UK UK - Josephine Backshall, 39, murdered, Bury Green, near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, 1974

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headwitchuk

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I am looking for information on the 1974 cold case of Josephine Backshall in the UK.
I am drawn to this case as Josephine's body was found not to far from where i live.

I have a few bullet points, which I am writing out now and will share on here.

Is anyone else interested in this case? Would anyone be willing to share information and hopefully find out what happened to her.

Her husband has since passed, but her 3 children are still looking for answers.
 

Welwyn Hatfield Times
March 2010
New probe into 1974 strangle killing
''Josephine Backshall, 39, from Maldon, was found dead in Bury Green, near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, in 1974.

Her death prompted a massive police investigation but despite efforts from Hertfordshire Constabulary and Essex Police, her killer was never brought to justice.

Today, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Cold Case Review Unit and Mrs Backshall's three children made renewed call for information to help solve her killing.

Mrs Backshall was last seen by her family at about 6pm on Tuesday October 29, 1974, when she left her home to keep an appointment in Witham.

Three days later, at about 11.45am on Friday November 1, 1974, her body was discovered in a field off the main lane (known as Bury Green Lane) leading to Bury Green, near Bishop's Stortford, almost 35 miles away from her home. She had been strangled.''
 
3 March 2010

A 68-year-old man from Essex has been questioned over the murder of Josephine Backshall, whose body was found in Hertfordshire 36 years ago.

Police arrested the man, from the Maldon area, and later released him on bail pending further inquiries.

[...]

Mrs Backshall had placed an advert in her local newspapers for part-time work in Maldon and on 29 October, had a phonecall from someone she may have referred to as "Peter".

She arranged to meet him at 1830 GMT that night and at about 1915 GMT, a red Ford Cortina Mk 3, believed to be hers, was seen in Collingwood Road, Witham, with the bonnet up.

Police believe it is also possible that she was in the company of a man at the Fountain pub in Good Easter at 2230 GMT.

BBC News - Essex man quizzed over 1974 murder
 
as i am new to this, what are the chances of me trying to get in contact with the officer in charge of the case and him actually sharing anything with me?
 
Public urged to help find Josephine's killer

Pensioner quizzed over mother's death

A couple more pages on the case
Would love to solve this one, but where to start lol
This bit of information is interesting, wondering what type of modelling job did JB think she was going to get?
To pose as a model for a sculptor, painter or photographer, fashion designer?
Thinking the perp might be familiar with those industries in some way in order to successfully trick
the 39 year old, Josephine B.
Wondering if JB was bound prior to death, might that suggest a physically weak killer?
speculation, imo.
Pensioner quizzed over mother's death
''Maldon woman Josephine Backshall was found bound and strangled in a shallow pond in a quiet countryside lane near Bishop's Stortford.

A major police investigation was launched with detectives fearing the 39-year-old could have been lured to her death by a man who offered her part-time work as a model.''
 
2009
Fresh Appeal Over 1974 Murder
''Mrs Backshall had placed an advert in the local papers seeking part-time work in February 1974. As a result of the advert, she received a number of calls from a man offering work. Twice she arranged appointments with the man, but he failed to turn up.

She finally met with the man, who may have called himself Dave, in Witham, where they may have discussed photographic or modelling work.

Several months passed before Josephine received another call, around 1:15pm on the day she disappeared from someone she may have referred to as Peter and arranged to meet him at 6:30pm that evening. Her children thought she was talking to their Uncle Peter, but she said that it was a man who responded to her advert before.

"Why was she taken almost 35 miles away to Bury Green? Did he have knowledge of the area? Did anyone see a suspicious vehicle travelling towards Bury Green?"
 
personally i feel she was bound first, but have seen no evidence (but i have just messaged police to see if they will share anything, but don't think they will)
i did hear that another women answered a similar modelling advert a couple of weeks before but she changed her mind because she had a funny feeling about the man. i will try and find what i found about that claim

i am trying to find the spot on a map, but not having much luck as not sure if the lane is still about now. there is a lane close to me called bury green, but not sure if it is the same one. i want to find it so i can go a look at the area now and see if i can find photos of it back then to try and see whats changed and see if i can take photos now to see if the area could give any clues to the kind of perp it was.

just trying to think if she even made it to the meeting.
her car was found miles from her body. so could be someone was following her and offered a lift? could of been someone she knew who said they was just passing so she would not know she was being followed? or could it have been that a passer by have offered her a lift and killed her?
was the phone call she received before she went missing really about a job? maybe she hold her family it was, but was really meeting someone else?

so many questions but not a lot of information that i can find on line yet!
 
