Last Updated on March 16, 2026
Ian Huntley was a British killer who killed 2 girls.
Huntley murdered 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman on August 4th 2002.
Their bodies were discovered by a local gamekeeper on August 17th 2002.
Huntley was a caretaker at their school.
He had inserted himself into the investigation.
The killings of the two girls, Holly and Jessica, became known as the Soham Murders.
The book Beyond Evil – Inside the Twisted Mind of Ian Huntley (AD*) covers the case in detail.
Holly and Jessica go missing
Holly and Jessica were reported missing after they left a barbecue.
They left to buy sweets and never returned to the party.
The police released a photograph to the public of the missing girls wearing Manchester United shirts.
Ian Huntley reported a sighting of the girls to the police.
This was to ensure that he was involved in the investigation.
He was interviewed by the press and on television many times throughout the investigation.
Maxine Carr, Ian Huntley’s partner, was also interviewed by the media.
Investigators became suspicious when she referred to Holly Wells in the past tense.
At this point in the investigation, she was considered to be alive.
On 16th August, the police interviewed both Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr.
They wanted to get witness statements for the Holly and Jessica case.
During this time, their home and the school grounds were searched.
Several items were recovered, including the missing girls’ Man United Shirts.
Murder Investigation
Following the police search, Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr were arrested.
They were arrested on suspicion of murder on August 17th 2002.
Later in the day, the decomposed bodies of Holly and Jessica were found close to RAF Lakenheath by Keith Pryer.
He had noticed an unpleasant smell in the area for a number of days.
Holly and Jessica were formally identified by DNA tests four days later.
The inquest ruled that the girls had not been killed where they were found.
The site of the Soham murders was elsewhere.
Ian Huntley’s Arrest
On August 20th, Ian Huntley was arrested for Holly and Jessica’s deaths.
He was charged with two counts of murder.
Huntley was detained under the Mental Health Act to determine if he was fit to stand trial.
Following the assessment, a forensic psychiatrist later told the court that Huntley had attempted to appear as if he were insane.
Trial and Sentencing
During the trial, Ian Huntley claimed that both of the girls had died in his house at 5 College Close, Soham.
Huntley told the court that he had accidentally killed Holly whilst helping her with a nosebleed.
He claimed that he accidentally killed Jessica whilst stopping her screaming.
The jury, however, did not believe his claims.
They found him guilty of two counts of murder.
Huntley was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The term was to be determined by the Lord Chief Justice.
Two years later, Ian Huntley’s sentence was set at a minimum of 40 years.
Prison Life
In September 2005, Ian Huntley was scalded by a fellow prisoner.
As a result was unable to attend his sentencing hearing.
He took an overdose in September 2006.
After his cell was searched, a confession tape was found where he confessed to the murders.
Two years after he had moved prisons, Huntley had his throat slashed by inmate Damien Fowkes.
It required 21 stitches, and sadly, he survived the attack.
Fowkes later killed Colin Hatch, another child killer.
In 2026, Huntley was viciously attacked and left for dead by another inmate.
Ian Huntley now is currently in prison at HMP Frankland.
There was a fake article that said Ian Huntley had a sex change.
Ian Huntley’s release date will likely not be until 2045.
Ian Huntley’s Death
Ian Huntley died on 8th March 2026.
He died following a prison attack by another prisoner.
Huntley was attacked on 26th February and was on life support.
His mother turned off his life support machine, and he died the following day.
Media
An Ian Huntley documentary, Ian Huntley: 5 Mistakes That Caught A Killer, was shown on Channel 5 in the UK in May 2019.
It features the mistakes that he made that led to the Ian Huntley arrest.
It covered the evidence the police found to convict him.
Ian Huntley’s daughter appeared in the press in 2016 after discovering who her father was.
She later appeared on the documentary series Killer In My Family.
Previous Offences
Following the murder conviction of Ian Huntley, it was revealed that he had been investigated for several sexual offences against children and young women.
As none of the investigations had resulted in a conviction, his criminal record was clean.
His employers were unaware of any of these investigations or allegations.
In 1995, a 15-year-old had alleged to have had a sexual relationship.
She later asked the police not to pursue the case.
There were a further three investigations the following year of him engaging in sexual activities with underage children.
There were four arrests for the rape of young women in 1998/99.
There was an investigation after an 11-year-old girl was assaulted.
Huntley later confessed to the attack on the 11-year-old girl.
He has not confessed to any of the others.
Maxine Carr
Maxine Carr was Ian Huntley’s girlfriend.
She was charged with perverting the course of justice.
She was also charged with two counts of assisting an offender.
This was for providing a false alibi for Ian Huntley.
Carr was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
She was released after serving 21 months.
Maxine Carr was given a new identity.
Carr won an injunction in 2005 to give her lifelong anonymity as she believed her life was in danger.
She had a child in 2011 with her husband.
The anonymity order was given to her child so they would not know her identity.
Maxine Carr could now be anywhere.
It would be illegal to post her new identity or whereabouts.
Pin this post
*True Crime books, films or documentaries are available to purchase for further reading or viewing.
I will earn a small commission if you make a purchase using these AD links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.