Husband of Thai woman found dead in Yorkshire Dales detained

Thai police have detained British man David Armitage, whose wife, Lamduan Armitage, a Thai woman, was found dead in the Yorkshire Dales more than 20 years ago. Her semi-naked body was discovered in a stream near Pen-y-ghent by hikers in 2004, and her identity remained unknown for 15 years until her family saw a BBC news report and contacted the police.

Mr. Armitage, who has been living in Thailand since his wife's death, neither reported his wife missing nor spoke to Thai or British police about her whereabouts. He is currently being held in Bangkok, and Thai authorities are preparing to revoke his visa. It is understood that Mr. Armitage held a resident visa and was detained at his home in Kanchanaburi on Thursday before being transferred to the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok.

As he has not submitted an immigration application, this means he no longer has the right to remain in Thailand and will be deported back to the UK or to another country. North Yorkshire Police are conducting an investigation into Mrs. Armitage’s death. A police spokesperson stated that they are aware of Mr. Armitage’s detention, adding: “We understand this relates to his visa status and residency in Thailand, which is a matter entirely for the Royal Thai Police Immigration Department.”

The police spokesperson also said: “If Mr. Armitage is deported, it is our understanding that he would have a choice as to where he goes, including a return to the UK. If that were to happen, we would again make every effort to speak to him about the investigation.” The BBC has not spoken to Mr. Armitage, but according to The Sun, he has previously said he was not involved in his wife’s death.

Mrs. Armitage, whose birth name was Sikania, was known as the “Lady of the Hills” while efforts were made to identify her. A post-mortem examination conducted after her body was found on September 20, 2004, failed to establish her cause of death. There were no signs of violence and hypothermia was ruled out, but detectives were unable to answer two main questions: who she was and how she died. A cold case review was launched in 2016, and advances in science and technology enabled police to piece together more detailed information about her identity and conclude that she had been murdered. Three years later, a Thai family read a report about the case and believed the woman could be their daughter, who had gone missing in 2004, which led to a major breakthrough in the case. This prompted North Yorkshire Police to conduct DNA testing to confirm her identity. It was finally confirmed that she had moved to the UK after marrying Mr. Armitage in Thailand in 1991 and had been living in the north of England before her death.