'Happy to assist'- University of Lancashire professor reveals role in solving murder case on national TV
“I was more than happy to use my expertise to assist with the case”
A University of Lancashire professor will appear on national television discussing how she helped a police force solve a murder.
Anna Williams, Professor of Forensic Science at the Preston based university, will feature on the True Crime Channel’s UK Forensic Breakthroughs next month discussing her role examining murder victim Natalia Doherty’s remains.
Her expertise was required to help Bedfordshire Police with the investigation into the death of 50-year-old Natalia, who was killed by her ex-husband in 2003.
In 2015, Anna examined skeletonised human remains found in a back garden of a house in Luton.
The remains had been left on a pile of waste and been covered in a great deal of household waste.
Anna said: “When the police approached me to help, I was more than happy to use my expertise to assist with the case.
“My role was to construct an osteological profile of the remains to help identify the victim. That profile consisted of the biological sex of the remains, the age of death, the height of the victim was and their likely ancestry.
“I also looked for any signs of past diseases, dental anomalies and trauma. I found both healed and unhealed fractures, suggesting that Natalia had suffered repeated bouts of traumatic violence.”
Anna’s work was able to confirm the remains were Natalia and suggested she had been the victim of domestic abuse.
She continued: “It was very gratifying to help the police piece together what had happened to Natalia and contribute in part to providing answers for her family.”
The filming for UK Forensic Breakthroughs, presented by Jo Millington, took place over two days across the Preston Campus in May.
The Monster Films’ crew shot footage in a forensic science teaching laboratory and in the on campus dig site, which is part of the University’s crime scene investigations’ facility.
Anna was joined at the filming by Caroline Sims, a forensic osteoarchaeologist who was previously a student of Anna’s and who also assisted the police with the investigation of the case.
Anna added: “Being filmed for the TV show was great fun, and I enjoyed showcasing the work that Caroline and I did to help the police on this murder case."
The episode will air on Tuesday 10 November at 10pm on True Crime Channel, which is available on Freeview Channel 67, Sky Channel 146, Virgin Channel 148 and Freesat Channel 135.