Police travel to Thailand in latest bid to solve ‘Lady in the Hills’ cold case mystery

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Police have travelled to Thailand to speak to the husband and family of a woman dubbed ‘the Lady in the Hills’ who was dead in the countryside more than 20 years ago.

Lamduan Armitage’s body was found by walkers in a remote location in the Yorkshire Dales on September 20, 2004.

She was discovered wearing just socks and jeans.

Lamduan was named as ‘The Lady of the Hills’ by locals who even paid for her funeral before her identity was discovered in early 2019.

Her parents saw an article about her death, contacted officers and said they believed it could be their daughter who they hadn’t seen since 2004.

DNA testing was carried out which confirmed the woman to be Lamduan, who would be now aged 55 and who was living in northern England at the time of her death.

It also established that she was married with three children and that she had previously lived in Portsmouth, Rugby and Preston.

She is originally from the Udon Thani province in northeast Thailand, which is where her parents still live.

North Yorkshire Police officers are now travelling to Thailand to speak to Lamduan’s parents Buasa and Joomsri Seekanya, after an almost four-year delay due to COVID.

Adam Harland, manager of the cold case review unit, has said he remains ‘determined to seek answers’ for Lamduan’s family.

He said: “Despite the difficulties we have faced to progress the investigation in recent years, we remain determined to seek answers for Lamduan’s family about the circumstances of her being found dead in a beautiful but remote part of the Yorkshire Dales in September 2004.

“It has been frustrating to have had to wait so long to be able to travel to Thailand.

“We are hoping to speak with all the members of her family, including her husband, to gather their evidence about her life and to offer what support we can with regards to their loss.

“The loss of any family member in circumstances of homicide is a terrible blow, bringing a misery and a sense of loss that so often lasts a lifetime.

“There is, in this case, the additional pain that for 14 years it was not even known that this had been Lamduan’s fate.

“We will also be consulting with all the family members about a request that Lamduan’s remains be returned to her family in Thailand in accordance with their Buddhist faith.

“This is not a straightforward process to achieve, but they will have our assistance and support in bringing a resolution to this particularly unhappy case.”

Mr Harland has also urged people to avoid speculation around the case, to ensure they have the best chance to deliver justice for her and her family.

He added: “North Yorkshire Police is aware of the widespread interest in this investigation which strikes at the heart of issues surrounding violence against women and girls in the United Kingdom, in Thailand, and around the world.

“To ensure that the investigation and the path of fair justice are not compromised, we strongly urge the media and people using social media to avoid damaging speculation about this case.

“We are doing all we can to seek answers and secure justice for Lamduan’s loved ones.

“After almost 19 years, during which time the community of Horton in Ribblesdale have shown respect and care for Lamduan when she was only known as the ‘Lady of the Hills’, it would be a tragedy if we were prevented from achieving this outcome due to damaging reporting and online speculation.”