The murder of 25-year-old Suzy Lamplugh is one of the most notorious cold cases in recent criminal history.
Police confirmed on Tuesday that they were to excavate a garden in Sutton Coldfield which once belonged to the mother of prime suspect John Cannan in a bid to solve the mystery.
Here is a timeline of events:
– July 28 1986: Miss Lamplugh leaves her estate agency office in Fulham, west London, at 12.40pm to meet a client called Mr Kipper.
A massive police hunt is launched.
– October 1987: With few leads, the police inquiry into the disappearance is closed. The file remains open.
– April 1989: John Cannan is jailed for life with a minimum of 35 years for the murder of newlywed Shirley Banks in Bristol. He is also sentenced for a rape and an attempted kidnap.
– December 1999: Her mother receives new information from a secret source claiming her daughter’s body could be within the grounds of abandoned Army barracks at Norton, Worcestershire.
Scotland Yard says the information is not new but orders a review of the case because of the complex twists in the case.
– December 11 2000: Officers begin a fingertip search of a disused brickworks and a surrounding copse and lake near Norton Barracks in Worcestershire.
Investigators return to scene several times, but are not thought to have made significant developments.
– November 5 2002: Mr Lamplugh speaks of his “anger and frustration” to news the CPS will not charge Cannan, citing insufficient evidence.
– December 2002: Reports first surface that Miss Lamplugh may be buried in the garden of the West Midlands home previously owned by the suspect’s mother, Sheila.
There is talk of excavating the garden in Sutton Coldfield but Jim Dickie, the detective superintendent leading the investigation at the time, later confirmed his officers did not dig or perform an “extensive” search of the home.
– June 12 2018: At the age of 87, Mr Lamplugh dies after living with Parkinson’s disease. His death ends hopes that the parents may see justice for their daughter.
– October 29 2018: Investigators led by the Metropolitan Police return to the home in Shipton Road, Sutton Coldfield, to prepare to excavate its garden in the hope of ending the 32-year mystery.
