“Near Scawton Moor House, you will find a decomposed body among the willowherbs,” said a well-spoken voice during a phonecall to Ripon Police Station in 1981.

The caller refused to give his name, citing national security reasons, and hung up.

That anonymous call only lasted a few seconds. But it sparked one of the most enduring mysteries North Yorkshire Police has ever encountered.

And more than 40 years on, the mystery remains.

After the call ended, officers went to the scene near Sutton Bank and found the woman’s decomposed remains in the undergrowth, exactly as the caller described.

Despite extensive investigations at the time and in the years that followed, she has never been identified.

But today, a specialist cold case team is revisiting the investigation in a bid to finally solve the mystery.

They now believe gaps in people’s family tree could give them fresh leads that could finally unlock the secrets of the case.

Body exhumed

The last time detectives actively investigated the case was 2012 when her body was exhumed from an unmarked grave to gather new DNA evidence.

And while there have always been theories that foul play was involved, there has never been enough evidence to officially categorise it as homicide.

The case was featured on Crimewatch Live last night. Credit: BBC/Crimewatch Live

Adam Harland, a former detective who is now head of North Yorkshire Police’s Cold Case Review Team, is leading the review and has launched a fresh appeal.

“This has been one of the most enduring mysteries I’ve worked on,” he said. “It’s highly unusual for someone who has died in these circumstances to remain unidentified for decades.

“Despite the passage of time, nobody deserves to be simply forgotten about – this was someone’s mother. And it’s likely she had friends who cared about her.”

Past investigations have been extremely thorough. But science and forensics have come on leaps and bounds since the 1980s.

Mr Harland said:

“If names are put forward, we’re now in a position where we can apply this information to our DNA forensic records for this lady.

“Local knowledge may offer up this information. People’s lives and allegiances move on, and time can tease out information that has been closely guarded in the past.

“Another possibility is someone who’s researched their family tree might have found a gap, or discovered a relative who disappeared from official records around 1979 to 1981 without any clear explanation.”

“Police forces have used similar techniques for cold case investigations in the past and while they may seem unconventional, they can provide the missing piece to the jigsaw.

“I’d rather 200 names were put to us and 199 were wrong than nothing to work from at all. That one piece of information could be all we need now to solve a decades-old mystery.”

Probably died in 1979

To help people narrow down the search, North Yorkshire Police has confirmed the mystery woman was probably born between 1935 and 1940, making her between 39 and 44 when she died.

It was impossible to determine an exact date of death. But other evidence at the scene, and her advanced state of decomposition, led detectives to believe she probably died in 1979.

A post-mortem showed she gave birth to two or perhaps three babies, who could now be in their 60s.

She was white with brown hair, around 5ft 4ins tall and wore size-four shoes.

She had several distinguishing features, including a mild upper spine malformation that could have made her hold her head at an unusual angle.

She also had several missing teeth and other evidence of a lifestyle that involved regular smoking and drinking.

The wax model.

A wax model of her face was sculpted in the 1980s, based on skeletal evidence, and investigators still believe this is a reasonably accurate depiction.

The case was featured on the BBC’s Crimewatch Live yesterday.

DNA advances

The press at the time dubbed the case “the nude in the nettles” – a reference to how the woman’s body was found, although she was actually discovered in a willowherb patch by the side of a rural road on the edge of the North York Moors.

The development of a DNA database which is now used extensively in suspicious death investigations would not exist for another 14 years.

Because of this, a DNA match would now rely on a living son or daughter of the woman committing a crime and being added to it, which is unlikely given their age range – most crimes are committed by younger people.

But investigators hope the passage of time can now provide the missing link that enables them to finally identify the woman and resolve a decades-long mystery.

Mr Harland said:

“Someone, somewhere could be sitting there with information they’ve never felt able to share, or a family tree wondering who this person was. My message to them is simple: I’d like to hear from you.”

If you have information that could help this North Yorkshire Police cold case review, email coldcasereviewunit@northyorkshire.police.uk with a summary of the information you have. A member of the cold case team will record it and may make contact with you to discuss it further.

Harrogate roads policing sergeant Paul Cording has published photos of a car that crashed into a Harrogate home over the weekend.

Sgt Cording, who regularly tweets about police life on the road, said the driver, who has not been named, had been charged with drink-driving and would appear in court next month. He tweeted:

“Thankfully no injuries and no one was in the garden at the time.”

