https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14761555/father-grave-stabbed-daughter-death-train-carriage.htmlMurder victim's father goes to his grave without knowing who stabbed his daughter to death in closed train carriage in one of Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes
By EMILY HALL
Published: 17:43, 29 May 2025 | Updated: 17:43, 29 May 2025
The haunted father of the victim of one of Britain’s most notorious unsolved murders has died before any suspect was ever arrested, MailOnline has learned. The savage killing of Deborah Linsley on a suburban commuter train as it arrived at London’s Victoria station in 1988 is regularly cited as one of the UK’s most high-profile unsolved cases. Deborah’s father Arthur, a retired insurance broker, spent more than three decades campaigning for justice for her regularly appearing in the media to ensure her case was not forgotten and that the police continued to try to find her killer. But now MailOnline can reveal that Mr Linsley has sadly died before anyone could ever be linked to the attack and prosecuted. The case was particularly infuriating for detectives as they have a full DNA match for the killer but no match has ever come up for them or any relative. A source close to the Linsley family said: ‘Arthur’s life since 1988 revolved around finding who killed his daughter. We had all hoped he would live until the police made an arrest which as they have the DNA seems like it must inevitably happen at some point. There was also a £20,000 reward but it didn’t yield a suspect. Deborah’s mum died 14 years ago and Arthur carried on alone, campaigning and keeping Deborah’s memory alive. But sadly he too died a little while ago in 2023 and now there’s no one left to push the case. It’s so sad that Arthur never got to find out who killer her and see them jailed.’
Arthur had been still living in the house where Deborah grew up in Bromley, Kent, but it has now been sold. Deborah, 26, was born in Bromley, south London, to and his wife Marguerite, a fraud investigator for the DSS. She had moved to Edinburgh to pursue a career as a hotel manager and on the week of her death had returned to stay at the family home while she could attend a course. Deborah was on her way back to Edinburgh when she was attacked in the closed carriage of a commuter train. On the afternoon of Wednesday March 23, 1988, she had lunch with her brother Gordon, who then gave her a lift to Petts Wood station. Linsley boarded the 14.16 from Petts Wood in south London to London Victoria when she was viciously attacked. When the train arrived at that busy terminal, a station porter discovered her body in the blood-soaked coach when the train arrived at its final stop. She had been stabbed 11 times with one wound penetrating her heart and killing her. The murder is thought to have happened in the six minutes between the train pulling out of Brixton and arriving in Victoria. The police were convinced of this because another passenger, a French au pair, told them she heard a scream after it had left Brixton. She didn’t pull the emergency cord and didn’t take any other action. Police initially suspected the murder may have been an attempted rape. Deborah had defensive marks on her hands and had seriously injured her attacker as she tried to fight him off. This meant police would have a full DNA profile. But despite regular familial DNA testing they have never uncovered a match and the case remains unsolved. Deborah was buried in the bridesmaid’s dress she would have worn to her brother’s wedding which had been due to take place just wo weeks after she was killed. Arthur was still appealing for information just a few years before his death. In 2018, on the 30th anniversary, he said: ‘My daughter Debbie was murdered and despite the DNA profile of the suspect being available, the person responsible has still not been found. I appeal for those who have suspicions about a partner, a friend or a relative to please come forward.’
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: ‘The investigation into the murder of 26-year-old Debbie Linsley remains open, with detectives exploring ways to identify the suspect using DNA evidence. Debbie, from Bromley but living and working in Edinburgh at the time of her murder, was stabbed to death on the 14.16 train from Orpington to London Victoria on Wednesday, 23 March 1988. She boarded the train at Petts Wood in south-east London and entered an old-fashioned compartment with room for six people and doors at each side of the carriage. The train arrived at platform 2 at Victoria railway station and at around 14.50hrs, her body was discovered on the floor by British Rail staff. Detectives have a full DNA profile of the suspect Debbie fought off her killer during the attack and traces of blood belonging to someone other than Debbie were found at the scene and detectives are continuing to explore all opportunities, including advancements in DNA technology. The current investigation is being led by the Met’s Specialist Casework Investigation Team which investigates unsolved, historical cases.’
Deborah’s brother Gordon was approached via an intermediary but declined to respond to a request for comment.
