Lynda Mann was an attractive 15-year-old English teenager who lived in Narborough, a village near Leicester, with her step-father, mother and her older sister Susan. Lynda also performed well in school and enjoyed studying different foreign languages. On November 21, 1983, she had lined up a babysitting job to earn some extra money. Her parents expected her to return home after 6 p.m.

Marc Hoover.

Lynda’s parents, Kath and Eddie Eastwood, had also left for the night. After an evening of throwing darts and having some drinks, they returned home around 1:30 a.m. Upon returning home, Susan told her parents Lynda hadn’t returned home. Eddie immediately left the house and searched for Lynda. He didn’t locate her. The family called the police and reported Lynda missing.

The following day, a man walking to work came across a dead teenager. The police rushed to the scene and identified her as Lynda Mann. A vicious killer had beaten, raped and then strangled Lynda. Her murder brought panic to the community. Murders never happened in Narborough.

Although the police had several suspects, they made no arrests and placed the case on hold. The Eastwoods hired a psychic to investigate. The psychic revealed nothing significant, but she said the killer would kill again if not stopped.

For the next three years, Lynda Mann’s murder remained unsolved.

In Enderby, which was near Narborough, lived Dawn Ashworth, 15, her brother Andrew, 13, and their parents. On July 31, 1986, Dawn left home to visit a friend. Her parents expected her to return home by 7 p.m. Unfortunately, she didn’t return home. By 9:40 p.m., her distressed parents called the police. Two days later, someone discovered Dawn Ashworth’s body. Her murder resembled Lynda Mann’s death three years earlier. An unknown killer had also beaten, strangled and raped Dawn, who fiercely fought back against her killer.

The police arrested Richard Buckland, 17, for killing Dawn. He was an acquaintance of Dawn’s and known to have some mental issues. The police also suspected him of killing Lynda Mann. He confessed to killing Dawn Ashworth, but vehemently denied killing Lynda Mann. He then recanted his confession. The murder of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth would become two of the most significant homicide cases in history.

Alec Jeffreys, a geneticist at the University of Leicester, made a ground-breaking discovery involving DNA. He determined that no two individuals had identical genetic profiles. He recognized that extracted cells could identify people with great precision. When Jeffreys first shared his discovery, he said it could identify criminals. Originally, many people discounted the significance of DNA.

Authorities soon reached out to him and asked him to use his DNA theory to determine if Richard Buckland had murdered both Dawn Ashworth and Lynda Mann. Jeffrey’s determined the same man murdered both girls, but Richard Buckland wasn’t their killer. The police released Buckland and pursued other suspects.

Authorities began collecting DNA samples from different men in the area. The results all came back negative. However, in August 1987, some men were having drinks at a local pub. The men discussed how the police were taking different blood samples. One of the men said he had helped his friend Colin Pitchfork out by giving his blood under the guise of Pitchfork. A woman at the pub overheard the conversation and contacted the police. In September 1987, the police arrested Pitchfork and acquired a DNA sample. It matched the semen found on the two murdered teenagers. In 1988, an English court tried and convicted Pitchfork. Colin Pitchfork became the first person convicted of murder by using DNA. Although he received a life sentence, it’s possible he may get released.

Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.