Velma Murray (Unsolved Murder)

Back in August 2024, I released an episode covering the unsolved murder of Mabel Harper. Mabel was murdered in my hometown, Cardiff, in August 1943. The 53-year-old widow was attacked late at night after missing her bus home. She was found naked, bound and gagged with strips of cloth ripped from her own clothing. In that episode, I mentioned another murder, that of 30-year-old Alice Daisy Pittman. Alice was murdered a few months later in November 1943, also in Cardiff. At the time, police did not connect the two murders, but some recent work by a prominent criminologist suggests both Mabel and Alice could be victims of the same killer.This is Alice's story. Here is a link to the episode on Mabel HarperSources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

Lori Pinkus was a troubled young woman struggling with addiction issues and working as a sex worker in Ottawa, Canada. In August 1990, Lori suffered chest wounds in an alleged stabbing incident at her apartment. Two men were charged with attempted murder, but Lori failed to appear in court and fled to Toronto to start a new life. Months later, in September 1991, Lori was murdered the day before her 22nd birthday, leaving her family bereft and heartbroken.  For decades, it seemed her case had been forgotten, but in 2018 a forensic breakthrough gave hope the case will one day be solved. Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

At age 13, Velma Murray began to struggle at school, and her mother, Clarissa, decided to send the teen to lodge with a family friend in Coventry. Velma settled in and over the next two years got on well in her new school. Then in April 1973, just as the now 15-year-old Velma was about to sit CSE exams, her life was tragically taken in the most horrific and cowardly manner. At one point, 150 police officers were working the case, but within a few months the investigation stagnated, and Velma's name soon disappeared from the pages of local newspapers. Five decades on, the motive for Velma's murder is still a mystery. Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

14-year-old Kirsa Jensen was passionate about animals, especially horses. Living in Napier on New Zealand's North Island, there were many beautiful places to go riding. On September 1st 1983, Kirsa set off on her horse, 'Commodore', for Awatoto beach, a journey of around thirty minutes. Kirsa always came home by 5 pm, but on this day she failed to return. A massive search was soon underway, with several witnesses putting Kirsa in the presence of a man at an old concrete gun emplacement close to the beach. Further sightings followed, and a prime suspect soon emerged. Despite this, over 40 years since she was last seen, Kirsa remains missing.Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

On Thursday January 10th 1985, kindergarteners Michael and Pamela Mayfield vanished without a trace on their way home from school. At 2.45 pm, the bell rang, and the siblings left Betsy Ross Elementary in northeast Houston with the rest of their classmates. It was the first time they had been allowed to walk home alone. One witness said they saw Michael and Pamela getting into a green, two-door car close to the school, but other sightings were reported as late as 5.00 pm that day. Four months later, police received a call from a person claiming to know the location of the missing children, and the focus of the investigation was shifted 1500 miles away. Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

It was Friday, 5th October 1979. A little after 1:00 pm, 58-year-old taxi driver Jack Armstrong was dispatched to pick up "Mr Williams" from outside the Fairwater Hotel pub in the west of Cardiff. 45 minutes later, the cab company radioed Jack but received no reply. At 6:00 that evening, Jack's taxi was found abandoned almost thirty miles away in a county lane on the outskirts of Bridgend. There was no sign of Jack, but the interior of the vehicle was covered in blood. Two days later, Jack's battered body was discovered 7 miles away on a desolate common. A forensic review announced in 2026 hopes to finally bring the killer to justice. Sources for the episode can be found hereSouth Wales Police Public PortalSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

Late at night on Thursday, 18th November 1943, an unconscious woman was found lying on her back in a lane in the Brynmill area of Swansea. Rather than seeking medical help, a police officer took her to a hotel to recuperate, but, within a matter of minutes, she had died. At first, the identity of the woman was a mystery, but the post-mortem determined her death had been the result of foul play. Key witnesses then came forward and told of the bizarre and harrowing events of that night. Sources for the episode can be found here Support the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

Retired couple Warren and Elizabeth Wheeler lived a simple, quiet life in the picturesque village of Boars Hill, Berkshire. In the middle of the day on October 8th 1973, a person or persons unknown gained entry to their ramshackle farm cottage and brutally bludgeoned both elderly pensioners to death. A massive police investigation took place, and a man was arrested and confessed to the double murder. It appeared the case was cut and dried, yet evidence would lead to a very different conclusion.  Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

In March 1988, on the eve of her 18th birthday, Donna Healey left her family home in Bradford for the last time. She was never seen alive by her loved ones again. More than 15 years later, a DNA breakthrough would reveal Donna's fate and raise serious questions about the treatment of missing vulnerable young people.Sources for the episode can be found here Support the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

Early in the morning of September 16th 1989, the battered body of 25-year-old Trevor Metcalfe was found on playing fields in Dormanstown, near Middlesbrough. This was a location Trevor had no known ties to, and police were puzzled as to what led him there.Following a family tragedy, Trevor had developed a solvent addiction, and he was attacked and killed while he was intoxicated and at his most vulnerable. His killer or killers showed him no mercy and beat him while he lay defenceless on the ground.Over the years, there have been numerous leads, as well as several anonymous letters and calls to local police. Still, the most chilling development was a message painted on a changing block close to the murder scene, which read "Catch me if you can".Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and FacebookEmail: [email protected] with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/