A former school caretaker who became one of Britain’s most infamous child murderers has died following an assault by another prisoner at a high-security facility.
Ian Huntley, 52, passed away Saturday after spending days on life support following a brutal attack at Frankland prison in northeast England on February 26. According to reports, a fellow inmate repeatedly struck him in the head with a metal bar while they were in the prison workshop.
Huntley was serving a life sentence for killing Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10 years old, in a case that gripped the United Kingdom for two weeks in 2002. The two best friends disappeared from their village of Soham in eastern England on August 4, 2002, after they left a barbecue to purchase candy.
For nearly two weeks, authorities conducted an extensive search while hoping the girls might still be found alive. A photograph showing both children wearing identical red Manchester United soccer jerseys, captured moments before they vanished, dominated newspaper headlines and television coverage as investigators launched a massive manhunt.
The community response was overwhelming, with thousands of people traveling to Soham and leaving hundreds of flower arrangements outside the village church in a massive display of support and concern.
The desperate search came to a tragic end when hikers found the children’s bodies along a dirt trail in a forested area several miles from their hometown.
“The murders of remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families,” the U.K. Ministry of Justice said in a statement.
Although Huntley maintained his innocence regarding the murders of the two 10-year-olds, a jury found him guilty following his trial at London’s Central Criminal Court in 2003. The court imposed a life sentence with a recommendation that he remain imprisoned for a minimum of 40 years.
During his incarceration, Huntley faced multiple assassination attempts and required special protective custody alongside other high-profile convicted killers. In a 2010 incident, another prisoner slashed his throat.
When the crimes occurred, Huntley was living with Maxine Carr, who worked as a teaching assistant at the elementary school attended by Holly and Jessica. Carr provided Huntley with a fabricated alibi and received a 21-month prison sentence for obstructing justice. She currently lives under an assumed identity.
Both Huntley and Carr frequently appeared before news media during the initial search efforts. Huntley claimed to reporters that he believed he was among the final people to encounter the girls while they were still alive, and Carr mentioned she planned to keep a greeting card that Holly had made for her.
According to British news outlets, Anthony Russell, a 43-year-old convicted murderer and rapist, carried out the fatal assault on Huntley.
Durham Constabulary is conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident that resulted in Huntley’s death, and officials are preparing documentation for the Crown Prosecution Service to review potential criminal charges.
