must’ve got lost

On the 8th of March, 1970, 18-year-old Jacqueline Ansell-Lamb was attempting to hitchhike a ride to Manchester from London after attending a weekend party. It was around 2:30PM when her boyfriend dropped her off at Bradkley Hill interchange. He watched her walk down the motorway with her thumb thrust out at her side before he drove away. During the 1970s, hitchhiking was a very common method of travel. It would be the last time he ever saw her alive.

Several witnesses would later say they saw Jacqueline on the motorway, attempting to secure a lift. At some point, somebody stopped to pick up Jacqueline but they never took her home. Six days later, a farmer found Jacqueline’s body off a rural road near Square Wood, Mere, Knutsford. She had been raped and then strangled with an electric cord. She had a number of bruises and cuts on both her neck and face indicating she had desperately attempted to defend herself against her killer.

An investigation into her slaying resulted in one witness coming forward to claim he had seen Jacqueline climb into a saloon car at some point between 4pm and 5pm. He said the car pulled over at the Keele Services station on the M6. Another witness soon came forward to say they had seen Jacqueline in the Polar Transport Cafe in High Legh near Knutsford later on in the evening. She had allegedly been with a man and police subsequently released a composite sketch of the man. He was described as being around 5 feet 9 inches and of medium build; he was also wearing a dark suit and the witness believed he was driving a white jaguar. The last potential sighting of Jacquelin came from a couple who allegedly saw her thumbing a ride less than a mile from where her body would be found.

Since her murder, theories have abounded.

Some have suggested that Jacqueline’s killer was Peter Sutcliffe, the infamous “Yorkshire Ripper.” Jacqueline had a wound to the back of her skull much like the other victims’ of Sutcliffe. However, no evidence could tie him to the murder. Another theory was that the murder was connected to the murder of Barbara Mayo, who was killed seven months after Jacqueline. The murders are eerily similar - Barbara had been hitchhiking from London to Yorkshire when she was raped and strangled. In 2008, retired librarian Harvey Richardson confessed from beyond the grave to the 1970 murder of Lorraine Marguerite Jacob. His confession was found hidden in a shoebox in his home following his death. Also in the shoebox, was newspaper clippings about Jacqueline’s murder.

Lana Turner achieved stardom as a pin-up model and actress. In the 1940s, she was one of MGM’s biggest stars and highest earners. Despite her glamorous career, Lana suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of her mobster partner, Johnny Stompanato. He would physically and mentally abuse her and on one occasion, he drugged her to take nude photos which he could use as blackmail. While filming in London with Sean Connery, Stompanato flew to London, armed himself with a gun and threatened to shoot Connery and severely beat Lana. “He acquainted himself with females of wealthy means. He courts them and after he is deeply involved, borrows money and never repays the loan,” said Los Angeles Chief Anderson of the mobster.

On the 4th of April, 1958, Lana decided to take her daughter, Cheryl Crane, 14, to the Academy Awards instead of Stompanato. She had been nominated for an Oscar. Upon returning home, Stompanato threw into a rage because Cheryl had attended the event instead of him. Cheryl hid under her duvet as she heard Stompanato screaming at her mother. Cheryl - whose father was Joseph Stephen Crane - had lived a tragic life. As a child, she had been repeatedly sexually abused by one of her stepfathers, Lex Barker, who played Tarzan in several movies.

Then, on Good Friday, just a few days after the awards ceremony, Lana attempted to end her relationship with Stompanato. He responded by threatening to “cut you up first!” This time, however, Cheryl didn’t hide under the duvet. Fearing for her mother’s life, she ran to the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife. As Cheryl entered the bedroom with her weapon, she said she saw Stompanato come at her mother from behind with his arm raised, ready to strike. According to Cheryl, Stompanato ran into her knife and died from his injuries. 

Miranda: Where do you get this stuff?