UK UK- Margaret Lightfoot, 48, walking dog in Epping Forest, found nude & strangled with dog leash, Loughton, 24 Nov. '75 *DNA*

[dotr]

Cold cases: The detectives on the trail of undiscovered killers

A team of detectives based in south London is using forensic science advances in an effort to solve cold case murders.

www.bbc.com

By Danny Shaw 2016 rbbm.
''A dedicated team of British detectives is working to solve cold case murders. And with advances in forensic science, they are hoping to bring some of the killers to justice.
At midday, on 24 November 1975, Margaret Lightfoot left her home in Loughton to take her Airedale puppy for a walk in nearby Epping Forest.
Mrs Lightfoot was seen by a neighbour.
Later, another neighbour saw the dog running loose in the street and took it back to Mrs Lightfoot's house, leaving it in the garden.
When Mrs Lightfoot did not return home, her husband reported her missing in the early evening and a search was started.
It was called off after dark and resumed the next morning, when Margaret's naked body was found in heavy undergrowth. She'd been strangled.''

''However, a detailed type-written report of the case from the officer in charge at the time has been recovered from police archives, together with items of evidence known as "exhibits".
And they've given police renewed hope of a breakthrough.

Wellington boots​

"We have been lucky, because we still have some property from the crime scene," says acting Detective Inspector Susan Stansfield, an officer from the Metropolitan Police's cold case unit.
"We've asked our forensic scientists to re-examine those items to see if we can use any modern-day techniques - back then we would only have been able to fingerprint items," says DI Stansfield.''

''Scientists are focusing on the two Wellington boots Mrs Lightfoot had been wearing, found underneath her body.
Detectives believe the boots had been pulled off by her killer and may therefore contain traces of his DNA.''

 

[jojojaja]

Evening Standard 26 Nov 1975, page 7 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from Evening Standard dated 26 Nov 1975, page 7.

www.newspapers.com

Evening Standard
26 November 1975

Police think the killer had a knife, despite the fact she was strangled. ML had a cut on her right hand, all ML's clothes were removed except her socks and nothing damaged which implies she complied with her killer out of fear and threat.
Police are unsure if ML was sexually assaulted as she wasn't visibly so.
Prior to this murder, police were keeping an eye on this part of Epping Forest as there were many reports of a man exposing himself, including in front of young girls horse riding.

 

[jojojaja]

Evening Standard
14 January, 1976

Police released a photofit of what I can only imagine is the streaker/ man exposing himself to all and sundry in the Forest known locally, and this is in more than one newspaper, perverts in the forest known to locals as a 'Forest Hopper', in connection with ML's death.
Obviously the police regarded both as perverts and therefore possibly the same person. I am adding the photofit as it was made by and supplied by the police so cannot be copywrite of the paper.