I am obsessed with anything true crime, but this story was truly harrowing.

Manhunt: The Child Snatcher delves into the disappearance of four young girls (Image: Netflix)

I have been fascinated by true crime for as long I can remember. I will never miss an episode of the podcasts Crime Junkie and Murder with My Husband, which explore both well-known cases and others the average person has likely never heard of. The same goes for true crime documentaries. I have watched pretty much every one Netflix has had to offer, from Night Stalker, which detailed the reign of terror carried out by serial killer and rapist Richard Ramirez, to the Murdaugh Murders, which focused on the scandals involving the powerful family and the trial of Alex Murdaugh.

Those were two cases I wasn’t particularly familiar with beforehand. But Netflix’s recent addition, Manhunt: The Child Snatcher, tells a story I know all too well. I am slightly ashamed to admit that I haven’t read many books in my life, but one that stayed with me was The Face of Evil, which I finished in just a few days.

Jennifer Cardy went missing in 1981 (Image: PA)

Susan Maxwell was another one of Robert Black’s victims (Image: PA)

It delves into the life of Robert Black, a serial killer who murdered and sexually assaulted young girls. Although I couldn’t put it down, the details were so devastating that it kept me up at night.

So when I saw this documentary land on Netflix at the end of February, I knew it was one I couldn’t miss. The two-part series follows the nine-year hunt for Black after several young girls went missing across the country between 1981 and 1986.

It includes first-hand testimonies from the police officers involved in the cases, as well as from the victims’ families. The documentary also features footage of the young girls before their lives were so cruelly taken from them.

It begins with the disappearance of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy, who vanished while cycling to a friend’s house in 1981.

Black murdered five-year-old Caroline Hogg in 1983 (Image: JPI Media)

Jennifer’s bike was found around a mile away from her home and it became clear that something sinister had happened. Days later, her lifeless body was discovered face down in McKee’s Dam.

Jennifer’s father recalled having to be supported when he went to identify her body, explaining that she was difficult to recognise after being in the water for several days.

Watching Andy Cardy break down as he described every parent’s worst nightmare was heartbreaking, and at times it almost made me want to stop watching.

Black struck again in 1982, when he abducted 11-year-old Susan Maxwell from Cornhill-on-Tweed. Susan’s mother tragically revealed the cruel irony that it was the first time her daughter had been allowed to walk home alone.

13 days after she was taken, Susan’s body was discovered nearly 250 miles from where she had been abducted, in a lay-by in Staffordshire.

Sarah Harper vanished in (Image: PA)

The circumstances indicated that Susan had been abducted against her will, with a strong sexual motive behind her murder.

Hearing what these poor girls endured before being killed by such a violent man was incredibly difficult, and it’s impossible not to think about the unimaginable pain their families must have gone through.

The documentary also tells the story of five-year-old Caroline Hogg, who suffered the same fate after encountering Black at a fairground near her home in 1983.

Like the other victims, Caroline’s body was found hundreds of miles from where she had been taken, leading investigators to realise that her disappearance was likely connected to Susan’s.

Another tragic tale was yet to come. In 1986, 10-year-old Sarah Harper went missing after visiting a corner shop located just 100 metres from her home.

Robert Black died in prison in 2016 (Image: PA)

It followed the same heartbreaking pattern, with Sarah’s body later found showing signs of strangulation and sexual assault.

Black had targeted another young girl when his reign of terror was finally brought to an end in 1990. A neighbour witnessed the child being forced into his van and immediately called the police.

The six-year-old girl was found in the back of his vehicle, bound and gagged. Had she been discovered any later, investigators revealed she would have died of suffocation.

Black was convicted of the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Susan, Caroline and Sarah in 1994, receiving life imprisonment.

In 2011, he was convicted of the sexual assault and murder of Jennifer. Thankfully, those young girls got the justice they deserved, but it’s hard to feel that such a sentence could ever be enough for a man that can only be described as pure evil.

Black died in prison in 2016. Of course, I finished the series, but there wasn’t a single moment when I didn’t feel the urge to turn it off.