Brit husband of 'Lady of the Hills' detained by Thai police 21 years after wife found dead

25 January 2025, 18:04 | Updated: 25 January 2025, 18:08

The British husband of Lamduan Armitage, a Thai woman whose body was found in the Yorkshire Dales more than 20 years ago, has been detained by police in Thailand.

Mrs Armitage’s body was found by walkers near a stream near Pen-y-ghent back in 2004.

She remained unidentified for a further 15 yeast until her devastated family from Udon Thani in north-east Thailand came forward after reading about her death in the media. 

Now, her husband David Armitage has been detained in Bangkok as Thai police prepare to revoke his visa. 

Mr Armitage has lived in Thailand since his wife’s death. He never reported her missing and he has never been officially questioned by police about her whereabouts.

Mr Armitage was detained on Thursday at his home in Kanchanaburi before being transferred to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre, according to the BBC. 

He never filed an immigration petition and no longer has the right to remain in Thailand, the outlet reports.

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That means he will either move back to the UK or move to another country.Yorkshire Police are currently investigating Mrs Armitage’s death and is aware of Mr Armitage’s detention in Thailand.

A spokesperson said in a statement: "We understand it relates to his visa status and residence in Thailand and is entirely a matter for the immigration service of the Royal Thai Police.

"Should Mr Armitage be deported, we understand that he will have a choice as to where he goes, which will include return to the UK. 

"Should that occur, we will again make every effort to speak to him about the investigation."It comes after Mr Armitage, who works as a university lecturer in Thailand, previously agreed to meet with North Yorkshire Police's cold case unit back February 2023.He allegedly changed his mind and cancelled the meeting in Thailand, according to The Sun.

Police said in a statement at the time: “Despite the difficulties we have faced to progress the investigation in recent years, we remain determined to seek answers for Lamduan’s family about the circumstances of her being found dead in a beautiful but remote part of the Yorkshire Dales in September 2004.

"It has been frustrating to have had to wait so long to be able to travel to Thailand. We are hoping to speak with all the members of her family, including her husband, to gather their evidence about her life and to offer what support we can with regards to their loss."

Yorkshire Police have also complained of delays for their investigation team to receive legal authority to go to Thailand.

They were further hampered by international travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, putting part of the investigation on hold for almost four years.

Mrs Armitage was identified until 2019 and had previously been dubbed the “Lady of the Hills” before then. DNA testing confirmed the woman to Mrs Lamduan who would now be aged 55.

The married mother-of-three was living in northern England at the time of her unexplained death.Police have urged the public to avoid speculation as the investigation continues. 

Adam Harland, Manager of the Cold Case Review Unit, said: “After almost 19 years, during which time the community of Horton in Ribblesdale have shown respect and care for Lamduan when she was only known as the ‘Lady of the Hills’, it would be a tragedy if we were prevented from achieving this outcome due to damaging reporting and online speculation.”