A RELATIVE of a Bradford woman who was murdered nearly 50 years ago has said she hopes the cold case will one day be solved.
Renee McGowan, 55, was divorced two years before her murder on July 23, 1975.
As she lived alone, she had done all she could to try and protect herself from intruders.
But someone still managed to get into her top-floor home at Evans Towers, off Manchester Road, and strangle the quiet, well-spoken woman.
West Yorkshire Police said officers "continue to review evidence in the case and investigate potential lines of enquiry".
The comment came after the Telegraph & Argus was contacted by Nia Williams, whose mother's first cousin was Renee.
Nia said: "What happened to Renee was horrible.
"Hopefully, with advances in DNA and other scientific investigative methods, it will be solved one day after so many years.
"This would be wonderful."
Renee was found partly clothed and with her wrists tied behind her back in her 14th-floor flat by her fiance.
Nothing was apparently missing from the flat and there was no sign of forced entry.
Some drawers and cupboards were left open but property of any value and money was untouched.
Renee was frail and police admitted she would have been helpless to stop her killer because of a heart condition.
She was very careful about who she let into her flat, which had a tightly-bolted door and a spyhole, and even regular callers had to give a coded knock.
Detective Inspector Steve King, of West Yorkshire Police's Major Investigation Review Team, said: "As a victim-focused organisation our priority is to achieve justice for victims. We never close a case until it is solved.
"Despite extensive enquiries over many years, the case of Renee McGowan remains unsolved. We continue to review evidence in the case and investigate potential lines of enquiry.
"I would appeal to anyone with information about the murder of Renee McGowan in Bradford in 1975 to come forward."
Nia said she had been researching her family history and came across a Telegraph & Argus story from 2021 about Renee's murder.
She said: "I live in Wales and have not kept in contact with the Bradford side of the family since my grandmother Emily died.
"It would be nice to connect with family members if possible."
Any relatives of Renee who would like to connect with Nia can email Telegraph & Argus reporter Michael Broomhead via michael.broomhead@newsquest.co.uk
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