The face of a woman who was found dead on a beach 30 years ago has been recreated by forensic artists in a bid to finally identify her.
The woman was found at a scenic beach spot at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, on January 13 1993 by an off-duty coastguard.
She was discovered near the Low Lighthouse and is not believed to have been in the sea for very long. Despite a number of clues, she has still never been identified.
Her discovery came shortly after the fierce Braer Storm struck the UK, which was one of the most intense north Atlantic cyclones ever recorded.
Scotland-based forensic artist Hew Morrison has now produced a new image of the woman’s face on the 30th anniversary of the discovery of her body.
The Burnham-on-Sea woman is said to be aged between 60 and 70 and wore a gold band type ring
A view of the beautiful and scenic Burnham on Sea, Somerset, now
A map of Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset
It comes after a fresh unit of volunteer investigators revisited the case with Locate International, a charity dedicated to helping families of unsolved missing person cases find their loved ones.
Towards the end of last year Locate International also revealed a new image of a mystery woman who jumped to her death from a London tower block 18 years ago.
The Burnham-on-Sea woman was 157cm tall, of thin build and was aged somewhere between 60 and 70.
She wore a light green and beige overcoat with a dark green fur lined hood.
She was also wearing a gold band type ring and carried a packet of paracetamol tablets purchased from Superdrug and an ‘After Curry’ mint with the word ‘Kansaras’ on it.
The area around Bristol and north Somerset suffered very intense weather when the woman entered the sea.
The day before she was discovered thunder was widespread in the Bristol Channel area, a tornado struck Congresbury and Yatton saw hailstones up to 10mm in size.
Streets in Weston-super-Mare were also reported to be white with hailstones.
Speaking about the case, Dave Grimstead, Locate International’s CEO and founder, said: ‘As we reach 30 years since her death, we’re hoping someone out there can help unite Burnham-on-Sea woman with her real name.
‘Maybe you recognise her, or her clothes, or served her the Kansaras after-dinner mint, maybe in a curry house. Maybe you remember a woman with very long grey hair in north Somerset around this time?
‘We’re also looking into a possible link with the eastern European community in the West Country: did you know anyone with eastern European links at the time who matches her description?
‘Even the smallest details can help move our investigation forward, so we encourage you to come forward.’
As recent as last year, a woman and two children were rescued from quicksand on Burnham-on-Sea after sinking in up to their knees.
