SEVERAL Islanders have responded to an appeal for information about a notorious 59-year-old murder case.
Writer Mark Bridgeman, who leaves Jersey today after a four-day visit to research a book on the 1966 murder of Finnish au pair Tuula Höök, said he has received several new leads following coverage in the JEP earlier this week.
“I think a lot of people in Jersey have recognised the desire of Tuula’s family to get closure and would like to see the case resolved once and for all,” Mr Bridgeman said.
The author of 14 previous true-crime books has been researching Miss Höök’s death during his time in Jersey, said a number of people had been in touch.
“It’s surprising what people have stored up over the years,” he said.
“Some of them have ideas about what could have happened, but never previously said anything – there’ve been some interesting things mentioned that I’m going to be
researching further.”
Miss Höök first visited Jersey from Finland as a 19-year-old student in 1965, returning the following spring and working as a waitress and an au pair.
Mystery surrounds her final movements on 30 December 1966, and the following day she was found in a field in St Clement having been bludgeoned to death.
The shocking murder baffled investigating officers at the time and has remained unsolved in spite of multiple cold case reviews by States of Jersey Police.
Mr Bridgeman has been working with support of the niece and younger sister of Miss Höök, as well as police, in researching the book, set to be published early next year ahead of the 60th anniversary of the murder.
“It’s been good to liaise with the police,” he said. “They can help me with things I have been told which they may already have investigated and I can offer them some fresh ideas.”
The writer can be contacted by email: mark@markbridgemanauthor.co.uk.
