Vera Anderson received a phone call, then left her son with a neighbour – five hours later she was found dead in her car just five minutes from her house
Cold case detectives are still hunting for the killer of a mum who was found with her throat slashed in her car 34 years ago. The murder of Veronica Anderson remains unsolved to this day – but police have renewed their appeal for information on the anniversary of her tragic death.
The 42-year-old who was known as Vera had left her home in Widnes, Cheshire after receiving a phone call at around 10pm on Saturday 24 August 1991. She asked a neighbour to take care of her then six-year-old son where they lived in Hadfield Close.
But just five hours later, her body was discovered in her parked car, just a five-minute drive from her home in Penketh, Warrington. Her throat had been cut and the only clues at the scene were a blood stained glove and a length of sash cord. Detectives made the grim discovery at around 3am on the Sunday after Vera had left in her blue Cortina.
Despite repeated police appeals and offers of rewards for information, those responsible have never been caught. The person who phoned her before her death has also never been identified.
On the 30th anniversary of her death, Cheshire Police released an appeal telling the public that the ‘smallest detail’ could potentially help them crack the case. The force said Vera’s family had been left ‘devastated’ by her death and had never been able to find closure.
Det Sgt Jessica Barlow, from Cheshire Police’ major crime review team, said: “The unsolved murder of Vera Anderson remains a very topical and emotive investigation in the Warrington and Widnes area. As with all of Cheshire Police cold cases, they are never closed or forgotten.”
She said she hoped the “anniversary of her horrific murder may encourage people to speak out and contact us”.
