Merseyside Police have released a facial reconstruction of a woman whose remains were found in Stanley Park, Liverpool, as part of a murder investigation. The body was discovered in a black bin bag in the walled garden of Stanley Park in Anfield on 28 August, and was believed to have been there for six weeks.
Despite repeated public appeals and door-knocking over 1,000 homes, officers have not yet been able to identify the victim. Det Supt Rachel Wilson expressed hope that the work by Liverpool John Moores University's Face Lab team could provide a breakthrough in the case, stating, "What we now need to do is to identify who this woman is."
The university's Face Lab produced the image based on a 3D model of the woman's skull. Prof Caroline Wilkinson, director of Face Lab, said the image is not a portrait but is hoped to spark recognition among those who knew her.
Police have established a DNA profile for the woman, but there is no match on the national DNA database. The woman had no teeth, preventing comparison of dental records. She was found to have osteoporosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and arthritis in her hands, and was malnourished.
Det Ch Insp John Fitzgerald hopes that reference to the woman's medical conditions will assist in identification. While she is believed to be aged around 70, police have not ruled out her being slightly younger or older. She was white, approximately 5ft 2in tall, of slight build, and was wearing a pink Nike T-shirt.