Sutton Bank mystery: Woman found dead in 1981 could finally be identified after police tip-offs

Victim has never been identified despite extensive enquiries

The unidentified woman’s body was found to one side of the A170 Thirsk to Scarborough road (North Yorkshire Police)

A woman whose remains were found over 40 years ago may finally be identified, police hope, after an appeal brought in 28 potential names.

Her body was discovered at Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire, in 1981 following an anonymous tip to detectives.

Adam Harland, from North Yorkshire Police, said a fresh appeal in March brought in dozens of new leads.

(North Yorkshire Police)

He added that some names would be discounted, but others would be looked into extensively and the investigation is likely to take several months.

The unidentified woman’s body was found to one side of the A170 Thirsk to Scarborough road.

The anonymous caller did not give his name to the police for “security reasons”.

The state of decomposition of the body indicated that the woman was buried at least two years before her remains were discovered (North Yorkshire Police)

Mr Harland said: “At the beginning of these inquiries it seems you are never going to resolve it, but then one day you get a breakthrough and then usually most of the back story will reveal itself pretty quickly.”

“Until we know who she is, the only way we can go about trying to find that out is by people coming forward and suggesting names.

“We absolutely rely on the public looking at the case and wondering. Their intrigue can help us resolve it.”

The state of decomposition of the body indicated that the woman was buried at least two years before her remains were discovered.

Experts also concluded that she was likely a married mother of two or three children, 5ft 4in (1.6m) tall, slim and aged about 40.

They also said she had size four shoes and had certain distinguishing features such as a mild upper spine malformation. This would have made her hold her head at an unsual angle.

Though police suspect she was deliberately killed, there has never been enough evidence to officially call the case a murder.

The case was last actively investigated by detectives in 2012 when the woman’s body was exhumed from an unmarked grave to obtain new DNA evidence.

Her profile has been compared to samples of family who could potentially be related to the woman, but no match has been found yet.

Mr Harland said: “Someone, somewhere could be sitting there with information they’ve never felt able to share, or a family tree wondering who this person was. My message to them is simple: I’d like to hear from you.”