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It was early winter 1970 in the city of Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. On the evening of Friday May 15th, 18 year old Olive Walker wrapped up warm and set out on foot to her sister's house across town, to babysit her nieces and nephews. Around an hour later Olive was spotted near the Odeon cinema in the centre of Rotorua, only ten minutes from her destination. This was the last time Olive was seen alive.  A short time later multiple witnesses reported hearing screams from a nearby residential area. Within hours a group of teenagers discovered Olive's body in a highway rest area just out of town. The killer was long gone but had left some vital clues to their identity.
 
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Patricia "Lee" Parsons worked as a masseuse at a sauna in Camden town London. Lee also obtained a significant income as a high end escort. The 42 year old reportedly had hundreds of clients, many of whom were high status individuals from the worlds of politics and show business. On the evening of Saturday June 23rd 1990 Lee failed to show up at a private event being held at the restaurant she owned jointly with her boyfriend. The following day Lee's body was found inside her car in a farmer's field 45 minutes from her home. Lee had been shot three times with a crossbow and the killing had all the hallmarks of a professional hit. Thus transpired an investigation that delved into the criminal underworld of London, as police searched for a motive for this most callous execution.

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Twice widowed Mabel Harper spent the evening of August 12th 1943 at her sister's house in the Maindy area of Cardiff. Time slipped by quickly and at 10.50pm Mabel left hurriedly hoping to catch the last bus home. Unfortunately the 53 year old missed the bus by minutes, forcing her to walk the 40 minute journey alone. As she made her way alongside the highway it was particularly dark, a blackout was in full effect due to the threat of air raids from Nazi bombers. Mabel never made it to her destination. Her naked and bound body was found the next morning on a grass verge next to the road. Her injuries were catastrophic and displayed a sickening propensity for violence. The police were at a dead end until some extraordinary information fell into their hands, blowing the case wide open.

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August 15th 1945 was a joyous occasion in Australia's history. It was the day peace was declared and six long years of war ended. As the owners of a radio set, the Eastwell family were some of the first people to hear the happy news in the small rural town of Gol Gol, located on the NSW/Victoria border. For 8 year old Valerie Eastwell the momentous events in the Pacific signalled a day off school and she was tasked with going out into the community to spread the good tidings. There were several sightings of Valerie during the morning and conflicting reports regarding when she was last seen. When Valerie failed to show up for her evening meal her parents became worried and contacted the police. Valerie has not been seen since and the investigation has flitted between different theories to explain her mysterious disappearance. The case is now the oldest missing persons case in the country. 

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Stephanie Whittaker was a happily married mother of three who had everything to live for. On the evening of March 23rd 1990 the 34 year old was due to meet friends for a drink in the centre of Newport, South Wales. Stephanie left her house at 8.25pm to walk the short five minute journey into town but she never arrived. Despite a couple of unconfirmed sightings over the next 24 hours Stephanie has not been heard of since. All her knew her agreed, that Stephanie would not have left her family of her own accord and Gwent police have said the disappearance is highly suspicious.

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*In the episode I give the date of an interview Tony Whittaker did with the Wales on Sunday as July 10th 1990. It was June 10th 1990)

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On an August evening in 2007, 7 year old Nurin Jazlin left her family's apartment and headed to the nearby night market in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nurin was alone and intent on purchasing a hair clip at one of the stalls. She never returned and witness reports would confirm she had was abducted by a man driving a white van. Almost a month later her parents' worst fears were realised when Nurin's body was discovered. 4 months later and 20 km away another little girl, Sharlinie Mohd Nashar, disappeared while playing in at a playground. She has never been seen since. A spate of abductions and failed kidnappings across Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding state of Selangor would lead investigators to suspect they were all connected. 

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At the age of 35 Dr Tatjana "Tanya" Kopric had already achieved so much. She had emigrated to America from Yugoslavia in 1975 and had worked at numerous hospitals before setting up her own private medical practice in Kansas city, Missouri. In September 1980 her life was cruelly taken in a matter of seconds, when she was shot at close range as she sat in her parked car.  Witnesses recognised the assassin and the search for Tanya's killer got underway. The trail led to a remote part of Canada before abruptly stopping, leaving investigators scratching their heads and a fugitive on the loose.

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On the evening of Saturday April 19th 1986  Teresa Branch and her friend Lisa were returning to Decatur in Wise County after visiting Teresa's family in Arlington, Texas. The pair had been plagued by car trouble all weekend and 18 year old Teresa's red Pontiac Sunbird stalled yet again just minutes after leaving her parents home. With no payphone in sight Teresa decided to jog the short distance back home to get help. She told Lisa to wait in the car and that she would be back soon. Within minutes she was accosted by one or more persons who sexually assaulted Teresa before taking her life.

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In the later half of 2000 three women were murdered whilst hitchhiking in eastern Romania. The bodies of Maria Bîru, Safta Ciubotaru and Marcela Tomozei were discovered along lonely forest roads near the city of Barlad. There were few clues and little in the way of forensic evidence. All went quiet and it was assumed the killer had moved away or possibly even died. Then in 2004 it appeared the killer may have struck again with the brutal murder of  Mioara Danuta Manea. A decade later two further murders elsewhere in Europe would thrust a prime suspect into the spotlight.

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This week's episode is a little different. John guests on the excellent podcast Scottish Murders to examine the 1990 unresolved murder of Ann Heron.

This is part two. You can listen to part one by visiting the Scottish Murders podcast at Home - Scottish Murders or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

In part two we continue the story of Ann Heron’s murder with an arrest made in November 2005. This person was later released due to insufficient evidence. Despite various leads and multiple suspects, including Christopher Halliwell, sadly the case remains open. Durham Police and Ann’s family continue to seek information, hoping to solve a mystery that has persisted for decades. The case’s complexity is underscored by conflicting theories, a lack of definitive forensic evidence, and the emotional toll on the families involved. The search for justice continues, with the hope that new advances in forensic science will finally provide the answers needed to close the chapter on Ann Heron’s murder.

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