Suzy Lamplugh
Encyclopedia
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
estate agent
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
reported missing on 28 July 1986 (aged 25) in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, South West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994. The last clue of her whereabouts was an appointment to show a house in Shorrolds Road to someone she referred to as "Mr. Kipper". Following her disappearance, police DNA tested 800 unidentified bodies and skeletal remains that matched Lamplugh's description.
In late 2010, police began a new search of a field off the B4084 between Pershore
Pershore
Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304...
and Drakes Broughton
Drakes Broughton
Drakes Broughton is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village is situated on the B4084 road 2 miles north of Pershore and 7 miles south of Worcester.The village has two pubs; the Old Oak and the Plough and Harrow....
. The area is about three miles away from the former Norton Army Barracks in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
which was searched in December 2000 and February 2001. In 2000, police had searched a nearby brickworks which several witness had mentioned in their original statements. The search proved unsuccessful and to this day, her remains have never been found.
Disappearance
Lamplugh was an estate agent, reported missing after going to an appointment with someone calling himself "Mr. Kipper" to show him a house in Fulham. Her office diary recorded the essential details of the appointment: '12.45 Mr. Kipper – 37 Shorrolds Road O/S', with the 'O/S' annotation meaning outside the property. Witnesses reported seeing Lamplugh arguing with a man in Shorrolds Road and then getting into a car.Her white Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
was found that night outside a property for sale in Stevenage Road, Fulham, about one and a half miles away. The ignition key was missing and Lamplugh's purse was found in a door storage pocket. Police suggested that a black BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
car might have been involved, due to an eyewitness account of a car at the same location as Lamplugh's car in Stevenage Road. It was thought for some time after her disappearance that "Kipper" was her pronunciation of the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
name "Kuiper", but despite police investigations, nobody of this name was found to be connected to Lamplugh.
Police investigations
Lamplugh was officially declared dead in 1994, while further police investigations in 1998 and 2000 failed to uncover any trace of her.There has been speculation that convicted rapist and killer John Cannan
John Cannan
John David Guise Cannan is a British criminal and former car salesman who was convicted in 1988 of murder and sexual offences...
could have killed Lamplugh, as he was released from a hostel only days before she went missing. Also, it has been claimed that Cannan's nickname in prison was 'Kipper'. However, despite investigations there is no hard evidence. Cannan has denied any involvement.
In 2000 a former girlfriend of John Cannan, Gilly Paige, told police that he had suggested Lamplugh's body was buried at Norton Barracks, a former RAF barracks in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. One of Cannan's fellow prisoners told police that Cannan had buried Lamplugh under the patio of his mother's house in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
.
A new investigation began in August 2010, centred on an area in Worcestershire near to Pershore
Pershore
Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304...
and Drakes Broughton
Drakes Broughton
Drakes Broughton is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village is situated on the B4084 road 2 miles north of Pershore and 7 miles south of Worcester.The village has two pubs; the Old Oak and the Plough and Harrow....
.
Similar cases
There was a similar case in 2006 involving a 48-year-old female estate agent in WiltshireWiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
who met a client called Mr. Herring. She was attacked with a sharp object, causing cuts to her arm, and was pushed to the ground, but managed to free herself. The assailant ran away. Police have said there is no connection between this case and the disappearance of Lamplugh.
Michael Sams
Michael Sams
Michael Sams is an English rapist, kidnapper, extortionist and murderer who kidnapped Julie Dart on 9 July 1991 and Stephanie Slater on 22 January 1992....
kidnapped Stephanie Slater in 1992. She was an estate agent working in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Slater's employers paid a ransom and she was released. He was later found guilty of her kidnap, and of murdering 18-year-old Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
prostitute Julie Dart. Sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
, he is still behind bars as of 2010, and is currently being held at Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. Crime writer Christopher Berry-Dee, in Unmasking Mr. Kipper: Who Really Killed Suzy Lamplugh?, has put forth the case that Sams killed Lamplugh, but this has been dismissed by police.
Lamplugh had been working as a beautician on the ocean liner QE2 in 1982. Steve Wright
Steve Wright (serial killer)
Steven Gerald James Wright is an English serial killer, also known as the Suffolk Strangler. He is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of five women who worked as prostitutes in Ipswich, Suffolk...
, who was convicted in February 2008 of the murder of five prostitutes
Ipswich 2006 serial murders
The Ipswich serial murders took place between 30 October and 10 December 2006 when the bodies of five murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich, Suffolk, England. All the victims were women who worked as prostitutes in the Ipswich area. Their bodies were discovered naked,...
in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, worked as a steward
Chief Steward
A chief steward is the senior unlicensed crew member working in the Steward's Department of a ship. Since there is no purser on most ships in the United States Merchant Marine, the steward is the senior person in the department, whence its name...
on the QE2 at the same time. Police are investigating whether Wright was connected to Lamplugh's disappearance. However, the Metropolitan Police have stated that this is not a strong line of enquiry.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust was established in 1986 to help people avoid becoming victims of aggression, and to offer counselling and support to relatives and friends of missing people.External links
- The Suzy Lamplugh Trust An organisation created by Diana Lamplugh - Suzy's mother - to promote personal safety.
- The search for Lamplugh from the BBC.
- BBC On this Day BBC page on 30 July 1986, the day the appeal was made by Lamplugh's parents for her safe return.
- Witness describes 'Lamplugh kidnap from the BBC.