In February 1975, a woman was killed on A1 after being hit by one or more vehicles, but her death remains unsolved.
Ahead of the 50th anniversary, the Comet is looking into the case of the 'Baldock Woman' in an effort to uncover more evidence that could finally lead to her identification or the cause of her death.
As part of our efforts, we are appealing to readers and the public for information about her and what happened.
If you have any information you think could be helpful, please email daniel.mountney@newsquest.co.uk.
What happened?
At 6.15am on February 18, 1975, a young woman – who is being referred to as Baldock Woman and is also known as The Girl in the Afghan Coat – was struck by one or more vehicles on the A1 near Baldock.
She has still not been identified. The person who was driving the vehicle that killed her has never been identified and they have never come forward.
Who was the Baldock Woman?
The young woman – believed to be French – was last seen by a witness at 5.30am, just 45 minutes before she was killed.
The witness stated that she had said she was heading for London and that she spoke with a foreign accent.
The woman was thought to be between the age of 17 and 25.
She had fair hair and hazel eyes and a few distinguishing features: a scar on her right leg and a piercing in her right ear.
She was wearing a distinctive 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.
When she was found, she wasn’t wearing shoes, wasn’t carrying a bag, and had no form of identification.
Key leads in the case
After an appeal in June 2010, which contained a facial reconstruction of the woman, a couple came forward to say they recognised her.
They recognised her as a young French student named Odile Ludic, although the spelling of the name and her identity have never been confirmed.
David Liversedge had met her in 1972 when she was hitchhiking on London’s North Circular during a thunderstorm. She then went on to stay with Dave and his wife, Barbara, in the early 1970s.
The young woman who stayed with the couple was between 23 and 25 years old and had said that she was from north of Paris or had lived in the northern part of Paris.
She also had friends in Newquay, Cornwall, and would often hitch-hike to visit them.
When she wasn’t visiting friends in Newquay, she could regularly be found in the Stotfold Social Club drinking cider.
She also worked manufacturing souvenirs on an industrial estate in Henlow, Bedfordshire.
In 1973, she then relocated to Cambridge to study at a language school.
The Liversedges did not see her again after her relocation, but believe that she may have been returning to visit given that the unidentified woman’s body was found only a few miles from their home.
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