NQL Case File

Circumstances

Date of Disappearance

February 23, 1957

Notes

Moira left her home in Coatbridge to run an errand for her grandmother that day to pick up butter and a birthday card at the local co-op store. When she arrived, the store was closed due to the horrific snow storm the area was experiencing. Moira turned around and was last seen getting onto a Baxter’s bus; from that moment she disappeared. The last person to see Moira alive was the bus driver Alexander Gartshore who remains the main suspect in the case. A witness later testified that Gartshore had flashed her and Moira at an area park earlier the year before and said Moira’s name directly. Another witness said he saw Gartshore pulling a young girl matching Moira’s description close to the Carnbroe bus terminal that afternoon. Other witnesses claimed they saw a similar bus parked that day in the country close to some trees at a ranch. One month prior to the day, Gartshore was accused of raping the young babysitter who watched his children. He would be sentenced in April to 18 months in jail. Despite the charges and his role as the last witness, police did not question him in relation to Moira’s disappearance at the time It would take almost forty years until he was questioned by police in 1992 in response to accusations from his daughter. In 1999, Gartshore's friend (also a convicted sexual predator) stated that Gartshore had killed Moira. According to this individual, Gartshore had used chloroform to kidnap Moira but she died of hypothermia on the bus. It appears nothing came from this person's testimony though it is not clear if the police had reason to discredit it. Investigators dug up several burial sites at Old Monkland Cemetery in search of Moria’s remains in 2013 but nothing was found. Gartshore died in 2006.

Location of the Disappearance or Crime Scene

Bus Stop

Potential Circumstances

Alone, Prior Communication, Public Transportation

Vehicle

License Plate

Photo of Vehicle

Suspect

Man

Suspect Description

Alexander Gartshore was the bus driver and last person to see Moira. He was 36 at the time.

Photo of Suspect