As Hunting The Silver Killer airs tonight on ITV, we can't help but wonder where exactly the real Silver Killer is now. Based on the true crime novel The Hunt for the Silver Killer by David Collins, this documentary revisits the details of two gruesome murders from the 1990s.
The two murder-suicides, deaths of elderly couples which took place in Wilmslow in 1996 and 1999 respectively, were initially investigated as separate incidents. However, after further investigation by Stephanie Davies, the senior coroner's office for the Cheshire Police, a potential pattern was spotted between them.
Collins went on to interview a host of police staff, forensic experts, and witnesses to gain a better understanding of the evidence.
What happened in the Silver Killer murders?
Two elderly couples in Wilmslow were found dead at their homes in the late 90s. Howard and Bea Ainsworth were discovered in their beds in 1996, and Donald and Auriel Ward suffered a similar fate three years later. Whilst initially ruled as murder-suicides, Stephanie Davies suspected they were actually the work of a single serial killer.
In both circumstances, the husbands were thought to have killed their wives and then taken their own lives. However, when looked at in more detail, a lot of the evidence did not add up. For example, neither couple had a history of domestic violence, and some of the forensic evidence in the Ainsworth case had come back as "inconclusive".
As a result of the confusing evidence, Stephanie Davies looked for other suspicious cases in the area and found 39 between 2000 and 2019, all in the North-West of England with similar patterns.
Who is the Silver Killer?
As of today, March 30th 2026, the identity of the Silver Killer remains unknown. Whilst the novel and documentary explore the potential of these murders being committed by a single culprit, their official status remains as 'murder-suicides', meaning the cases were never reopened. In 2020, DCS Aaron Duggan, of Cheshire Constabulary, stated: "At this time, there is no reason to believe that the cases were not investigated by the police appropriately."
This means the identity of a single killer has not been established. However, the killer is believed to be a male due to the significant trauma the female victims suffered.
Where is the Silver Killer now?
Since the identity of the Silver Killer has never been proven, it's not possible to know where they might be, or if they may even still be alive. If they are, the killer is likely to be located in the North of England, since that is where the murders took place, but there has been no official sighting.
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