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The body of a mystery woman found dumped in a stream 15 years ago has been finally identified by police as an English teacher's 'Thai bride'.

The decomposed remains of the half-naked female - named today as Lamduan Armitage nee Seekanya - were discovered in the Yorkshire Dales by walkers in 2004.

The mum-of-three was found face down wearing just socks and jeans and had a ripped bra hanging off her arm. A T-shirt was found nearby.

Her cause of death was never established but she was later thought to have died of hypothermia as there were no signs of violence on her body.

(Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Today North Yorkshire Police said: "Lamduan, who would now be aged 51 and was married with three children, is originally from the Udon Thani province in north east Thailand.

"North Yorkshire Police is continuing to build a picture of Lamduan’s life in Thailand and at various places she lived in the UK between 1991 and 2004, including Portsmouth (Hampshire), Rugby (Warwickshire) and Preston (Lancashire).

"It is also understood that Lamduan visited Thailand at some point between 2003 and 2004, but it is not known which part of the country she went to.

"Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service to obtain the legal authority to interview members of Lamduan’s family and conduct enquiries in Thailand with the co-operation and assistance of the Thai authorities, as well as conducting enquires in the UK."

Cold case reviewers previously said she may have been killed and transported to the stream, possibly by a 4x4.

The force also said last year that the circumstances surrounding the death have "remained suspicious".

Following the discovery of the body, extensive investigations and appeals to the public were made to identify her, but they were unsuccussful.

She was named The Lady of the Hills by locals, who paid for her funeral in 2007.

However, authorities in Thailand were recently able to identify her as Lamduan using fingerprints after her parents came forward to express fears they believed the woman was their daughter.

Her husband David Armitage, 55, who moved to Thailand after friends and family were told Lamduan had “disappeared” has also spoken out.

He told The Sun : “I didn’t kill my wife. Absolutely not.”

He admitted there had been a 'whispering campaign' against him within the Thai media.

He said: “I know the inferences are there but I’m just getting on with my life. It’s been a long time.”

Lamduan had been living with David’s parents in Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, around 25 miles from where the body was found.

The victim - like Lamduan - had a small gap in her front teeth.

(Image: BBC)

She was also wearing a gold band on her wedding finger which was traced to Bangkok — where Lamduan and David married in January 1991, seven months after meeting.

David, who works at Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University teaching English, said he had been advised by the British Embassy not to talk about the case.

Lamduan’s mum Joomsri Seekanya, 73, said her daughter’s marriage ran into trouble and the last time they spoke she described being in financial difficulty.

Lamduan was buried in an anonymous grave and her headstone reads: “The Lady of the Hills. Found 20th Sept 2004. Name Not Known. Rest in Peace.”

Adam Harland, who is managing the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Police cold case review team, previously said the woman had been in the UK for at least two years before her death and may have arrived as a "Thai bride".

He said: "This term does not necessarily mean the woman comes from Thailand but that she is a lady who has taken up a relationship with a white gentleman and has come back to live in the UK in the late 1990s or early 2000s.

"That would probably mean that her partner is older than her and quite likely has led a more solitary, individual life prior to their relationship taking place.

"Whoever her partner was in the last days of her life is the person we need to locate and speak to."

Mr Harland added tests on the woman's hair suggested she had settled in north Lancashire or south Cumbria.

He urged people from those areas to consider whether they can recall a woman from south-east Asia who had been in a relationship with a local man.

Mr Harland said it is likely those who knew the woman, who is believed to have been aged between 20 and 40, were told the relationship had ended and that she had returned home.