MURDER
CASE #: 1975-18
Eve Stratford
Status:
Open
Date of Offense:
Date of Offense:
Offense Location:
Leyton, London
Summary:
Eve Stratford was a 21-year-old model and Playboy Club bunny who was murdered in her home in Leyton, east London, on 18 March 1975. The case remains unsolved but has been linked to the murder of schoolgirl Lynne Weedon six months later. A £40,000 reward for information leading to the killer remains on offer.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Offense:
Eve was last seen by a witness walking alone through the snow near her home at around 3.58pm on 18 March 1975. Half an hour later another resident of the building heard the voices of a man and woman in conversation followed by a loud thud noise coming from her flat. Her body was found in her bedroom by her boyfriend Tony Priest when he returned home from work at around 5.25pm. Her throat had been cut between eight and 12 times and she had a nylon stocking tied round one ankle and a scarf round her hands. Vaginal swabs revealed semen, and she was only wearing lingerie and underwear. Her hands were bound with a scarf and a nylon stocking was tied to one ankle. A post-mortem examination held at Walthamstow mortuary gave cause of death as knife wounds to the throat.
Additional Details:
In March 1975, only a few days before she was killed, Stratford appeared on the front cover of Mayfair magazine, an adult magazine for men, as "girl of the month". She was suspended for breach of contract by her club since she had posed for a rival publication. There was no sign of forced entry to the flat and no weapon was ever recovered. The case was investigated by Leyton CID but nobody was ever charged and the inquiry was wound down after a year. However a review of the case in 2004 led to the recovery of a DNA profile from Eve's clothing. In July 2006 this profile was linked to the DNA profile of the unidentified killer of 16 year-old Lynne Weedon in Hounslow on 10 September 1975. Both cases were featured in a public appeal on BBC's Crimewatch programme in 2007. Eve's father, her last living relative, has since died without finding out who killed her or why.
Case Last Updated:
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Share what you learnTimeline of Events
Review of case led to recovery of DNA profile from Eve's clothing
Both cases featured in BBC's Crimewatch programme public appeal
DNA profile linked to killer of Lynne Weedon
Last seen by a witness walking alone through the snow near her home
Stratford arrived at Leyton Underground station at 3.45pm after meeting with a photographic agent and publisher, purchasing dried flowers, and traveling home
Body found in bedroom by boyfriend Tony Priest when he returned home from work
Neighbor heard voices of a man and woman in conversation, then a loud thud
Stratford appeared on the front cover of Mayfair magazine as "girl of the month"
Associated Persons
Tony P. (Boyfriend) - Living
Albert S. (Father) - Deceased
Bert S. (Sibling) - Living
Liza S. (Mother) - Deceased
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