Beth Norfolk, School of English

UnIdeal Victims - the unsolved murders of older women

There are over 80 unsolved murders in the UK in which the victim was an older woman, and there may well be more - there is no official record. These murders have been forgotten by the police, and were ignored by the media at the time. There is no reason that their cases should have been forgotten, but they were. Yet there is still a hope for justice for these women - by getting their names out in the open, their cases could still be solved. My research focusses on the women and their stories, exploring not only their lives & their murders but the complex reasons that render them still unsolved. These victims and their families deserve justice and answers, and my research is one step towards that.

BA English Literature, Second Year (she/her)
I'm a mature student in my second year of an English Literature degree; I have always loved books and worked for libraries for a long while before I began by studies. In my first year I was awarded a Laidlaw Scholarship which allowed me to put my lifelong interest in true crime into action - I undertook a research project which delved into the huge number of unsolved murders of older women, which led to some disturbing yet fascinating results. I discovered a love for research during my project, and plan to pursue this further, my dream being to pursue a masters and a PhD in this area. In my spare time I love to read, listen to true crime podcasts and play board and video games.