THE murder of Elizabeth McCabe stands as one of the most notorious unsolved killings in Scottish history.
McCabe's death led to one of the largest manhunts in Scottish history but was to no avail.
Who was Elizabeth McCabe?
Elizabeth McCabe was a 20-year-old trainee nursery nurse from Dundee, Scotland.
She was murdered after a night out with her friend in February 1980, shortly before she was to turn 21.
Elizabeth was said to be shy and reserved but began socialising and going to pubs and clubs when she started attending college.
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What happened to Elizabeth McCabe?
Elizabeth was on a night out with her friend Sandra Niven in Dundee and visited several pubs on the night of February 10, 1980.
She left a club at 12.30 am on her own and couldn't be located by Sandra.
Her parents reported her missing after finding out that she had not shown up for work that day, which was out of character for her.
It was believed that McCabe had tried to get home by taxi, since at that time of night she would not have been able to get to her home by any other means.
On February 26, 1980, two men who were hunting rabbits with their dogs found Elizabeth's body, under a pile of branches and wrapped in a blue jumper.
Her body was found just 150 yards from that of Carol Lannen, just 11 months after the latter's death.
A post-mortem revealed that McCabe had died from asphyxia caused by compression of her neck.
After months of enquiries, police were unable to find the killer, but left case file open.
Some of McCabe's clothing was later found at Coupar Angus Road in the city.
Two months after the murder, on April 2, 1980, McCabe's jewellery and a photo belonging to her were also found in Cobden Street.
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Her shoes were later found in this location some weeks later.
In 1996, Tayside police instructed a review of Templeton Woods deaths.
This came after the reopening of the Bible John serial killer case in Glasgow.
The case was reopened in 2005, with items of evidence being sent to DNA labs for further analysis.
A professor later concluded that McCabe's death would have been quite sudden due to vagal inhibition in her neck.
Who has been charged with Elizabeth McCabe's murder?
Police were never able to charge anyone over the murder of Elizabeth McCabe.
More than 40 years after her death, the crime remains unsolved.
Despite several case reviews, no further suspects have been investigated.
Taxi driver Vincent Simpson was charged with the murder in 2005 and put on trial in 2007, but was found not guilty and acquitted.
His QC had argued the DNA evidence was flawed and there was a risk of contamination, as items from both the accused and the victim had been stored together.
Speaking outside the court at the time, Det Ch Insp Ewen West, who led the investigation, said he was disappointed for the McCabe family at the verdict, but was "respectful of the decision made by the jury in what has been a difficult and complex case for them."
He added: "We will now take time to consider the verdict and that will involve internal discussion within the force and with the Procurator Fiscal, but more importantly with the McCabe family."
In 2020, a senior investigator on the case told STV news that the murder could still be solved.
However, there are no plans to reopen the case and as of 2024, police are no closer to solving the case.
