Fifty-two-year-old Julia Webb was married with two sons, and lived in a house on Weaverham Road in Sandiway, Cuddington, Cheshire, England. She was an unassuming housewife with no known enemies and a laid-back nature, according to family and friends.
At around three p.m. on July 22nd, 1998, Julia went out to walk the family dog Rosie, as she always did at around this time. On this particular day, though, someone was evidently lying in wait for her.
More than two hours later, at five-thirty p.m., Julia’s son Christopher got home from work and discovered that his mother hadn’t returned from her walk. Julia’s father had also arrived at the house, worried about her absence. Christopher set out on Julia’s usual path to look for her.
Along the way, he found Rosie sitting alone on the path, and the dog led him right to his mother’s lifeless body, lying on Kennel Lane. Julia had been bludgeoned in the head with a blunt instrument.
There was no sign of sexual assault and none of Julia’s belongings had been stolen, leaving the motive for the attack a complete mystery.
Despite a massive investigation, the case went nowhere for five years. But then, in February of 2004, a forty-three-year-old man was arrested in Somerset in connection with the crime. He was extensively interviewed about the murder, but was ultimately released without charge on March 11th of that year.
There has been speculation that the murder of Julia Webb may be linked to three other similar murders: those of Helen Fleet from 1987; Kate Bushell from 1997; and Lyn Bryant from 1998. All three victims were attacked randomly while walking their dogs in rural areas near their homes, and none of the three was robbed or sexually assaulted.
Although Julia Webb was bludgeoned to death and not stabbed as the other victims were, and although her murder took place farther afield than the others, it’s possible that a serial killer with a very particular victim type is responsible for all four killings.
Whatever the case, the murder of Julia Webb is still unsolved, more than two decades later.
Crime Immemorial 