DNA samples have been taken from a Thai couple who believe their daughter may be the “The Lady of the Hills” who was found 14 years ago.
FAMILY PHOTO/DONLAWAT SUNSUK
The body of a lady was discovered in a stream near Pen-y-ghent in the yorkshire dales on 20th September 2004.She was found by walkers who were following Pennie way near Pen-Y-Ghent in North Yorkshire. She was a mile (2km) from the nearest road. She was found only wearing jeans and socks; a post mortem could not establish the cause of her death but did show she had been dead for one to three weeks. There was no sign of a violent death, but it is possible that she was suffocated. It is believed her death could have taken place between 31st August and 13th September 2004. She was believed to be aged between 25 and 35 years old; her hair was black, cut just above the shoulders. The lady was quite short in height, 4ft 11in to be exact. She was wearing a wedding ring and is believed to have children. It is believed that she lived in either Lancashire, Cumbria or West Dales area. Her identity has never been established by North Yorkshire Police but officers think she was a murdered “Thai bride”.
NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE
Analysis of the samples taken by Thai officials is due to take several days. The results of the test will then be sent to the UK for comparison. The couple Joomsri Seekanya, 72, and her husband Buasa, told A press conference in north-east Thailand last week their daughter married a British man in 1991 and moved to north-west England shortly after, they have not seen her since 2004.
Mrs Seekanya said: “A part of me hopes that it’s not my daughter – I want her to come back alive. But if it’s really her, I can finally sleep at night.”
As no-one came forward to identify the woman after her body was found, the parish council for Horton in Ribblesdale organised her funeral in 2007. Officials said the village felt “responsibility” towards her, and wanted her to have a final resting place “should her family ever get traced”. More than 40 people attended the funeral in the village graveyard. The headstone bears the title given to the woman by local people – “The Lady of the Hills”.
There are many theories of this case. Here are a few.
The first theory is that she was killed at her home address and the person drove to the area in a vehicle (possibility a 4×4) and dumped. This is a more than likely theory as it fits in with belief that her family (children) were told that she had left the country to go back to her home country for a new life.
Alternatively, she could have been killed at the scene when out for a walk with an individual and was left to be found by a walker.
The last theory is one that cannot be ruled out. This theory is that she was simple out for a walk when she decided to take a rest near the pot hole and was washed downstream. The woman may also have fallen ill on the walk.
