UK UK - Suzanne Lawrence, 14, Harold Hill, July 1 1979

[Mysteries1974]

The Doe Network:
Case File 2462DFUK

Suzanne Lawrence
Missing since July 1979 from Harold Hill, Essex, United Kingdom
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• • Age at Time of Disappearance: 14 years old
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Suzanne Lawrence, of Leamington Road, Harold Hill, has not been seen since July 1979, after leaving her sister in Harold Hill, Essex, and asking her to tell their mother she would be home later.

Her body was never found.
The case is being linked to convicted murderer and sex offender Peter Tobin, 61, who is suspected of killing a string of young girls and women as he traveled across Britain as an odd-job man from the late 1960s until the early 1990s.

Tobin is being investigated for the deaths of women in ten places in the UK - from Glasgow to Brighton and Harold Hill to Aylesbeare.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Essex Police
01245 491491

Source Information:
The Romford Recorder

Return to the Unexplained Disappearances' Index

 

[Mysteries1974]

I wonder if she has any DNA available.

 

[alb1on]

Unfortunately every unsolved murder or disappearance of a teenage girl (or younger) in the UK since 1970 has been linked to either Peter Tobin or Robert Black in police and media speculation. In several cases (the 1986 Babes in the Wood case in Brighton, the 1970 case of Lorraine Jacob in Liverpool) these links (which were previously endorsed by the police) were shown to be wrong by the identification of the guilty parties (or presumed guilty in the former case as the trial is ongoing). The problem with all this is that, whilst no one doubts Tobin had more victims, the tendency of desperate police and gullible and lazy journalists to ascribe everything to Tobin (or Black) risks closing down other avenues of investigation. In the two cases I cite they were only shown to be wrong by a deathbed confession (in the Liverpool case) and new DNA evidence against the original suspect in the Brighton case. Tobin and Black are the UK equivalent of Bundy or the Zodiac Killer - everyone's suspect.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Based on what I’ve read it appears that black is the likely suspect. A bracelet was found in his house and it matches the one that Suzanne was wearing when she disappeared that night. Does anyone know if Suzanne has DNA available? For some reason that info is not listed on the doe network.

 

[alb1on]

I agree that Black seems more likely than Tobin in this case (simply based on victim profile, she fits Black's but seems a bit young for Tobin albeit not impossibly so). However I have reservations about the bangle. Whilst I agree with the need to test it, it seems to have emerged as an issue only earlier this year in the lead up to the reissue of an updated book (first published in 1995) on Robert Black. It may be that the bangle does prove the case, but the treatment of the story in the UK tabloids is a classic case of lazy journalists lifting a PR story without asking why it has appeared now rather than any time in the past 40 years. If you doubt the venality of the UK press I recommend reading Ben Goldacre's books. They are about the misuse of statistics but illustrate how journalists will accept a story without checking or even asking intelligent questions.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I agree that Black seems more likely than Tobin in this case (simply based on victim profile, she fits Black's but seems a bit young for Tobin albeit not impossibly so). However I have reservations about the bangle. Whilst I agree with the need to test it, it seems to have emerged as an issue only earlier this year in the lead up to the reissue of an updated book (first published in 1995) on Robert Black. It may be that the bangle does prove the case, but the treatment of the story in the UK tabloids is a classic case of lazy journalists lifting a PR story without asking why it has appeared now rather than any time in the past 40 years. If you doubt the venality of the UK press I recommend reading Ben Goldacre's books. They are about the misuse of statistics but illustrate how journalists will accept a story without checking or even asking intelligent questions.

Ok. Is there a way for me to get DNA info on her case?

 

[Mysteries1974]

I am very new with the international cases but I specialize in cases dating back to the 1970s.

 

[alb1on]

Ok. Is there a way for me to get DNA info on her case?

Not directly. But I would assume DNA testing is an option for several reasons. Firstly, the former officers involved in the bangle case would not have called for testing if they did not know a comparator sample (either from Suzanne or relatives) would be available. Secondly, DNA testing is usual in the UK where it looks a promising option (and has solved a number of cold cases). And thirdly, this crime happened on the outskirts of London and Essex Police have a close relationship with the Metropolitan (London) force - who have the best forensic facilities.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Not directly. But I would assume DNA testing is an option for several reasons. Firstly, the former officers involved in the bangle case would not have called for testing if they did not know a comparator sample (either from Suzanne or relatives) would be available. Secondly, DNA testing is usual in the UK where it looks a promising option (and has solved a number of cold cases). And thirdly, this crime happened on the outskirts of London and Essex Police have a close relationship with the Metropolitan (London) force - who have the best forensic facilities.

Ok thank you for the information. I wonder where Suzanne’s body could be?

 

[Fede]

Check this: Killer Robert Black linked to five other child murders

 

[Mysteries1974]

Does Robert have a specific burial ground or dump ground. If he does then maybe Suzanne’s remains are buried their.

 

[alb1on]

Does Robert have a specific burial ground or dump ground. If he does then maybe Suzanne’s remains are buried their.

Not as far as I know. He has been linked to murders in several countries (UK, France, Holland, Ireland) due to his work as a driver and presence in the areas when children were killed or went missing. Given his wide range it would be difficult for him to have such a site. (I should add that the range of links are unproven and the Irish case, in particular - Mary Boyle - is widely disbelieved).

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Suzanne...this month marks 41 years.