He posted about the incident at about 7am yesterday morning.

RTC in #Harrogate where car has crashed into garden of residential property. Thankfully no injuries & no one was in the garden at the time. The driver has been arrested, interviewed & charged with drink driving. They have a date in court next month #Fatal5 pic.twitter.com/47QUe0oYK9

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) March 20, 2022

During two busy weekend night shifts, Sgt Cording also tweeted about a car driver in Ripon refusing to stop when asked by police and the recovery of class A drugs.

The driver of this vehicle decided they didn’t want to stop for Police in #Ripon and made off. Vehicle located a short time later with significant rear end damage and tyres tracks towards a sizeable tree!! Vehicle seized & enquiries ongoing pic.twitter.com/ZWgGr3uUtx

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) March 20, 2022

A flying start to the shift after this vehicle was stopped on the outskirts of #Harrogate I was then joined my my colleagues from #OpExpedite and a search recovered a substantial amount of believed Class A drugs #OneInCustody #PWITS #Result pic.twitter.com/H391LkXuVj

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) March 21, 2022

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A man wanted by police was found dead in a field in the Harrogate district, an inquest has heard.

Marcin Mikulski, 42, fell from a tree after telling police he intended to kill himself. He had also posted a video on social media up a large tree saying this was where he wanted to “fall asleep”.

His body was found in a field 500 metres from the A6055 near Staveley, which is between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.

The inquest heard he was a suspect in a serious incident in Boroughbridge.

The precise nature of the incident wasn’t revealed but statements from senior police officers revealed a helicopter and police dog units were deployed to find him.

Mr Mikulski died on July 16 last year — when police began searching for him.

Police intelligence and phone tracking enabled police to narrow their search for Mr Mikulski but his body wasn’t found until the day after his death.

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Coroner Oliver Longstaff told the inquest that letters addressed to family, which were found in Mr Mikulski’s car, acknowledged his involvement in the crime and expressed regret and upset at his actions.

Mr Longstaff said the letters, along with phone calls to the police, were enough to suggest Mr Mikuslki did intend to end his life.

He recorded a verdict of suicide at Friday’s inquest in Northallerton.

A man was injured as he crossed a busy Harrogate street this morning.

The man was crossing Bower Road when he was struck by the vehicle, which had just turned left from Franklin Road.

The pedestrian was on the ground for several minutes, causing traffic to be diverted, but remained conscious. It is not known how serious his injuries are.

Several police cars attended the scene but North Yorkshire Police has not responded to requests for information.

Eyewitnesses described the man, whose name is not known, as elderly and said a large crowd gathered to offer help.

Retail staff on Commercial Street opposite also came to the man’s aid before paramedics arrived.

The incident happened at about 10.40am this morning.

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A man has been jailed for 20 months for dealing crack cocaine and heroin in Harrogate.

Tyler Walton, 20, from Northallerton, was stopped by officers on January 18 this year in a vehicle on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

Officers found cash and a set of digital scales on Walton so arrested him for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Once in custody, officers found 14 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin in his mouth.

Walton appeared in court on Monday and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison at York Crown Court.

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Constable George Frost from Harrogate’s Expedite Team, which tackles county lines drug dealing, said:

“Tyler Walton was actively involved in selling potentially lethal drugs to vulnerable users and preyed on them in order to further his own financial gain.

“I hope that our communities are reassured by the swift police action taken in this case. We will not accept this sort of activity on the streets of Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

“We are continuing our efforts every day to ensure that the vulnerable people who fall victim drug addiction are safeguarded and that the dealers who exploit them are targeted and prosecuted.

“Please can I take this opportunity to encourage members of the public who concerned about drug dealing activity and those affected by it to contact North Yorkshire Police or contact Crimestoppers.”

Ripon residents who witness, or know about violent, anti-social and other criminal activity in the city, are being urged to contact Crimestoppers.

The charity, which is independent of the police, wants to overcome a ‘wall of silence’ that is stopping some criminals from being brought to justice.

It guarantees 100 percent anonymity to anyone with information that can help to crack Ripon’s persistent crime problem, as highlighted in a Stray Ferret report in December.

Crimestoppers is encouraging residents, who may not want to speak directly to the police, to call its confidential freephone number 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestopper-uk-org and complete a simple anonymous online form.