2009
Fresh Appeal Over 1974 Murder
''Mrs Backshall had placed an advert in the local papers seeking part-time work in February 1974. As a result of the advert, she received a number of calls from a man offering work. Twice she arranged appointments with the man, but he failed to turn up.

She finally met with the man, who may have called himself Dave, in Witham, where they may have discussed photographic or modelling work.

Several months passed before Josephine received another call, around 1:15pm on the day she disappeared from someone she may have referred to as Peter and arranged to meet him at 6:30pm that evening. Her children thought she was talking to their Uncle Peter, but she said that it was a man who responded to her advert before.

"Why was she taken almost 35 miles away to Bury Green? Did he have knowledge of the area? Did anyone see a suspicious vehicle travelling towards Bury Green?"


if the area is where i am thinking, then it is not an area people would just know.
there are so many country lanes around here. even i dont know where they all lead to. so i would say he may well have know the area. or he just drove around looking for an area. but i long way to drive around with a possible dead body. or was she murdered at bury green? if so, did she know she was going there or was she kidnapped?
 
I am in the process of finding out as much information about this case as I can.
The information is all over the place, so I am trying to sort and arrange it into some kind of order.
So I can share it all with other who may be interested
 
All information is what I have managed to find out, but not confirmed with the police
this information is what i have been able to find out so far on the case.
i have so many questions from finding out information. hope i can find and out more information as i go.




Josephine Backshall


Background and leading up to the day Josephine went missing

Josephine Backshall lived in a semi-detached house atNorfolk close, Maldon, Essex. With her husband Clifford Backshall, and their 3 children, Christopher, Sarah and Emma.

At the time of her murder Josephine was 39 years old, Clifford was 39 as well and the children were 12, 10 and 7.

Josephine had a red Ford Cortina MK3.


Josephine was seeking part-time work in or around Maldon, to earn some extra money for her family.

These are the words in her advert:

Lady, late 30s, seeks part-time employment in or round Maldon. Own transport. Anything considered. Previous experience banking. Able to type. And then her phone number.

This advert appeared in the wanted section of the Maldon and Burnham Standard in February 1974.


The first person to respond to her advert was a man called Peter, who talked about the possibility of modelling for cosmetics and possibly clothing.

Josephine and Peter had arranged to meet on two occasions, but Peter had not kept either meeting. Peter later apologised and Josephine had met him on several occasions. On one of these occasions Peter went to Josephine’s house and took photos of her in her garden.



Day of going missing


Tuesday the 29th of October 1974

Josephine received a phone call from Peter on Tuesday the 29th of October 1974.

Peter said he had been let down by a women who was meant to do some modelling for him in Cheltenham that night, so he asked if she could fill in? Peter mentioned a commission of £100.


That evening Josephine left her house around 6-6:15pm. She told her family she was going to meet Peter for an appointment in Witham at 6:30pm


Later that same evening at around 7:15pm a red Ford Cortina MK3, believed to have been Josephine’s car. The car was seen on Collingwood road, Witham, with the bonnet up.

Josephine’s car was later found, broken into in the Collingwood road carpark in Witham.

There was no indication that there was a link between Josephine’s murder and her car being broken into.




Day body was found and after


On the morning of Friday the 1st of november 1974, at around 11:45am Josephine’s body was found by post office workers. Josephine’s body was found fully clothed, laying face down in a shallow pond, with her hands tightly bound in front of her. Josephine’s hands were tied with cord. cord was also used to strangle her which was still around her neck. (i don’t know if it was the same type of cord or not yet!).

At the time investigators said that there was no signs of sexual assault.

Josephine’s watch had stopped at 8:10.


Josephine was discovered in a field off of (what was known as) Bury Green Lane, which leads to the village of Bury Green, near Bishop;s Stortford and the village of Little Hadham in Hertfordshire.

Josephine was found almost 35 miles from her home.


There was some information that josephine was seen in the company of a man at the Fountain pub in Good Easter at 10:30pm (pub is now a private residence since the 1980s)


Police released information later on, that Josephine’s last meal consisted of white cabbage, baked beans, potato and bread. (the cabbage was a little burnt, so police thought maybe bubble and squeak).


