A woman who went missing 52 years ago has been found alive and well after police released a grainy photograph as part of an appeal, solving one of Britain’s longest-running missing person cases.

Sheila Fox, now 68, disappeared from Coventry in 1972 when she was 16. At the time, West Midlands police said she had been living with her parents and could have been in a relationship with a man. Officers said they were keeping an open mind, believing she may have moved out of the area.

On Sunday, West Midlands police launched a fresh appeal to help find Fox, releasing a photograph of her from around the time of her disappearance on their website and social media.

Within hours of it going out, members of the public had got in touch with information, and on Wednesday police officers confirmed that Fox was alive and well. They said she was living in another part of the country.

A police spokesperson said: “We are delighted to announce the conclusion of one of West Midlands police’s longest-running missing person investigations.

“A single photo of Sheila from around the time of her disappearance was found by officers investigating and published on our website and social media. Within hours of the appeal, members of the public got in touch with information which led the team to her.”

DS Jenna Shaw, from the cold case investigation team, said: “We searched through every piece of evidence we could find and managed to locate a photo of Sheila.

“We are a small team of officers and I’d like to recognise the work of DC Shaun Reeve, who managed to resolve this case with help from the public. Every missing person has a story, and their families and friends deserve to know what happened to them and, hopefully, be reunited with them.”