KANCHANABURI — Thai authorities have arrested British national David Armitage, 62, at his residence in Nong Bua district, Kanchanaburi province, in connection with the two-decade-old “Lady of the Hills” murder case. The victim was his Thai wife, Lamduan Seekanya, whose body was found in 2004 in the UK. The arrest on January 23, 2025, follows an investigation by Thai Immigration Bureau and DSI.
Lamduan, who married Armitage and moved from Udon Thani to the UK in 1991, was found dead on Pennine Way in Ribblesdale on September 20, 2004. Her partially unclothed body showed no obvious signs of violence, and decomposition prevented determining the exact cause of death.
She remained unidentified and was buried in 2007 as “The Lady of the Hills” until DNA testing confirmed her identity in 2019 with the help of the Thai Women Network in the UK. Lamduan was identified by DNA that matched her mother, Joomsri Seekanya, who was 72 at the time.
In 2019, Joomsri and Buasa, Lamduan’s parents, interviewed with “Khaosod” at their home in Ban That subdistrict, Phen district, Udon Thani. They were rice farmers with 6 children. Lamduan, their eldest, divorced her Thai husband, with whom she had 1 child. She later met and fell in love with a British man in Chiang Mai who taught language in Bangkok. They had a traditional Isan wedding ceremony at home before moving to Bangkok.
Lamduan and her child later moved to England with her British husband, and they had 2 children together. Lamduan worked at a restaurant there and sent some money home to her parents, though not regularly every month. She called to tell them she was regularly physically abused by her husband.
In 2004, Lamduan brought her family to visit home in Udon Thani. About a month after returning to England, she called to say her husband wasn’t providing money for expenses. After that, they lost all contact.
Following his wife’s disappearance, Armitage left England for Thailand, where he worked as an English teacher, maintaining his innocence when questioned by British media. However, through criminal cooperation between Thailand and the United Kingdom, Thai authorities tracked down and arrested Armitage, with the Thai Immigration Bureau revoking his visa and detaining him under immigration laws and the Thailand-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
The arrest resulted from collaboration between Thai Justice Minister Taweesong Songsong, Police Chief Pol Gen Kitt Rat Panpetch, and DSI Director Pol Lt Col Yuthana Praedam.
Timeline of the case:
- 1991: Lamduan married Armitage and moved to the UK
- September 20, 2004: Her body discovered on Pennine Way in Ribblesdale
- 2007: Buried as “The Lady of the Hills” after remaining unclaimed
- 2019: Body identified as Lamduan Seekanya
- 2025: Armitage arrested in Thailand
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Previous report:
15 Years Later, England IDs ‘Lady of the Hills’ as Udon Woman
