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It all began 18 years ago, November 1997, along a country lane when 14 year old Kate Bushell, from Exwick, Exeter, England went to walk her neighbor’s dog and disappeared. Kates parents began to worry a short time later when she didn’t return home within a few hours. It wasn’t like Kate to be gone too long without telling her parents. Her parents called the police and a search party was quickly formed. A short time later her father along with the police found Kate’s body laying on the ground with her throat slit. No one heard or saw anything at the time of her murder but some did say they thought they say a man leaving the area. There were no leads either to trace who the killer was. The only witness to the crime was the dog that she had been walking.
Then in 1998 two more women were murdered. In July, Julia Webb, 52, Northwich, England was walking her dog when someone approached her and bludgeoned her to death. Julia had taken her dog for a walk as she usually had done. Some time later Julia Webb’s family also started to become considered about where Julia could be. Julia’s son decided to take his bike and and ride around the neighborhood looking for his mother. Julia’s son found her body along an area with bushes. Once again the police had no leads on Julia’s death. Some people reported that on the day of Julia’s murder there had been a bearded man in the area who had a cane. According to reports from the BBC’s “Crimewatch” which aired on television and published in the “Chester Chronicle,” a few days after Julia Webb was murdered a woman had tried calling the local police, saying that she had seen Julia the day she was killed but she kept getting disconnected on the telephone. She never called back the police department with any more information. The police were baffled as to who could of done this.
A few months later in October 1998, Lyn Bryant, 41, Cornwall, England decided to also take her dog for a walk on a country lane just like the other women had previously done. Lyn Bryant met her fate that day. Lyn Bryant was found brutally stabbed to death. This time the thing that was missing from Lyn were her eyeglasses and no clues were left at the scene of the crime once again. Time went by nothing more about Lyn’s murder happened until about 6 months later at the spot where Lyn Bryant was found dead, a pair of eyeglasses were just laying there. The eyeglasses just happened to be Lyn’s that had been missing at the time of murder. Police had gone over the area with fine tooth comb at the time of her death and nothing was there. Which means the only way the eyeglasses returned there was that someone placed them there or did the murderer possibly return to the scene of the crime. It left even more unanswered questions.
Then in 2000, Carmen Boxwell, 46,Devon, England, went out to walk her dog as she always did down by the creek where she lived. She noticed a blue car she didn’t recognize and continued to walk her dog according to an article, “Stalker may be double murderer,” written by By Michael Smith, The Telegraph, 04 Jul 2000. As Carmen Boxell kept walking a man got out the car and started walking toward her with what she thought was a knife in his hand. Carmen Boxwell credits her dog with saving her life that day. Boxwell feels with the way her dog reacted that the man got scared away and ran back to his car and drove away. carmen Boswell reported the incident to the police as soon as possible and a giant man hunt got underway. Once again the ‘’ Dog Walker Killer “ eluded the police.
The next 13 years remained quiet until 2013 when Jean Campbell, 53, Glasgow, U.K was found strangled to death when she also didn’t come home from walking their dog by her husband. When Mr. Campbell returned home from work his wife and dog weren’t home, they lived across the street from a park where it wasn’t unusual that they would walk their dog. Mr. Campbell decided to take a walk in the park in the hopes of meeting up with his wife. To his horror he found his wife laying on the ground in the park, Jean Campbell had been strangled to death with the dog leash she had been using to walk their dog. Once again no one had seen anything that had happened.
In all four killings no one has come forward with any information on the deaths of these women. Could it be someone who lived in these communities at the time of their deaths or was it a someone passing by through these towns. Is Carmen Boxwell the only survivor and only witness to who the killer possibly is ?
In the case of Jean Campbell the police did arrest suspect Paul Ward, 21, and in Feb, 2015 but he was deemed unfit for trial and seems an unlikely suspect in the killings. He was also way too young to be invoked in the other killings. Ward, is being currently held at State Hospital at Carstairs and has been diagnosed psychotic. Paul Ward has denied having anything to do with Jean Campbell’s murder.
In 18 years an unknown possible serial killer has gotten away with murder. He has attacked at all different periods of the day, women of all ages and women who also have looked different. All the women were walking their dogs, all the dogs were of different breeds, they were all murdered in a close proximity to their their homes and the dogs were not stolen. What could the motivation behind their deaths be.
All the families have made numerous pleas to the public for any information on who the “Dog Walker Killer” can be and the capture of this person before he strikes again. Many people walk their dogs everyday, it’s a part of owning a dog. Until the killer is caught take extra caution when you’re out walking alone. Pay attention to everything around you. The killer might approach people striking up a conversation about the dogs they are walking, trying to make the person feel comfortable. The Dog Walker Killer could also be known in the area where the attacks have occurred being someone that also knew the victims. Until the murder is caught no one knows. It’s to believe in small towns that no one would not know something. All the cases continue to be remain open and the police continue to look for anything that could lead to arrest of the Dog Walker Killer before he strikes again.
Written by Jacqueline Bowser
Sources
Smith, Michael, “Stalker may be double murderer,” 04 Jul 2000
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1346584/Stalker-may-be-double-murderer.html
“Police appeal in murder hunt,” MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 17 FEBRUARY 2007, http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/police-appeal-in-murder-hunt-1188347
“Stalker ‘link’ to unsolved murders,” BBC News, 3 July, 2000,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/817751.stm
KATE BUSHELL CASE CAROL EVERETT, ‘INTUITIVE’ POLICE INVESTIGATIONS http://www.caroleverett.com/ce-crime/kate-b.htm
“Exeter murder case to be reopened,” Western Morning News, March 29, 2010, http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Exeter-murder-case-reopened/story-11671773-detail/story.htm
“Jean Campbell death: ‘Lead marks’ on killed dog walker,” BBC News, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-31491229
“Family plea over dog walk murder,” BBC News, 13 October 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/7666855.stm
Grey, Rebecca,“ Family’s grief as man cleared of dog walker murder,” Evening Times, 28/02/2015, http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/familys-grief-as-man-cleared-of-dog-walker-murder-198846n.119552703
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