#28 Murder in the Bloom: The Lindow Man I

Aiza Jamil
Jul 7
2 min read

Updated: Jul 23

Hello, and welcome back, folks, to another episode of STEM on the Streets! If you are new here, my name is Aiza, and this is my partner, CAI (crime AI). Together, we stroll through the criminal-ridden streets of STEM!

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August morning, 1984, was a rather normal morning to some but not to all. Peat cutters at Lindow Moss, a bog in northwest England, unearthed something that would disturb both the past and the present- leather. Or was it? No, it was not; it was a human foot preserved like leather. That very unassuming piece of bog wood would soon turn out to be the beginning of one of Britain’s biggest and strangest murder mysteries.

The Background

This leather foot was found in Lindow Moss, Cheshire, UK- a peat bog that was formed after the last ice age and was long treasured for its fuel and, surprisingly, its little secret skill at preserving ancient remains. Commercial peat-cutting workers, Andy Mould and several other colleagues, had stumbled upon the Lindow Woman’s skull in May 1983. The Lindow Woman was a fragment of a female skull which had soft tissue and hair still attached, though she is not the Lindow Man; she is related to the background of the Lindow Man.

The Investigation

Well, ever since the foot alongside other remains were found, the media was in frenzy, and so were the police. At first, everyone had believed that it was a recent homicide. Newspapers had speculated: “ Was there someone dumping a body in the bog?” The police started sifting through missing persons ‘ files and whatnot. Soon, it became clearer than crystal that this was no ordinary murder victim but a time capsule, opening a window into the distant, perhaps forgotten past.

The Murder from the Past

Enter Peter Reyn-Bardt, who had lived nearby and had been under investigation since 1983 when the bog workers had uncovered a human skull- the Lindow Woman, if you remember. He had confessed to the murder of his wife, Malika de Fernandez, and had buried her remains in the bog decades ago. He was certain the skull belonged to her and that this discovery was too connected. His confession had seemed to confirm everything.

The Arrest

Reyn-Bardt was arrested and gave a full confession. Headlines celebrated the dramatic resolution of the cold case thanks to a freak archaeological find. The Public was intrigued, a random tip had led to a confession, a boyd, justice for a missing wife- all thanks to a bog.

Then Oxford’s radiocarbon dating had revealed that the mysterious skull- and equally well preserved “body”- were around 1,600-2,000 years old, dating from the Roman-era Britain. And all of a sudden, Reyn Bardt’s confession had no link to Malike: the bodies weren’t recent victims, who knew if they were victims at all?

Then it came through: these bog bodies were Iron Age sacrifices or burials preserved in a mossy silence.

Well, that is all for today's episode! Next episode, we'll be diving further into the Lindow Man mystery!

This is Aiza Jamil signing out!

I am a forensics sleuth. What's your mystery to solve?