‘Lady of the Hills’ body is lecturer’s wife – but he insists he didn’t kill her
A UNIVERSITY lecturer has denied murdering his Thai wife whose body was found dumped in a Yorkshire Dales stream 15 years ago.
The identity of the woman had been a mystery since her remains were found by walkers in 2004, with locals calling her ‘The Lady of the Hills’.
But yesterday police named her as Lamduan Armitage – a mother- of-three who moved to the UK in 1991 after marrying British teacher David Armitage in Bangkok. Mr Armitage, 55, who now teaches English at a Thai university in the town of Kanchanaburi, was traced by journalists to his home in Thailand, where he insisted: ‘I didn’t kill my wife – absolutely not.’
He added: ‘I know the inferences are there but I’m just getting on with my life. It’s been a long time.’
The couple moved to the UK in 1991 and had two sons and a daughter. The family lived in Hampshire, Warwickshire and Lancashire before moving in with Mr Armitage’s parents in Cumbria in 2003.
Mr Armitage left Britain for Thailand in 2004, telling friends and family his wife – then 36 – had ‘ disappeared’. Her seminaked body was found face- down in a stream near the village of Horton in Ribblesdale later that year.
Police failed to discover her identity, despite global appeals and a feature on BBC Crimewatch. Locals organised her funeral and she was buried with the headstone: The Lady of the Hills. Found 20th Sept 2004. Name Not Known. Rest in Peace.’
A post-mortem examination failed to find a cause of death, but last year – following a cold case review – North Yorkshire Police revealed they believed she had been murdered.
A police appeal for information led to publicity in Thailand where Mrs Armitage’s Thai parents said they believed it was their daughter’s body. Her mother Joomsri Seekanya, 73, said she had not heard from Lamduan since 2004, when she made an emotional call complaining of marital problems.
Mrs Seekanya told The Sun: ‘He’s British and Christian and we’re Thai and Buddhist. He is a teacher which has great status in Thailand and we are common village people. There were so many differences.’
Mrs Seekanya recalled the final phone conversation with Lamduan: ‘ She said she had no money, not even a single penny. She missed home so much. It was a very short call.
‘We have not heard from her since.’ Yesterday North Yorkshire Police said they wish to interview members of Mrs Armitage’s family living in Thailand. A spokesman added: ‘Officers are appealing for information from the UK and Thailand.’