Death of Lamduan Armitage

Lamduan Armitage ( Seekanya) was a formerly unidentified woman whose body was discovered in 2004 on Pen-y-ghent, a mountain in North Yorkshire, England, leading her to become known as the Lady of the Hills. The woman was found to have come from somewhere in South-East Asia, The woman was identified in March 2019 through DNA testing.

Her husband, David Armitage, was arrested in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2025 on suspicion of her murder. The man had discovered the body in a well-trafficked location on the Pennine Way between Pen-y-ghent and Horton in Ribblesdale in Sell Gill Beck stream, It was thought that the body had been in the stream for some time, The cause of death was not initially apparent, and no signs of violence were reported. Her age was estimated between 25 and 35 years. she also wore a wedding ring. The woman had pierced ears, but no earrings were found. At this time it was believed that the woman could have originated from the Philippines, China, or Korea.

In 2011 the police announced that they were reopening the investigation of eight unsolved deaths. The Lady of the Hills was one of these cases, along with the Sutton Bank body.

Dr. Wolfram Meier-Augenstein was involved in the investigation and his interpretation of stable isotopic signatures obtained from the victim's remains corroborated one line of investigation that the victim might have grown up in Thailand. In 2018 an appeal was subsequently made by the North Yorkshire Police. The appeal was made on Facebook in the Filipino, Thai, and English languages so that the messages could be shared internationally.

Identification On 22 January 2019, a family in Thailand came forward in the belief that they knew the identity of the victim. The woman had married a British man in 1991 and moved to North West England in 1995. The mother of the woman had not heard from her daughter since 2004.

On 19 March 2019, North Yorkshire Police revealed that they had identified the body, following DNA testing David Armitage was located in 2019 and denied any involvement in his wife's death.

In February 2023, British police travelled to Thailand to further their investigation. They had wanted to interview David Armitage, but he refused to speak to them.

Arrest of David Armitage

David Armitage was first arrested on 23 January 2025 by Thai authorities at his residence in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, in connection with her death. He was then detained in Bangkok pending visa revocation proceedings. His arrest came after an international letter of request from the UK.

On 25 January, the North Yorkshire Police released a statement saying that upon his deportation, he will have a choice of going anywhere, including return to the UK, and if he returns to the UK, the force will "make every effort to speak to him about the investigation". The North Yorkshire Police stated that the "61-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Lamduan Armitage in 2004".