A woman whose body was found in the Yorkshire Dales 15 years ago has finally been identified.
Police have appealed for information after tests confirmed the woman found by walkers face down in a stream near Pen-y-ghent in 2004 is Lamduan Armitage nee Seekanya.
She would have been 36 when she died.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “As a result of extensive enquiries and DNA testing with family members in Thailand, the Major Investigation Team’s Cold Case Review Unit believe the woman is Lamduan Armitage nee Seekanya.
“Officers are now appealing for information from the UK and Thailand.
“Lamduan, who would now be aged 51 and was married with three children, is originally from the Udon Thani province in north east Thailand.”
It is reported Lamduan married an English man and lived in Cumbria before her death.
North Yorkshire Police said they were continuing to build a picture of Lamduan’s life in Thailand and at various places she lived in the UK between 1991 and 2004, including Portsmouth (Hampshire), Rugby (Warwickshire) and Preston (Lancashire).
It is also understood that Lamduan visited Thailand at some point between 2003 and 2004, but it is not known which part of the country she went to.
Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service to obtain the legal authority to interview members of Lamduan’s family and conduct enquiries in Thailand with the co-operation and assistance of the Thai authorities, as well as conducting enquires in the UK.
She was found more than a mile (2km) from the nearest road and was wearing only green jeans, socks, a ripped bra and a gold wedding band.
A T-shirt was found nearby. Her shoes were never recovered.
They said a possible cause was hypothermia.
A coroner returned an open verdict and she was buried in an anonymous grave.
However, it is now thought Lamduan was killed up to three weeks before walkers found her.
Reopening the case last year, cold case detectives said they believed she could have been a Thai bride whose body was dumped in the stream.
Her headstone says: “The Lady of the Hills. Found 20th Sept 2004. Name Not Known. Rest in Peace.”
The woman’s parents took part in a press conference earlier this year.
Her mother told the Thai Women’s Network (TWN), which organised the press conference, she had not heard from her daughter since 2004.
Reporters were shown photographs of the missing woman alongside an artist’s impression of the murder victim that was released by police in Britain.
The police spokesperson added: “We are seeking information from anyone who knew Lamduan Armitage nee Seekanya or her family between 1991 and up to the time she died in September 2004.
“No matter how small or seemingly insignificant you think the information is, it could prove to be very important to help us establish details about Lamduan’s life and the circumstances surrounding her death.”
If you have any information at all, please pass it on via any of the following:
- Information can be uploaded to the Major Incident Public Portal at www.mipp.police.uk
- Telephone: 01609 643147 (put +44 before the number if calling from outside the UK) – please leave a voicemail message including contact information if requested
- Email: ColdCaseReviewUnit@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
- If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org
- Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12170002439 when providing information about this case
