Discovery
On 8 March 2024, volunteer river warden Malcolm Crosby was conducting routine debris clearance approximately 200 metres downstream from Tarr Steps when he recovered a corroded metal object lodged between submerged stones. Initial examination revealed it to be the base section of a vacuum flask, heavily degraded but with partial manufacturer markings still visible.
Crosby, aware of the Crane case through local knowledge, contacted the Larkbarrow Investigation Group. The fragment was subsequently examined by retired forensic materials analyst Dr Susan Hatch.
Technical Analysis
"The base plate is consistent with a Stanley Aladdin vacuum flask manufactured between 1965 and 1978. The threading pattern and alloy composition match catalogued examples from this period. Corrosion patterns suggest prolonged submersion—certainly decades rather than years. I would estimate this object entered the water no later than the early 1980s, though precision is impossible."
— Dr Susan Hatch, report dated 19 April 2024
Edith Crane was known to carry a green Stanley flask on her walks. Thomas Crane confirmed in his 1977 statement that his wife took her flask that morning. It was never recovered during the original search.
Geographic Anomaly
The recovery location presents significant difficulties. Tarr Steps lies approximately four miles south-southeast of Larkbarrow ruins—entirely off Edith's documented walking route, which ran northeast from the Exford road lay-by. The River Barle does not connect these locations directly; Larkbarrow drains northward into Badgworthy Water.
Three possibilities present themselves. First, the flask is unconnected to the case—a coincidence of make and era. Second, Edith deviated substantially from her stated route that day, travelling toward Tarr Steps for reasons unknown. Third, the flask was transported to the river by a third party at some point after 14 October 1977.
Current Status
The fragment remains in the custody of the Larkbarrow Investigation Group pending any renewed police interest. Devon and Somerset Police declined to reopen the case based on this evidence alone, citing insufficient grounds for identification.
The question remains: if this was Edith's flask, how did it travel four miles in the wrong direction—and who carried it there?