North Yorkshire Police hope family trees could identify woman found dead in 1980s
North Yorkshire Police's cold case unit believes that gaps in people’s family trees could give them fresh leads that could finally unlock the secrets of an unsolved murder.
The identity of the woman has evaded police since 1981 when her body was discovered following an anonymous phone call.
A caller who refused to give his name, citing national security reasons, rang Ripon Police station saying: "Near Scawton Moor House, you will find a decomposed body among the willowherbs.”
After the call ended, officers went to the scene near Sutton Bank and found the woman’s decomposed remains in the undergrowth, exactly as the caller described.
Despite extensive investigations at the time and in the years that followed, she has never been identified - DNA from the woman was taken when her body was exhumed in 2012.
What the police already know
She was probably born between 1935 and 1940 and a post mortem has confirmed that she had three children before her death.
It is also believed that due to her advanced state of decomposition the woman died in 1979.
A wax model of her face was sculpted in the 1980s - she was white with brown hair and around 5ft 4ins tall.
She had several distinguishing features, including a mild upper spine malformation that could have made her hold her head at an unusual angle.
She also had several missing teeth and other evidence of a lifestyle that involved regular smoking and drinking.
Adam Harland, the head of North Yorkshire Police's Cold Case Review team, said: "This has been one of the most enduring mysteries I’ve worked on."
"It’s highly unusual for someone who has died in these circumstances to remain unidentified for decades."
“Despite the passage of time, nobody deserves to be simply forgotten about – this was someone’s mother. And it’s likely she had friends who cared about her.”
Mr Harland added: “If names are put forward, we’re now in a position where we can apply this information to our DNA forensic records for this lady."
“Another possibility is someone who’s researched their family tree might have found a gap, or discovered a relative who disappeared from official records around 1979 to 1981 without any clear explanation.”
Police forces have used similar techniques for other cold case investigations and Mr Harland said that they can provide the "missing piece to the jigsaw"
Mr Harland said: “Someone, somewhere could be sitting there with information they’ve never felt able to share, or a family tree wondering who this person was. My message to them is simple: I’d like to hear from you.”
If you have information that could help this North Yorkshire Police cold case review, please email coldcasereviewunit@northyorkshire.police.uk with a summary of the information you have. A member of the cold case team will record it and may make contact with you to discuss it further.