In what is believed to be the UK’s longest cold case to reach trial, 92-year-old Ryland Headley has been found guilty of the rape and murder of Louisa Dunne, a 75-year-old woman killed in June 1967. The case, reopened nearly six decades later, showcases the power of modern forensic science in delivering justice long overdue.
Louisa Dunne, a mother of two born in 1892, was discovered dead inside her home in Bristol’s Easton area on the morning of June 28, 1967. Neighbors noticed her absence from her usual spot on the doorstep and found her bruised, with blood from one ear, vomit in her mouth, and her underwear around her ankles. The initial investigation revealed traces of semen on her clothing and intimate swabs, as well as a palm print on a rear window of the house.
At the time, police carried out a massive investigation, collecting over 19,000 palm print samples from local men and boys and conducting thousands of house-to-house inquiries. However, Headley—who was in his 30s during the crime—lived just outside the search area, allowing him to initially avoid suspicion.
The cold case sat untouched for decades, with around 20 crates of evidence stored at Avon and Somerset Police headquarters. It was only in 2024 that the investigation was revived using advanced DNA testing on sperm samples preserved from Dunne’s skirt. The results showed a DNA match with Headley, with the likelihood of error being “a billion times” less probable than a correct identification.
Detective Inspector Dave Marchant, who led the reinvestigation, described the moment they received the DNA results as surreal and a turning point for the case. Headley was arrested at his Ipswich home in November 2024 and stood trial without giving evidence.
Crucially, forensic experts also matched Headley’s palm print—taken at arrest—to the print found on the victim’s window in 1967. The prosecution also introduced Headley’s criminal history, which included two prior convictions for raping elderly women in similar circumstances roughly a decade after Louisa Dunne’s murder. Prosecutor Anna Vigars KC told the jury these offenses demonstrated a pattern of behavior: breaking into homes at night, targeting vulnerable elderly women, committing sexual assault despite resistance, and threatening violence.
Louisa Dunne’s granddaughter expressed relief that the case had finally been solved after decades of sadness. She described the attack as terrifying and said the conviction brings a measure of closure to her family.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed this is the longest period between an offense and trial for a cold case in the UK. DI Marchant emphasized the importance of never giving up on cold cases, stating, “You should never look at an investigation and say, ‘it’s too old.’ At the time we re-instigated it, there was a chance a suspect could still be alive—and as it turned out, he was.”
This landmark case underscores the advances in forensic technology and the dedication of investigators to delivering justice, no matter how much time has passed.
