nine-year-old girls—best friends Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway—went missing after playing in Wild Park, Moulsecoomb, a residential area in Brighton, East Sussex, England. Their bodies were discovered the following day in a makeshift den. Both had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The case would become Sussex Police's largest and longest-running inquiry, eventually spanning three decades.

Russell Bishop, a 20-year-old local roofer with a history of petty crime, lived approximately 1.5 miles from the crime scene. He was known to both families—he had even played football with Nicola's father, Barry Fellows. On the day of the murders, Bishop visited the Fellows' house. When the girls disappeared, he participated in the search party that discovered their bodies on 10 October.

At the scene, Bishop told police he had found the bodies and checked for signs of life but did not touch them—an account that later attracted suspicion. Inconsistencies in his story led to his arrest on 31 October 1986. By December, he was formally charged with murder.

The case went to trial at the Old Bailey in December 1987. Despite the evidence against him, a jury acquitted Bishop. He walked free, and the case stalled. Bishop maintained his innocence publicly and even participated in searches for what he claimed was the "real killer." From a legal standpoint, the murders were unsolved.

Four years after his acquittal, Bishop's criminal trajectory escalated dramatically. On 4 February 1990, he abducted, molested, and strangled seven-year-old Rachael Watts in Whitehawk, another part of Brighton. Watts survived the attack and was able to identify him in a police lineup. This crime led to his conviction in December 1990 for abduction, molestation, and attempted murder—crimes that would keep him imprisoned and under intense scrutiny.