Cold case re-opened: Investigators launch international appeal over French woman's mysterious 1975 A1 death - with links to Baldock, Stotfold and Henlow

Cold-case investigators want your help identifying a woman killed more than 47 years ago in Hertfordshire

Locate International launch international appeal over 1975 fatal collision  

In the early hours of February, 18, 1975, a young woman was struck by one or more vehicles on the A1 near Baldock. 

The person who was driving the vehicle that killed her has never been identified and they have never come forward. 

Now, a major international appeal is being launched to finally find her name.

The young woman was last seen by a witness at 530am, just 45 minutes before she was killed. 

The witness stated that she had said that she was heading for London and that she spoke with a foreign accent. 

The young woman – who we are naming Baldock Woman – was thought to be between the age of 17 and 25. 

She had fair hair and hazel eyes and a few distinguishing features: a scar on her right leg and a piercing in her right ear. 

a distinctive brown Afghan coat 

a brown leather waistcoat 

a white cotton 'Chelsea Girl' blouse 

a white cotton smock with a floral pattern and imitation lace 

black Prisu jeans 

a chiffon lace scarf. 

When she was found, she wasn't wearing shoes, wasn't carrying a bag and she had no form of identification.  

The distinctive brown Afghan coat worn by the young French woman on the day she died

2010 appeal

But, after an appeal in June 2010, which contained a facial reconstruction of the woman, a couple came forward to say they recognised her.  

They recognised her as a young French student named Odile who had stayed with them in the early 70s.  

David Liversedge had met her in 1972 when she was hitch-hiking on London's North Circular during a thunderstorm. She then went on to stay with Dave and his wife, Barbara. 

The young woman who stayed with the couple was between 23 and 25 years old and had said that she was from north of Paris or had lived in the northern part of Paris. As a result, volunteers with Locate International have today launched an appeal for information across France. 

She had friends in Newquay, Cornwall, and would often hitch-hike to visit them. 

When she wasn't visiting friends in Newquay, she could regularly be found in the Stotfold Social Club sipping on a cider. She also worked manufacturing souvenirs on an industrial estate in Henlow, Bedfordshire. 

In 1973, she then relocated to Cambridge to study at a language school. 

The couple did not see her again after her relocation but believe that she may have been returning to visit given that the unidentified woman's body was found only a few miles from their home. 

"It's clear that Baldock Woman lived a full life, and enjoyed the company of others," says Dave Grimstead, founder and CEO of Locate International, "so it's hard not to think of the people who missed her when she seemingly vanished – her family, her friends, all the people she met along the way. 

"It's not too late for us to tell those people what really happened to her, and your information can help us do that. No piece of information is too small to share – it can provide new clues, or new lines of enquiry that could prove crucial. 

"Did you ever meet her, or bump into her as she was hitchhiking? Did she ever tell you her name, or where she was from? Did she study at a language school with you? 

"We're confident that someone out there holds the key to us finally learning Baldock Woman's real name and identity. So if she bears any resemblance, no matter how small, to someone you knew or have lost touch with, please get in contact with us. Your information alone can help us identify her." 

If you have any information, please contact Locate International by emailing [email protected], by calling 0300 102 1011