The charity said the community has a vital role to play in helping to stop crimes such as burglary, theft from cars, vans and shops, drug dealing, weapons and violence, but added:

“People know those who regularly bring crime to the area, but may not want to speak directly to the police. Crimestoppers is here to help and offers a safe and trusted anonymous option.”

‘Fearful of retribution’

Gemma Gibbs, Yorkshire regional manager for the charity, said:

“Some people are fearful of retribution, and that’s probably the main reason why people contact us. They’re scared that if somebody found out that it was them that reported an individual or a particular crime that has happened, they’re fearful of what might happen to them or what might happen to their family.

“We want to make sure that people who are fearful for that reason know that they can still do something and they can still report that information. But our guarantee is that they will contact us and nobody will ever know that they’ve actually reported to us. We take that information and we pass it onto the police.”

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Ms Gibbs, added:

“Last summer there were concerns around antisocial behaviour and a small number of people were really concerning the residents. A teenage boy was attacked in August last year and shopkeepers were being attacked as well.

“They don’t just impact the individuals, they can have a real impact on families and the people around them, so we want to really highlight the work that we do to let the community of Ripon know that they don’t have to stay silent. There doesn’t need to be that wall of silence and we are here for them.”

Two months before he resigned from office, former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott said he was confident that police had ‘got a grip’ on crime in the city, but he also spoke of the need to crack ‘the wall of silence’.

He said:

“One of the problems we have in Ripon is sometimes a wall of silence by certain families and that makes it quite difficult to apprehend people.

“The police will still get those people. It just takes a bit longer.”

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for information and witnesses after a serious robbery at a park in Harrogate.

The robbery happened in Panhandle Park close to the Hookstone Chase entrance at around 6.20pm on Thursday, January 6.

A woman in her 50s reported to the police that she was walking through the park when a person approached her and attempted to steal her rucksack.

The suspect reportedly ran off towards the Dalby estate before the woman checked her bag. She noticed that money and medication was missing.

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The police have made no arrests and have offered up no description of the suspect.

However, officers investigating are keen to trace a man in his early 30s who was walking a dog in the park at the time and offered assistance to the woman after the incident.

North Yorkshire Police has asked for anyone with information on the break-in to get in touch by calling 101. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Quote reference number 12220003059 when providing details.

A woman in her 50s was found dead this morning after firefighters were called to a fire at a house in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue sent crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough to reports of a fire on Craven Street, just off King’s Road, at 6.20am.

On arrival firefighters made their way into the property and found the woman. They took her out of the house to paramedics, who tried to save her life with CPR.

However, the ambulance crew pronounced her dead at the scene.

Firefighters then carried another search of the property but found no evidence of other people.

North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have launched a joint investigation to determine the cause of the blaze.

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A resident on the street, who didn’t want to be named, said:

“There was a lot going on here this morning with lots of police, ambulance and fire engines.

“From what we can tell there was a fire at the back of the house. But we didn’t see any flames or smoke.

“Someone was stretchered away and they were trying to resuscitate them.”

The fire happened on Craven Street.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said:

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were deployed to carry out a search of the property. One casualty was located.

“They were brought out of the property and CPR was given. However, they were pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance crews.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police added:

“North Yorkshire Police was called Craven Street in Harrogate at around 6.20am on Friday, January 7 following a report of a house fire at the location.

“On arrival a woman in her 50s, the sole occupant of the property, had sadly been pronounced dead by ambulance crews.”

Police are investigating after thieves smashed their way into a jewellery shop in Harrogate overnight.

Browns Family Jewellers on Beulah Street has been a hive of police activity today with officers carrying out investigations. The jewellers was broken into at 2.30am this morning.

This afternoon passers-by could still see the crime scene investigation team gathering evidence while staff tried to clean up smashed glass.

At this time it is unclear how much jewellery, if anything, the suspects managed to take from the shop.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“I can confirm that the intruder and fire alarms, due to a smashed window and the presence of smoke in the property, activated at 2.28am today.

“It appears that the suspects entered the building but it is not yet clear if anything was taken.

“CCTV and forensic examinations are ongoing along with neighbourhood enquiries.”

North Yorkshire Police has asked for anyone with information on the break-in to get in touch by calling 101. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Quote reference number 12220003179 when providing details.