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You are here: Home / Case of the Month / Case of the Month: Josephine Backshall

Case of the Month: Josephine Backshall

November 1, 2013 By Alice

Josephine Backshall
From the BBC News

Case of the Month: Josephine Backshall (39) who was last seen at about 6pm on Tuesday October 29, 1974, when she left her home to keep an appointment in Witham, Essex, UK. She was found dead Nov 1, 1974.

Today marks the 39th anniversary of her unsolved murder. Josephine Backshall left three children: Christopher, Sarah, and Emma. Her children have appealed to the public more than once for information. It led to “good responses” from the public in 2009. In 2010, police quizzed a man but released him as well. Since then, nothing.

The body of Josephine was discovered in a field off Bury Green Lane, which leads to Bury Green. The spot was almost 35 miles away from her home. Her wristwatch had stopped at 810 pm. Jospehine had placed an ad in her local papers for part-time work in Maldon. On October 29, she received a phone call from someone she may have referred to as “Peter.” She arranged to meet him at 630pm that evening. At about 715pm, a red Ford Cortina Mk 3, believed to be hers, was seen in Collingwood Road, Witham, with the bonnet up. It is also possible she was in the company of a man at the Fountain pub in Good Easter at 1030pm.

Josephine’s body was found fully clothed and she was lying face down. Her hands were tied with a cord tightly in front of her before the killer strangled her. Detectives said that there was no evidence she had been sexually abused.

If those cords were preserved they should be analyzed with the M-Vac for touch DNA.

Richard Moulder from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire’s Cold Case Review Unit said: “Josephine’s car was found broken into in the Collngwood Road car park in Witham. Was it you who broke into her car? There is no indication that there is any link between her murder and her car being broken into. We want to eliminate you from our enquiries and find out if you have any new information that could help with the investigation. Why was she taken almost 35 miles away to Bury Green? Did he have knowledge of the area? Did anyone see a suspicious vehicle travelling towards Bury Green?”

Josephine’s husband and father of her three children, Clifford Backshall, remarried, but died about 12 years ago.

You can help Josephine Backshall by sharing this story on social media platforms that you use to make sure that Josephine is not forgotten. And, if you have information please call police at 0845 33 00 222(UK).

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Filed Under: Case of the Month Tagged With: Autopsy, Case of the Month, Evidence, Josephine Backshall, M-Vac Systems, Strangulation, UK

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  1. The January 2014 Carnival says:
    January 15, 2014 at 10:23 am

    […] Defrosting Cold Cases case of the month for November last year was the unsolved murder of Josephine Backshall in 1974, of which I was unaware until I read the blog […]

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Dina Fort

Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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