Husband held on suspicion of murdering Thai spouse in 2004

The British husband of a Thai girl whose physique was discovered within the Yorkshire Dales greater than 20 years in the past has been arrested on suspicion of her homicide.

Walkers found Lamduan Armitage’s half-naked physique in a stream close to Pen-y-ghent in 2004 and he or she remained unidentified for 15 years till her household noticed a BBC Information report and got here ahead.

David Armitage, who had lived in Thailand since her loss of life, was arrested earlier when he returned to the UK after the Thai authorities revoked his resident visa.

North Yorkshire Police, which is investigating the loss of life, mentioned: “A 61-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the homicide of Lamduan Armitage in 2004. He stays in police custody for questioning.”

Mr Armitage was detained final Thursday at his home in Kanchanaburi earlier than being transferred to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre.

He didn’t file an immigration petition that means he now not had the appropriate to remain in Thailand.

He returned to the UK on Saturday morning and was arrested by police shortly after his arrival at Heathrow Airport, the BBC understands.

The BBC has not spoken with Mr Armitage however he has beforehand mentioned he was not concerned in his spouse’s loss of life, in accordance with The Solar.

Mrs Armitage, nee Seekanya, turned often called the Woman of the Hills throughout makes an attempt to determine her after her physique was discovered on 20 September 2004.

A autopsy examination established she had died between one and three weeks earlier than her physique was discovered, nevertheless it couldn’t decide how she died.

There was no signal of violence and hypothermia was dominated out, however detectives couldn’t reply two foremost questions; who she was or how she met her loss of life.

A chilly case evaluate was began in 2016 and scientific advances meant police had been in a position to piece collectively a extra detailed image of who she was and concluded she had been killed.

Three years later there was a serious breakthrough when a Thai household learn in regards to the case and believed the girl could possibly be their daughter who vanished in 2004.

This led North Yorkshire Police to hold out DNA testing to verify her identification.

Inquiries established she had moved to the UK in 1991 with Mr Armitage after they had been married in Thailand they usually had been residing in northern England earlier than her loss of life.

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