[4] Unbeknownst to her family, Wilson became aware of the true nature of her mother's death before she disappeared.
The family lived in a cottage on Wonham Lane in Betchworth, Surrey at the time of Wilson's disappearance.
[5] Mair's mother recalled that Wilson had slept over not long before she disappeared and had been adamant that she did not want to go back home.
[6] Two days before her disappearance, Wilson worked her usual job in a music shop in Dorking, then went for a meal[3] with her ex-boyfriend Will Kennedy, with whom she still maintained a good friendship, and another friend, Neil Phillipson.
On the day before she disappeared, Wilson went for handbell practice at the local church, then went to a youth group in Dorking, then back to Kennedy's for supper.
[3] Wilson's father had an Ofsted inspection at the school where he worked as the head of the science department and was in a hurry to leave.
[3] Shortly after Jenny left for school, Kennedy appeared with his car and offered Wilson a lift.
[9] Around midday, she ordered flowers for her stepmother from Thistles Florists at 257 Dorking High Street.
[3][10][11] The taxi driver stated that Wilson displayed unusual behaviour in that she simply stood still in the rain as he drove off.
[12] Liam McAuley, a 58-year-old retired police officer investigating the disappearance, observed that Wilson was 'dressed to get into another car' or was standing still to wait for the taxi driver to leave so he did not see where she was going to go, implying that a third party may have been involved and running away seemed more likely than suicide.
[7][12] On 2 December, a large-scale search was organised by the police and fire and rescue services involving 60 volunteers, including local community members, school friends, colleagues, and National Trust wardens.
"[15] On 8 December, Ian and Karen Wilson appeared on the ITV network's mid-morning programme This Morning to appeal for information.
[16] Eight months after the disappearance, Catherine Mair was visited at her new home in Sheffield by South Yorkshire Police.
The unsolved missing persons case is reviewed on a regular basis and is being led by DCI Alex Geldart.
[17] On the first anniversary of the disappearance, a girl thought to resemble Wilson was captured on CCTV at a Dorking newsagent's shop two miles from Box Hill.
[14] Speaking on the tenth anniversary of Wilson's disappearance, Sgt Shane Craven, head of East Surrey police's missing persons team, stated that "In the weeks following Ruth’s disappearance there were some fairly reliable sightings of her in the Dorking area by people who knew her well.
A Surrey Advertiser article by Rebecca Younger (dated 9 December 2008) announced an appeal to mark the 13th anniversary of the disappearance.
[15] In 2006, Ian Wilson wrote an open letter to his missing daughter, imploring her to come home and asking if anyone had information as to her whereabouts.
[6] In 2018, a local newspaper sent out an appeal to anyone who had known Wilson at the time to come forward with any information that could shed light on the disappearance.
"[19] The same year, Jon Savell, the chief superintendent of public protection of Surrey Police gave a review of the case in which he stated, "There are five explanations for Ruth Wilson’s disappearance; A tragic accident, abduction, suicide, murder, or that she had absented herself to start a new life.