Video: New clues and a sad farewell for the woman they buried twice

DETECTIVES who exhumed the body of a woman whose skeleton was found in undergrowth in the North York Moors more than 30 years ago say they have received a number of calls from families who believe they may be related to her.

The woman, who became known as the Sutton Bank Body, was found beside a quiet road in the North York Moors National Park in August 1981 after an anonymous tip-off.

Despite an 18-month investigation, the woman was never identified and police now hope that advances in DNA technology will finally lead to a breakthrough in the case.

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The body was exhumed from its grave in Malton cemetery, in North Yorkshire, earlier this week.

Today, it was returned to the ground during a ceremony conducted by North Yorkshire Police’s Force Chaplain, the Rev Simon Rudkin.

Before the body was returned to the cemetery, it was taken to a mortuary where samples were taken from the thigh bone and the ankle bone.

Officers said the samples have now been sent to the Forensic Science Service, at Wetherby, North Yorkshire, for analysis to obtain a DNA profile.

Results are expected in about four weeks’ time.

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A spokeswoman said the force has received more than ten calls following coverage of the exhumation from families who believe the deceased may be their relative or members of the public offering information.

She said detectives still needed to find the anonymous caller who called police on August 28, 1981, to report the body.

Speaking after today’s ceremony, Detective Superintendent Lewis Raw, said: “The exhumation and examination of the remains went ahead as planned and we hope the results will lead us to the identification of the woman and, subsequently, any criminal offences which led to her death.

“North Yorkshire Police would like to thank everyone who was involved in ensuring the operation went ahead efficiently and with dignity, in particular, the families of the deceased who are buried in the cemetery and the residents of Malton who showed support and respect for this sensitive operation.”

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Officers discovered the skeletal remains of the woman in undergrowth at the top of Sutton Bank, between the villages of Scawton and Rievaulx, after receiving a call from a person who was never identified.

A forensic examination of the body, which a pathologist estimated could have been there for up to two years, was inconclusive and the post-mortem examination failed to establish a cause of death.

Further examinations revealed the woman was about 5ft 2ins tall, aged between 35 and 40, with short, dark-coloured hair. She had an old fracture to her right ankle.

No jewellery or personal belongings were found on or near the body.

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A three-dimensional wax reconstruction of the woman’s head was produced at the time - the first of its kind - but her identity remained a mystery.

One line of inquiry was that the woman was an escaped prisoner from Askham Grange open prison but this appeared to be disproved when the absconder sent two thumbprints and a signature from Ireland.