GUILDFORD — 1926 · Missing Person
Agatha Christie's 11-Day Disappearance
Agatha Christie, the best-selling detective novelist, left her home in Sunningdale on the night of 3 December 1926 and vanished. The next morning her car was found abandoned at Newlands Corner in Surrey, above a chalk quarry, with her belongings inside. More than a thousand police officers, thousands of volunteers and, for the first time in a civilian search, aeroplanes combed the area, and the story made international headlines. Eleven days later Christie was found staying at a hotel in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, under another name. She never mentioned the episode in her autobiography. Doctors diagnosed memory loss, but biographers still debate whether it was a breakdown or a deliberate act.
- Date
- 1926
- Place
- Newlands Corner, Surrey, UK, Guildford, UK
- Category
- Missing Person
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 51.2327, -0.5112 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 3 December 1926Christie left her home at night.
- 4 December 1926Her car was found abandoned at Newlands Corner.
- December 1926A huge search involving thousands of volunteers and aircraft took place.
- 14 December 1926Christie was found staying at a Harrogate hotel under another name.
Sources
- The Guardian — Christie's most famous mystery solved at last (2006) theguardian.com ↗
- Historic UK — The Curious Disappearance of Agatha Christie historic-uk.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Agatha Christie en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Guardian
- Historic UK
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.