Detectives have launched a fresh appeal for information on the 25th anniversary of the unsolved killing of a woman on a remote Cornish peninsula whose spectacles mysteriously reappeared at the scene four months after her death.
Lyn Bryant, 40, was stabbed in a prolonged sexually motivated attack on 20 October 1998 as she walked the family dog in quiet lanes close to her home on the Roseland peninsula, near St Mawes.
Police said on Thursday they believed her killer must have had local connections because the spot was remote and tucked away from popular tourist destinations and were certain a resident had the key that would lead them to the killer.
One of the notable elements of the case was that Bryant was wearing tortoiseshell glasses at the time of the attack but these were not found during a fingertip search of the crime scene, a field gateway. Four months later, on 2 February 1999, the glasses reappeared on top of the mud in the gateway. Police say it is inconceivable they were missed during the search and believe they may have been placed there by the killer or someone working with the murderer.
“The reappearance of Lyn’s glasses remains a real mystery in this case,” said the senior investigating officer DI Rob Smith. “Why were they put back there? Were they found by somebody and returned to the scene or were they put there by the murderer?”
Though the investigation has not been formally linked to other unsolved murders, it runs in parallel to an inquiry into the killing of Kate Bushell, 14, who suffered a fatal knife wound to the throat while walking a dog in Exeter in November 1997. Officers working on the two investigations routinely share information.
Smith, said: “For 25 years the family of Lyn Bryant have lived with terrible loss and uncertainty. We know that 25 years is a long time but we remain convinced that someone knows what happened to Lyn and for some reason they have never come forward.
“It is not an area that you would expect someone to just happen upon. It is more likely that someone had a reason to be there, whether through work, family or another connection. For this reason we believe they were local at the time.
“We maintain the view that the public holds the key to this investigation. I would urge anyone who had suspicions about any relative, friend or colleague who was acting suspiciously around the time of the murder to please come forward and help us bring some peace to Lyn’s family.”
A reward of £20,000 has been offered by the charity Crimestoppers for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the offender.
Advances in DNA have enabled police to produce a partial profile that is believed to be that of the killer. Since 2016 officers have been trying to match DNA samples from people on the national DNA database and from some of the 6,000 individuals who gave DNA to the original inquiry, so far without success.
Police are keen to identify three men – one seen speaking with Bryant at a chapel, a scruffy bearded man in a small white van, and a man walking in a nearby field. More than 6,700 similar white vans have been traced and eliminated over the course of the investigation. None of the men have come forward.
During the attack, Bryant’s clothing was disturbed, leading police to conclude it was sexually motivated. The weapon, believed to be a single-edged blade such as a penknife or a small kitchen knife, has never been found.
The public can report information through the major incident public portal. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via its non-traceable online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
