A “model child” who was murdered more than 50 years ago was probably killed by a man who went on to rape and murder other girls, an inquest has heard.

The body of 14-year-old Elsie Frost was found at the bottom of some steps by a railway bridge in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on 9 October 1965.

Within days, Peter Pickering – who later became notorious as the “Beast of Wombwell” after he committed a brutal attack in a town near Barnsley – was identified as a likely suspect but police could not trace him, the inquest at Wakefield coroner’s court heard.

Two months later, another man, Ian Spencer, was charged with her murder but was eventually cleared – leaving the case unsolved for nearly 50 years, the inquest was told.

The new inquest into Elsie’s death is being held after her siblings, Anne Cleave and Colin Frost, campaigned successfully for a fresh review. It comes after West Yorkshire police revealed that Pickering was close to being charged with Elsie’s murder at the time of his death in March last year.

Cleave spoke of her anger that the case had been left “in limbo” following the exoneration of Ian Spencer in March 1966 – leaving Pickering free to go on to murder 14-year-old Shirley Boldy and kidnap and rape an 18-year-old woman in Wombwell in 1972.

She told the inquest: “I’ve been very angry that nothing happened after Mr Spencer was released. That makes me very angry, nothing happened until Colin and I got things going again after Dad died.”

She added: “After March 1966, after Mr Spencer was released and exonerated, that’s when things stopped.”

The inquest heard that police in Wakefield were sent a file on Pickering from the Metropolitan police on 13 October 1965 – four days after Elsie was stabbed to death as she walked back from a sailing club event.

On 25 October, the force returned the file with a note, which read: “The file in respect of Peter Pickering was forwarded to this office making Pickering a likely suspect. Accordingly, extensive inquiries have been made but Pickering has not yet been traced.”

The force requested that the Met inform them if Pickering was apprehended.

The inquest heard that a coroner at the original inquest, in December 1965, formally accused Spencer, a railway fireman, of murdering Elsie. He was held in custody until a court hearing in March 1966 in which a high court judge directed the jury to find him not guilty.

The high court quashed the decision by the original inquest earlier this year.

Spencer’s son Lee told the inquest that despite being formally acquitted of Elsie’s murder, his father was repeatedly questioned by police in relation to other crimes. He also described how his father, who has since died, would make detailed notes following his arrest so he could account for his movements.

Colin Frost, who was five when his sister was murdered, told the inquest that his sister’s death left his parents feeling guilty. He said: “Elsie’s murder split the family wide open and it took a while to get back together.”

“We have so many questions going on around, going through our heads,” he added. “And it’s still happening today, still many questions out there we feel have not been answered.”

The new coroner, Kevin McLoughlin, told the inquest Elsie was described in statements as a “model child” who was expected to become head girl at school.