Peter Sutcliffe and Peter Tobin investigated over murder of headless woman

It was a shocking sight. A headless body dumped in a ditch, her hands and feet tied together wearing just a pink nightdress. But, more palpable was the sense of sadness which accompanied the discovery in a leafy Norfolk village - as nobody knew who she was.

More than fifty years on, the identity of the woman remains a mystery, despite high-profile investigations involving assistance from the FBI and Interpol.

The woman, who is thought to have been aged between 23 and 35 and a mother, was found on August 27, 1974 in the undergrowth at a lover’s lane opposite RAF Marham’s shooting range.

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She wore a pink Marks and Spencer nightie produced five years earlier, and was wrapped in a grey sheet with lettering NCR - later discovered to belong to National Cash Registers.

She is believed to have died approximately two weeks before she was found, leading detectives to suspect she was murdered elsewhere before being dumped.

Her decomposed body was discovered in Swaffham, Norfolk, by a 19-year-old tractor driver, who was out walking and lifted the sheet to reveal the gruesome sight. He immediately ran from the scene and contacted police.

Despite a thorough search of the area, no further clues to the woman’s identity were found, and the victim’s head was never recovered. She subsequently became known as the Norfolk Headless Body.

The Major Investigation Team interviewed and ruled out families of nearly 500 women declared missing at that time.

In 2008 her remains were exhumed after advances in DNA offered the chance of a full profile. Samples of her toenails, hair and thigh bone were subjected to isotopic analysis. A professor examined the water she had consumed and concluded she may have come from Denmark, Germany, Austria or Italy – and she may have had a child.

Cold case detectives investigating the murder say it is possible the victim was a woman known as The Duchess, who was originally from Denmark but lived and worked around the docks in Great Yarmouth.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Guy, of Norfolk Police, said: "One important line of inquiry remains unresolved. "As part of our investigations we employed two scientists to study the victim's isotopic make-up. "This resulted in both experts believing that the victim had spent time in an area defined as central Europe - this would encompass Denmark, Germany, Austria and northern Italy. Another interesting feature was her diet appeared to be predominantly fish and shellfish."

"This led us to one report of a woman known as The Duchess, who lived and worked around Yarmouth docks and was thought to be from Denmark. "She was known to people in the Great Yarmouth area around 1973/74 but one day just disappeared. "It may be that The Duchess has nothing to do with this inquiry but we would very much like to be able to eliminate her as the victim at Cockley Cley as we have been unable to establish her true identity."

The Danish sex worker was well known for working the docks and even cleaning the boats. She would regularly get lifts with her lorry driver clients who would normally drop her back at the docks.

Andy Guy, who investigates cold cases for Norfolk Constabulary, confirmed last year his team investigated links to Peter Sutcliffe, Peter Tobin and other active serial killers in the 1970s but without a name for the victim a solid link has never been established.

Tobin was a Scottish convicted serial killer and sex offender who served a whole life order for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006. Police also investigated Tobin over the deaths and disappearances of other young women and girls.

Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. He died on 13 November 2020 age 74 years.

Speaking to The Independent last year on the 50th anniversary of the discovery, he said: “I think we are as far along the road as we can be with the case. Unless someone rings in and says I think that it could be my mother or something as striking as that.

“It is frustrating,” he said. “We have made progress; we know she is between 25 and 35, around 5ft 2in, but we don’t have a name. It is tantalisingly out of reach. If we had a name we would have a place to go to. And we would be on our way to solving this and maybe even getting justice for her.” She had a family – possibly children – who must have wondered what happened to her, and to be deposited in the manner she was is particularly inhuman.

“The offender would probably be aged at least 75 now and may be dead. But the savagery displayed by decapitation makes me concerned as to what else the offender may have done during their lifetime, and is another reason why we continue to pursue this case."