Fifty-three-year-old Iris Thompson lived with her husband Kenneth and her elderly mother, seventy-nine-year-old Caroline Woodcock, in the quiet suburban neighborhood of Coombe Rise in Shenfield, near Brentwood, Essex, England. Caroline, a widow, was described as a frail but independent woman who relied on her daughter for support, and mother and daughter were reportedly very close.
On the morning of September 11th, 1973, the women were found murdered in the home shortly after Iris’s husband had left for work. Both had been savagely beaten and stabbed multiple times, indicating a frenzied and violent attack. The lack of any signs of forced entry suggested to police that the perpetrator may have been known to the victims or gained access without resistance. No motive was immediately apparent, and nothing of significant value appeared to have been stolen from the home, deepening the mystery surrounding the killings.
The Essex Police launched an immediate investigation, led by Detective Chief Superintendent Charles Walton. The ferocity of the attack led authorities to initially speculate that the killer may have acted in a fit of rage. Despite extensive inquiries, including house-to-house interviews and appeals for witnesses, the investigation yielded few leads. The absence of a clear motive—no robbery, no apparent personal grudges—complicated efforts to identify a suspect.
A significant piece of evidence emerged in the form of a bloodstained shirt found discarded in a nearby garden, but forensic technology in 1973 was limited, and the shirt did not provide conclusive leads. The police also explored whether the killer might have been a transient or someone passing through the area, but no arrests were made. The case drew significant media attention at the time, with headlines such as “Police hunt for ‘berserk’ killer of two women” appearing in The Times on September 12, 1973.
One line of inquiry focused on Pamela Olive Draper, whose name appears in connection with the case in records held by The National Archives. However, no public details confirm her as a suspect or indicate whether she was ever charged. The lack of transparency in official records has fueled speculation about whether the police had a viable suspect who was never prosecuted.
Another theory considered by investigators was that the murders could have been a random act of violence, possibly committed by someone with a disturbed mental state. The absence of forced entry also raised the possibility that the killer was someone familiar to the victims, such as a neighbor or acquaintance, though no evidence substantiated this. Over the years, some have speculated about a connection to other unsolved murders in the UK during the 1970s, but no definitive links have been established.
In the decades since, advancements in forensic science have solved other cold cases, but no such breakthroughs have been reported for this case. The lack of preserved evidence, such as the bloodstained shirt, may have hindered later reinvestigations. The Essex Police have periodically reviewed the case, but without new witnesses or technological advancements yielding results, it remains open but inactive.
Crime Immemorial 