Police know Josephine was standing by her red Cortina in Collingwood road, Witham on the night she met her killer. Josephine turned down an offer of help saying someone was already on the way to assist.


A man did come forward who had been working at the rail station car park on the last night Josephine was alive. He said he saw a women who could have been Josephine Backshall arguing with a man aged about 30, six foot tall, with short brown and wearing a check sports jacket. “The women looked as if she didn’t want to get too close to him, although he had his arm around her”. Mr Robertson, 42 year old witness.


The police said “we now know Mrs Backshall’s car had gone from Collingwood road, Witham, by nine oclock on the night she died”.


A later newspaper reported that the man hunt had switched to the Braintree area. Police had set up a road block to ask motorists about the telephone kiosk opposite The Swan public house, on the A120 at Bradwell. It is understood the killer may have used the booth on the night of October 29th, when a phone call luted Mrs Backshall to her death.

Police have already worked on a theory that, a call from Great Totham phone box lured Mrs Backshall to her killer. The murder hunt is now centred on the Bradwell kiosk.

Hertfordshire police did warn that the killer may strike again. “This killer must be caught”.


In a later newspaper article it stated that detectives are also looking at other unsolved murders for general comparison, but have discovered a big question mark over motives for the killer.


Another paper

The police pleaed with the public to search their albums for photos or cine of Mrs Backshall. Investigators said the murder squad men need the photographs to piece together the last hours in Josephine Backshall’s life.

A man was questioned by police for several hours at the weekend in connection with the murder, but he was later released.

Over 100 cafes and restaurants have been visited by detectives to try and discover where the dead women ate her last meal, probably with her killer.

And police are also anxious to trace garages or passers-by who were asked to help the dead women when her red Cortina car broken down in Collingwood road, Witham, on the night she met her death. Mrs Backshall was seen standing by the car with the bonnet up and police think the headlight was faulty.


31st August 2018 Welwyn and Hatfield times)

Only said the following:

Josephine Backshall was found in a Bishops Stortford field having been tied up, hit around the head and strangled in 1974.


Peter


Josephine had described (to family and friends) Peter as being in his early 30s, tall, heavily built man, with knowledge about perfumes and woman’s toiletries. She also said he was a competent photographer.


During the investigation police found 3 other women in the area, who had put adverts in the local papers, who had been offered modelling opportunities by Peter.

They all rejected him.
 
A police sketch of "Peter" was issued a year after the murder. Apparently when Peter was taking pictures of Josephine Backshall at her home, a friend of the victim called round to visit without warning. The sketch is based on her description.

BL-0002137-19751102-267-0037-3
Welcome to Ws Endeavour75, thanks for the very helpful link!
 
Does anyone have a copy or download of this police sketch as the link is not working

A police sketch of "Peter" was issued a year after the murder. Apparently when Peter was taking pictures of Josephine Backshall at her home, a friend of the victim called round to visit without warning. The sketch is based on her description.

BL-0002137-19751102-267-0037-3
 
Reports give two locations where Josephine's body was left - Little Hadham and Bury Green. They are some distance apart - see map - does anyone have a precise location that they can share?
 

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Tuesday the 29th of October 1974 (Day of going missing)

Josephine received a phone call from Peter on Tuesday the 29th of October 1974.

Peter said he had been let down by a woman who was meant to do some modelling for him in Cheltenham that night, so he asked if she could fill in? Peter mentioned a commission of £100.

That evening Josephine left her house around 6-6:15pm. She told her family she was going to meet Peter for an appointment in Witham at 6:30pm

Later that same evening at around 7:15pm a red Ford Cortina MK3, believed to have been Josephine’s car. The car was seen on Collingwood road, Witham, with the bonnet up.
Cheltenham would be about a 4 hour trip by car from Witham. Leaving Witham with 'Peter' at 6:30 would give an arrival time of around 10:30 pm. I am not a professional photographer but 10:30 seems rather late to me to start a photoshoot. If the shoot took 2 hours then they wouldn't return to Witham until 4:30 am the following day. This sounds all rather improbable. Although it was reported that her family knew of this arrangement it would appear that no concerns were expressed or suspicions aroused at the time.
 

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