Investigators release new image in bid to identify woman killed on A1 fifty years ago
A newly released forensic image and the discovery of a possible name could finally solve the decades-old mystery of 'Baldock Woman', who was killed while walking barefoot on the A1 in Hertfordshire in 1975
Last updated 18th Feb 2025
Investigators have released a new image of a woman who was killed while walking barefoot on the A1 in Hertfordshire nearly fifty years ago. They have also uncovered a potential name that could finally identify her.
She was last seen at 5:30am on the morning of her death in February 1975, just 45 minutes before she was struck by at least one vehicle on the southbound carriageway of the A1 near the A507 slipway. A witness reported that she had spoken with a foreign accent and had said she was heading for London.
She was believed to be between 17 and 25 years old, with fair hair and hazel eyes. She had a scar on her right leg and a piercing in her right ear. She was found without any identification or belongings.
She was wearing distinctive clothing, including a brown Afghan coat, a brown leather waistcoat, a white cotton ‘Chelsea Girl’ blouse, a white cotton smock with a floral pattern and imitation lace, black Prisu jeans, and a chiffon lace scarf. Although she was not wearing shoes when found, her feet were clean, indicating she had not been walking barefoot for long.
Volunteers from Locate International, a charity specialising in cold cases, have been working on the case and have collaborated with a couple who believe they knew her in the early 1970s. A forensic artist has now produced a new image reconstructing her possible appearance.
The couple, who first came forward following an appeal in 2010, said they knew her as a French woman aged between 23 and 25 who used the name Anna or Odile.
Investigators have since found a reference to a woman named Odile Ledoux in the Cambridge Evening News from 25 November 1972. A spokesperson for the charity said: "This is potentially a major development in the investigation, and we would appeal to anyone who recognises the name to come forward. But until all lines of inquiry are ruled out, we will continue to investigate all leads."
The woman, known as 'Baldock Woman', had stayed with the couple in the early 1970s. She was said to be a regular at the Stotfold Social Club near Baldock and had worked at an industrial estate in Henlow, Bedfordshire, before moving to study at a language school in Cambridge.
The newspaper article from 1972 stated that Odile Ledoux was an English student at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, now Anglia Ruskin University, and had lived on Sturton Street in Cambridge. Investigators believe she was either from or had lived in northern Paris and had connections to Newquay, Cornwall.
Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International's chief executive, said: "Even after 50 years, we are confident that someone out there can help provide the one important clue that can help us reunite Baldock Woman with her identity.
"The window to do so is closing, however. If she were alive today, she would be in her late 60s to mid-70s, so we are eager for people to come forward before it is too late.
"For years, our volunteers have worked diligently to identify Baldock Woman. Just one clue, however small, can help progress our investigation, or send it in a new direction, so please come forward."
Locate International is now actively investigating the names Odile Ledoux, Anne, Anna, or similar variations.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the charity by emailing [email protected], calling 0300 102 1011, or visiting here.