Mysterious DNA found in Suzy Lamplugh’s car could belong to her killer, ex-detective reveals

Estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, 25, disappeared while showing a house in Fulham, south west London, to a client who had given the name Kipper, and her body was never found

Mysterious DNA found in Suzy Lamplugh’s abandoned car could belong to her killer, a former detective has revealed.

Jim Dickie said that a tiny sample was taken from a smeared fingerprint on the rearview mirror of the white Ford Fiesta the real estate agent was driving on July 28, 1986 to identify “Mr. Kipper” to meet.

Forensic scientists were unable to extract a profile from it in 2000 when Mr Dickie was leading the investigation, but he hopes they can now.

Suzy, 25, disappeared while showing a house in Fulham, south-west London, to a client who had given the name Kipper, and her body was never found.

A friend said she saw her later that day in the car with a man she didn’t know. Ex-Det Supt, Mr Dickie, said: “I do not know if the fingerprint DNA sample has been further developed and if it is sufficient to test it without destroying it.

“My advice from the experts was that at some point in the future, scientific advances might improve and DNA science might evolve to allow testing without destroying it. I am not aware if this is still the case or if there has been a review and test and if so what the result was.

“Two or three years ago that was certainly not the case.”

Suzy’s company car was found by investigators at 10:01 p.m. on the day of her disappearance, about a mile from the house where she left a “Mr. Kipper” should show. The handbrake was off and her purse was still in the pocket on the door.

Her seat was not in its usual position, but pushed further back, suggesting that Suzy had not been the last person to drive the vehicle.

The Mirror revealed this week that the main suspect in her disappearance, John Cannan, 68, is being treated at the end of his life in prison, where he is serving his life on yet another murder and a string of sexual assaults.

In 2002, Scotland Yard named Cannan as a prime suspect

He has always denied any involvement, even while receiving palliative care at Full Sutton, East Yorks prison.

Unfortunately, Suzy’s parents passed away without knowing what happened to her. Mr Dickie said he believes Cannan was also responsible for the unsolved murder of Sandra Court, 26.

The body of the Bournemouth insurance clerk was found in a water-filled ditch on the Avon Causeway in May 1986.

He previously said: “There’s a chance he does [Cannan] die without ever saying what he knows.

“The problem is that nobody can force him to tell us what happened.”

A Scotland Yard spokesman declined to comment on whether the DNA sample has been subjected to forensic testing in recent years.

He said: “Our investigation into the disappearance and murder of Suzy Lamplugh is ongoing and detectives remain committed to ensuring justice for her family.”