Susannah "Suzy" Lamplugh ( /ˈlæmpluː/; born 3 May 1961, Gloucestershire)[1] was a British estate agent reported missing on 28 July 1986 (aged 25) in Fulham, South West London, England. She was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994.[2] The last clue of her whereabouts was an appointment to show a house in Shorrolds Road to someone she referred to as "Mr. Kipper". Following her disappearance, police DNA tested 800 unidentified bodies and skeletal remains that matched Lamplugh's description.[3]
In late 2010, police began a new search of a field off the B4084 between Pershore and Drakes Broughton. The area is about three miles away from the former Norton Army Barracks in Worcestershire which was searched in December 2000 and February 2001.[3] In 2000, police had searched a nearby brickworks[4] which several witness had mentioned in their original statements.[5] The search proved unsuccessful and to this day, her remains have never been found.
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Lamplugh was an estate agent, reported missing after going to an appointment with someone calling himself "Mr. Kipper" to show him a house in Fulham.[6] Her office diary recorded the essential details of the appointment: '12.45 Mr. Kipper – 37 Shorrolds Road O/S', with the 'O/S' annotation meaning outside the property. Witnesses reported seeing Lamplugh arguing with a man in Shorrolds Road and then getting into a car.
Her white Ford Fiesta was found that night outside a property for sale in Stevenage Road, Fulham, about one and a half miles away.[7] The ignition key was missing and Lamplugh's purse was found in a door storage pocket. Police suggested that a black BMW car might have been involved, due to an eyewitness account of a car at the same location as Lamplugh's car in Stevenage Road. It was thought for some time after her disappearance that "Kipper" was her pronunciation of the Dutch name "Kuiper", but despite police investigations, nobody of this name was found to be connected to Lamplugh.
Lamplugh was officially declared dead in 1994,[8] while further police investigations in 1998 and 2000 failed to uncover any trace of her.[9]
There has been speculation that convicted rapist and killer John Cannan could have killed Lamplugh, as he was released from a hostel only days before she went missing.[10] Also, it has been claimed that Cannan's nickname in prison was 'Kipper'. However, despite investigations there is no hard evidence. Cannan has denied any involvement.[11]
In 2000 a former girlfriend of John Cannan, Gilly Paige, told police that he had suggested Lamplugh's body was buried at Norton Barracks, a former RAF barracks in Worcestershire.[12] One of Cannan's fellow prisoners told police that Cannan had buried Lamplugh under the patio of his mother's house in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.[13]
A new investigation began in August 2010, centred on an area in Worcestershire near to Pershore and Drakes Broughton.[14]
There was a similar case in 2006 involving a 48-year-old female estate agent in Wiltshire who met a client called Mr. Herring. She was attacked with a sharp object, causing cuts to her arm, and was pushed to the ground, but managed to free herself. The assailant ran away. Police have said there is no connection between this case and the disappearance of Lamplugh.[15]
Michael Sams kidnapped Stephanie Slater in 1992.[16] She was an estate agent working in Birmingham. Slater's employers paid a ransom and she was released. He was later found guilty of her kidnap, and of murdering 18-year-old Leeds prostitute Julie Dart.[17] Sentenced to life imprisonment, he is still behind bars as of 2010, and is currently being held at Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire. Crime writer Christopher Berry-Dee, in Unmasking Mr. Kipper: Who Really Killed Suzy Lamplugh?, has put forth the case that Sams killed Lamplugh, but this has been dismissed by police.[18]
Lamplugh had been working as a beautician on the ocean liner QE2 in 1982. Steve Wright, who was convicted in February 2008 of the murder of five prostitutes in Ipswich, worked as a steward on the QE2 at the same time.[19] Police are investigating whether Wright was connected to Lamplugh's disappearance.[20] However, the Metropolitan Police have stated that this is not a strong line of enquiry.[21]
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust was established in 1986 to help people avoid becoming victims of aggression, and to offer counselling and support to relatives and friends of missing people.[22]