THE husband of the Lady of the Hills has been bailed by police after being quizzed over her murder for three days.
David Armitage, 61, was held at Heathrow airport at the weekend after flying back to the UK from Thailand.
An arrest was made in connection with the suspected murder of Lamduan Armitage, aged 36, his wife. Her body, partially dressed, was discovered in a stream in the Yorkshire Dales back in 2004.
The retired lecturer was interviewed by cold case detectives before being released this afternoon pending further investigations.
Armitage has always denied any involvement in his wife’s death.
Following the release on bail, North Yorkshire Police launched a new plea for assistance from the community, particularly urging individuals who were acquainted with the couple during their time in two specific areas before the incident.
Authorities are keen on speaking with individuals who had interactions with the pair from March to September of the year Lamduan passed away. During this period, the couple resided in Sprotborough, a village near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and Preston, located in Lancashire.
Dad-of-two Armitage, who moved to Thailand with their children shortly after his wife went missing, was detained by Thai immigration police last month.
They acted after Interpol issued a Blue Notice against him – an international order to help cops gather info about a crime from witnesses and potential suspects living abroad.
His residency visa was revoked but he was not extradited to the UK and was free to go anywhere after he left Thailand.
But he told officials he planned to return home to clear his name and was said to have been persuaded to do so by his Thai girlfriend and his son.
A source told The Sun: “In reality he only has one option– back to Britain.
“He had the choice of appealing against the decision to revoke his visa within 48 hours but he did not take it.”
The intriguing murder mystery began in September 2004 when hikers doing the Three Peaks found a body near Pen-y-ghent.
Police were unable to identify her or establish a cause of death although she had not been shot, stabbed or bludgeoned to death and did not drown.
She was dubbed the Lady of the Hills in 2007 when she was buried in an anonymous grave in the nearby village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale in a funeral arranged by locals.
A cold case review finally led to her being identified in 2019.
The Sun tracked down dad-of-two Armitage to his remote home near Kanchanaburi where he worked as a lecturer.
When he asked if he had killed his wife he said: “Absolutely not…no…absolutely not.
“I know the inferences are there but I am just getting on with my life here.”
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “The 61-year-old man arrested on Saturday on suspicion of the murder of Lamduan Armitage in 2004 has been released on conditional bail while police enquiries continue.”
