UK UK - Helen Fleet, 66, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, 28 March 1987

[OkieGranny]

http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/cold-...d-her-killer/story-29541264-detail/story.html

Helen Fleet, a 66-year-old widow who lived in Osborne Road in Weston-super-Mare was stabbed, beaten and strangled while walking her dog in Worlebury Woods...

A retired factory inspector, Helen loved taking her dogs for regular walks in Weston Woods. On the day she died, March 28, 1987, she had left her blue Datsun car in Worlebury Hill Road, near the entrance to the woods, and gone for a stroll with white West Highland terrier Bilbow and brown mongrel Cindy...

Two people reported hearing a scream in the woods at 12.20pm that Saturday and Mrs Fleet's body was found 20 minutes later by a friend, Sylvia Lewis, who lived in Worle, and who had been alerted by the barking of the dogs.

But the work of the police was hampered by the lack of an obvious motive, the widow had not been robbed and there was no indication of sexual assault.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/scream...-20-years-on/story-30055835-detail/story.html

Helen Fleet was walking her dogs through Worlebury Woods near Weston-super-Mare when she was stabbed ten times, battered around the head and strangled to death.

The brutal attack on the 66-year-old took place on March 28, 1987, but nearly 30 years later her killer has never been found...

They soon began working on a theory that Mrs Fleet may have known her killer after reports that she had been chatting to a youth two days before the murder... Witnesses also spotted another two youths running out of the woods, around 30 minutes after the murder...

Just last year retired police officer Chris Clark said he believed Mrs Fleet could have been the first victim of a serial killer.

He told national papers that her murder had a stark resemblance to the murders of Kate Bushell, 14, from Exmouth, Devon and 41-year-old Lyn Bryant in Cornwall, both of which remain unsolved.

 

[dotr]

New appeal in unsolved dog walker murder


Happy to see a thread already started, just came across this case and after reading this bit ( at the bottom of link) my curiosity was really piqued!
rbbm.
July 2018
"Just last year retired police officer Chris Clark said he believed Mrs Fleet could have been the first victim of a serial killer."
Dog walker stabbed ten times, battered and strangled to death in woods
"Police attention soon focused on trying to identify a youth who was seen running fast along Ashbury Drive.
Detectives thought he may have been the same person who was seen rushing down nearby Farm Road towards Milton Road carrying a yellow hard hat or crash helmet.

They soon began working on a theory that Mrs Fleet may have known her killer after reports that she had been chatting to a youth two days before the murder."
Witnesses also spotted another two youths running out of the woods, around 30 minutes after the murder.

One was aged 15 to 18, 5ft 5ins tall with dark trousers and a white ski jacket with red and blue trim.

The other youth, seen separately, was aged about 16 and was also wearing a ski jacket with red and grey or dark blue squares."

..."He told national papers that her murder had a stark resemblance to the murders of Kate Bushell, 14, from Exmouth, Devon and 41-year-old Lyn Bryant in Cornwall, both of which remain unsolved."

"Miss Bushell was killed on November 15, 1997 while exercising a neighbour's Jack Russell. Her throat had been cut and residents spotted a blood-soaked man running from the area, but he was never found"
Less than a year later housewife and mother-of-two Lyn Bryant was knifed to death on October 20, 1998 while walking her lurcher on the Roseland peninsula near her home in Truro. The 41-year-old, a grandmother, had been stabbed in the neck, chest and back."

 

[dotr]

'Dogwalk slayer' on the loose: One man behind 'cold case' murders, says ex-cop

"Retired police officer Chris Clark says the slayings are tied together by numerous strands of evidence.

Chris, 69, has linked the murders of Helen Fleet, 66, Kate Bushell, 14, and 41-year-old Lyn Bryant.

All were attacked by a knifeman while walking their dogs in isolated areas."

 

[dotr]

Thread for possibly connected murder..
UK - UK - Kate Bushell, 14, Exeter, Devon, 15 Nov 1997


Dog walker stabbed ten times, battered and strangled to death in woods
Some 13 years after the murder, another reconstruction, this time on HTV's Crimestoppers, brought up another potential witness.

A man came forward and suggested Mrs Fleet had been talking to a youth who played with her two dogs on the day of her death.
Photofit released by police hoping to identify a mystery 'youth'

 

[chips1986]

Any theories about who killed her

 

[tes1984]

Any theories about who killed her

The police suspect a young, local man.

Julie Mackay suspects that Christopher Hampton killed Helen Fleet, Shelley Morgan and Linda Guest.

Chris Clark suspects an unknown serial killer for Helen Fleet, Kate Bushell and Lyn Bryant.

 

[tes1984]

According to Julie Mackay, this was Christopher Hampton's fourth murder, but I'm not so sure myself.
Helen's murderer uses stabbing, bludgeoning and strangulation. Using multiple killing methods might indicate that we aren't dealing with a seasoned/experienced murderer.

 

[tes1984]

In a BBC article from 3rd April 2017, the police say "..it was not a robbery and there was no sexual assault".

It's possible that Helen's killer is disturbed before he can strip the body, commit sexual assault, and steal possessions and cash.

The murders of Melanie Road, Shelley Morgan and Linda Guest, all seem to involve sexual assault, robbery and staging. All three victims are killed by one method (stabbing).

Helen's murder involves none of the above elements, and the killer uses three different methods (stabbing, bludgeoning and strangulation).