Winnie Johnson dies a day after search for suspected letter from Ian Brady

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ys-letter.html

Taunted by Brady to the very end: Moors murder victim's mother Winnie dies still not knowing the final resting place of son Keith Bennett

- Suffering from cancer for a number of years and passed away peacefully at a Manchester hospice
- Greater Manchester Police's Major and Cold Case Crime Unit, appealed to Brady to reveal the location of Keith's grave
- Twisted killer may finally have disclosed where 12-year-old's body is hidden
- Jackie Powell, 49, arrested in South Wales for preventing burial of a body
- She told a documentary that she had a letter that could help find Keith
- But Ms Powell has allegedly claimed she gave it back to the killer
- Keith is the only one of the five victims whose body has never been found

Determined: Mrs Johnson, pictured in 2010, made several thousand trips to the Moors in search of her son

The mother of Moors Murders victim Keith Bennett has died without knowing where her son is buried. Winnie Johnson, 78, had been suffering from cancer for a number of years and passed away peacefully at a Manchester hospice earlier today, her lawyer said. In a statement posted on the websitesearchingforkeith.com, which is run by Mrs Johnson's son Alan Bennett, the family said that the fight to find Keith's would continue in her memory. The statement in full said: 'Winnie Johnson, the mother of Keith Bennett, died this morning at 12.35am, aged 78. She was a much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and is survived by one younger brother. 'Winnie fought tirelessly for decades to find Keith and give him a Christian burial. 'Although this was not possible during her lifetime we, her family, intend to continue this fight now for her and for Keith. 'We hope that the authorities and the public will support us in this.

Hunt: Police officers search Saddleworth Moor for the bodies of the children killed by Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley

Mrs Johnson's former solicitor, David Kirwan, described it as a 'cruel and ironic twist that she had now passed away.' He added: 'She never gave up... She was Keith's mother.' Her death comes just days after revelations that a bombshell letter written by Ian Brady supposedly reveals where he and Myra Hindley buried her 12-year- old son in 1964. In a statement, John Ainley, a senior partner at Oldham-based solicitors North Ainley Halliwell, said: 'She died not knowing of the letter's possible existence but the steadfast conviction Ian Brady can resolve the situation.' Today Martin Bottomley, Head of Investigative Review of Greater Manchester Police's Major and Cold Case Crime Unit, appealed to Brady to reveal the location of Keith's grave. 'There is only one person who knows where Keith is buried and that is Ian Brady himself. I would implore him at this extremely sad time and knowing that Winnie has died not knowing where Keith is buried to at last do the decent thing and tell us where he is.'

July 12, 1963 - Pauline Reade, 16, right, disappears on her way to a disco.

Nov 23, 1963 - John Kilbride, 12, below right is snatched by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, sexually assaulted and murdered.

June 16, 1964 - Keith Bennett is snatched after he leaves home to visit his grandmother.

December 26, 1964 - Lesley Ann Downey, 10, is lured away from a funfair and killed.

October 6, 1965 - Brady kills Edward Evans, 17.

May 6, 1966 - Brady given life at Chester Assizes in 1966 for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward.

Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann and Edward and shielding Brady after John's murder, and also jailed for life.
Reade

1985 - Brady is moved to the Ashworth psychiatric hospital in Merseyside.

1987 - The pair finally admit killing Keith and Pauline and are taken back to Saddleworth Moor to help police find the remains of the missing victims. Only Pauline's body is found.

September 1999 - Brady goes on hunger strike after complaining about being forcibly removed from his room at the hospital to a new ward because of security concerns sparked by a patient on his old ward. He has been fed by a tube ever since.

November 15, 2002 - Hindley dies in jail aged 60.

September 13, 2009 - Brady begins campaign to be moved to a Scottish prison so he will be allowed to die.

March 27, 2010 - A privately-funded search for Keith Bennett's grave begins. His mother, Winnie Johnson, 76, said she hopes to find her son and bury him before she and Brady die.

July 3, 2012 - Brady suffers a seizure and spends several nights in hospital. A mental health tribunal that would look at his application to be transferred to Scotland is delayed as a result.

Incredibly sad that she never found her little boy Keith, the only victim to have never been recovered. It is nice to think though however, that she is now finally with Keith after all these years.

RIP.

Thoughts?

[Matthew]

Thats so sad :/

I'm sure I saw her on the TV a few days ago, and she said something along the lines of 'I just hope that my son is found before something happens to me'

RIP

[Judas]

This is legitimately heartbreaking. I was watching something about it on Sky News just yesterday then I wake up today to see she's dead. Absolutely awful. RIP.

[xxMATTGxx]

Such a shame that they didn't find the body while she was still alive. May she R.I.P

[Stephen]

Tbh I doubt he knows where the body is after all these years

[GommeInc]

It did seem odd there was nothing mentioned from her about this supposed letter he has written which discloses the location. Such a horrible time to die when new revelations were coming, but at least she can rest in peace. Hopefully Brady does the decent thing and tells the authorities where the grave is - assuming he knows where it is or if the body is still near it, anything could of happened in those 48 years.