On May 30th, 1998, eighty-three-year-old Annie Davies was discovered dead in her flat in Erskine, Renfrewshire, Scotland. She was found at the foot of the stairs, behind the door, with severe injuries to her face and jaw. What initially appeared to police as a tragic accident—a fall down the stairs—quickly became a point of contention, with her family and some experts insisting it was homicide.
Annie lived alone in her ground-floor flat. Concerns arose when she failed to appear as expected, prompting a visit that led to the grim discovery. Police arrived swiftly and, within minutes, concluded it was an accidental death: she had supposedly fallen downstairs and choked on her dentures. This explanation was accepted initially, and no full murder inquiry was launched.
However, discrepancies soon emerged. Annie’s purse, distinctive maroon handbag, keys, and an estimated £2,000 in cash were missing from her home. These items were never recovered, raising questions about a possible burglary gone wrong.
The post-mortem examination revealed severe blunt force injuries to her face, including a broken jaw, described as resulting from “one or possibly more blows.” The attending pathologist reportedly referred to the death as “murder,” while inconsistencies in the injury patterns challenged the accidental fall theory. For instance, explanations shifted over time: first a simple fall, then suggestions she broke her jaw upstairs before seeking help downstairs.
Annie’s son, Bryan Davies, and the rest of the family rejected the accident narrative from the start. They believed she was the victim of a “run-through murder”—a burglary where the intruder assaults the victim at the door, grabs valuables, and flees quickly, often via a back exit. One CID officer privately confided to the family that he shared this view but felt unable to pursue it further.
Pressure from the family and media coverage led to developments years later. In 2001, following instructions from the procurator fiscal, Strathclyde Police initiated a formal inquiry. Locals were questioned, and family members provided fingerprints and DNA samples.
By 2004, Scotland’s Solicitor General, Elish Angiolini, described the death as “highly suspicious,” giving the family renewed hope. An anonymous letter received by media outlets suggested the killing was unintentional during a botched robbery by an “incompetent assailant.” In 2005, the case was included in a list of nearly forty unsolved crimes targeted by Strathclyde Police’s new cold case squad for reinvestigation using modern techniques.
The case also featured in a 2010 STV documentary series called Unsolved, which explored the family’s campaign and highlighted perceived shortcomings in the original handling.
Despite these efforts, no one has been charged or convicted in connection with Annie Davies’s death. Bryan Davies founded a charity, A Search for Justice, to support others facing similar issues, collaborating with a retired detective.
Crime Immemorial 