UK Police could still use some help in the case of Josephine Backshall, 39, of Maldon, Essex, UK. She was discovered in Bury Green near Bishop’s Stortford on November 1, 1974. Josephine was last seen by her family at about 6pm on Tuesday October 29, 1974, when she left her home to keep an appointment in Witham, Essex, UK.
He body was found in a field off Bury Green Lane, which leads to Bury Green, on the morning of November 1, 1974. The spot was almost 35 miles away from her home. Her wristwatch had stopped at 810 pm. Her fully clothed body was face down in a pond near the village of Little Hadham, Herts, more than 30 miles from the home in Maldon, Essex, she shared with her husband and their three young children. Josephine’s hands were tied tightly in front of her with a cord before the killer strangled her. Detectives said at the time that there was no evidence she had been sexually abused.
Mrs Backshall had placed an advertisement in her local papers for part-time work in Maldon. On October 29, 1974, she got a phone call from someone she called “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.
There is also some information about Josephine being seen in the company of a man at the Fountain pub in Good Easter at 1030pm.
A 68-year-old man from Essex was questioned over the murder of Josephine Backshall. Police arrested the man, from the Maldon area, and later released him on bail pending further inquiries.
Investigator Richard Moulder urges anyone else who may have any information about the murder of Josephine Backshall to contact UK police on 0845 33 00 222 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Read more in the BBC article about Josephine Backshall here.
