 | It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled Murder of Kate Bushell and Murder of Lyn Bryant. (discuss) (June 2024) |
| Murders of Kate Bushell and Lyn Bryant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Exwick Lane (left) and Ruan Methodist Chapel | |||
| Location | Kate Bushell: Exwick Lane, Exwick, Exeter, Devon Lyn Bryant: Ruan Methodist Chapel, Ruan High Lanes, Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall | ||
| Coordinates | 50°43′43″N 3°33′41″W / 50.728479°N 3.561385°W (Bushell) 50°13′54″N 4°56′29″W / 50.231795°N 4.941366°W (Bryant) | ||
| Date | 15 November 1997–20 October 1998 | ||
Attack type | Murder with a Knife | ||
| Weapon | Knife | ||
| Deaths | 2 | ||
| Victims |
| ||
| Perpetrator | Unknown | ||
| Motive | Apparently motiveless killings | ||
The murders of Kate Bushell and Linda "Lyn" Bryant, a 14-year-old schoolgirl and a 41-year-old woman, respectively, occurred in separate incidents in the West Country, England. The events occurred on 15 November 1997 and 20 October 1998 respectively. The similar circumstances of the murders led investigators to conclude that there is a high possibility the murders are linked, with both killed with knives while walking dogs along isolated lanes.
Bushell, was found with her throat cut 300 yards (270 metres) from her home. Bryant was stabbed a number of times, her killer had apparently returned to the scene four months later to place her missing glasses back at the site. The apparently motiveless killings, as well as their particularly brutal nature and apparent links, led to fears that a serial killer was at large in the south-west at the time.
In 2018, it was revealed that a DNA profile had been isolated in the Bryant case, leading to renewed hopes that the perpetrator could be identified. There has been speculation that the murders could be linked to the similarly apparently motiveless killing of 66-year-old Helen Fleet, who was also walking her dog in Weston-super-Mare in 1987. If the perpetrator had killed all three victims, he would be an unidentified serial killer.[a]
Both crimes made headline news and received significant coverage in the press and media, and both cases having featured on Crimewatch appeals. As of 2024, the cases remain unsolved. They remain some of the United Kingdom's most notorious unsolved murders.
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