8 Unsolved English Murders from the 1970s

Last Updated on August 2, 2022 by Ben Oakley

There are many unsolved cold cases in England stretching back to Victorian times and beyond. But the 1970s saw their fair share of murders that have never been solved. Here are eight English Cold Cases from the 1970s that still remain unsolved.

1. Willenhall Murder

Location: Staffordshire. Date: 5th Mar 1979.

Resham Kaur Dhillon was found strangled in her bedroom at her home in Willenhall. The area around Willenhall was usually quiet and safe, so the community were shocked to hear of a murder among them.

There had been no obvious break-in, but some cash and gold had been stolen from her home. Detectives on the case found information hard to come by as a veil of silence had enveloped people that were close to her.

The murder remains unsolved, and police are still looking for information. It is one of Staffordshire’s longest-running unsolved crimes.

2. Easter Monday Murder

Location: Lincolnshire. Date: 16th Apr 1979.

In the early hours of the morning, the body of 60-year-old petrol pump attendant Gordon Snowden was discovered. He had been severely beaten and suffered fatal head injuries.

Snowden, who worked at Sutton Bridge Motors was the victim of a robbery gone wrong. The investigation focused on trying to trace a Citroen 2CV car that witnesses saw on the forecourt around the same time.

No trace of the vehicle or suspect has ever been found and the case remains unsolved.

3. Midsummer Meadow Murder

Location: Northampton. Date: 17th Apr 1979.

Just one day after the murder of Gordon Snowden, 15-year-old Sean McGann left his grandparents’ home to visit the funfair at Midsummer Meadow but was abducted on his way there.

Sean was strangled to death by an unknown killer and his body was found the following morning. 40 years later, the murder remains unsolved, with no leads or suspects.

4. Crofton Hall Murder

Location: Kent. Date: 4th Jun 1978.

18-year-old bank clerk Michael Page was stabbed to death as he walked home alone after attending a party with friends at Crofton Hall in Orpington, Kent.

His body was discovered the following morning, lying face down in a pool of blood just a few hundred metres from his residence. He had been stabbed six times with a large knife and had been robbed of his wallet.

No suspect has ever been found and the murder remains unsolved. It is one of Kent’s most infamous unsolved crimes.

5. Wendy Jenkins Murder

Location: Bristol. Date: 28th Aug 1979.

The body of 32-year-old Wendy Jenkins was found in a shallow grave under a pile of sand on a building site, after having been brutally stabbed to death.

She had been working as a sex worker at the time, who plied her trade around St. Pauls. Despite her death being linked with Peter Sutcliffe, AKA: The Yorkshire Ripper (affiliate link), her murder remains unsolved.

6. Genette Tate Murder

Location: Devon. Date: 19th Aug 1978.

13-year-old schoolgirl Genette Tate disappeared while delivering newspapers in the Devon town of Aylesbeare in England. Her body has never been found and the cause of her disappearance remains unsolved.

It is one of Britain’s most infamous and longest-running missing person inquiries. It has been recently confirmed to be a murder investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police and carries a reward of £23,000 (GBP).

7. PHD Student Murder

Location: Essex. Date: 1st Sep 1979.

25-year-old PhD student Alison Morris was violently stabbed to death from behind. She had gone for a walk from her parents’ house but less than 100 metres away, she was attacked.

Detectives at the time ruled out the possibility that Alison was a victim of the Yorkshire Ripper, who was convicted of 13 murders, but the case is unsolved.

Many unsolved murders of the late 1970s were linked to the Ripper as he was the most active and known of the serial killers at the time. It has long been suspected that another serial killer was operating at the same time.

8. Beast Of Stanmer Park Murder

Location: Brighton. Date: 12th Oct 1978.

36-year-old Margaret Frame was raped, stabbed in the back, and had her throat slit, after taking a shortcut home in the early evening through Stanmer Park.

Ten days later, her decomposing body was found buried in a shallow grave, in woods within the park. She had been dragged around 400 metres from the murder scene to where she was buried.

The murder remains unsolved and is an active cold case despite numerous appeals. Her killer became known as the Beast of Stanmer Park.

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