THE tragic story of Shani Warren still shocks and saddens decades after her passing.
After spending the day taking care of her garden, she left home to run errands, never to return.
Who was Shani Warren?
Shani Warren was the only daughter of wealthy parents Joe and Elsie.
She had two brothers and was the youngest child.
They had bought her a house in Buckinghamshire which she shared with two housemates.
Shani was described as a pleasant and friendly person who would take time out of her day to chat with neighbours.
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She came from a very loving family and was close to all her relatives.
What happened to Shani Warren?
On April 17, 1987, Shani was looking at the carefully manicured gardens of her neighbours when she decided to tend to her own, which was overgrown.
She travelled to her uncle's house to borrow an extension lead before tackling the lawn.
The job turned out to be a bigger one than she envisaged and it was not until early evening that she completed it.
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She had made plans to visit Bournemouth with her family for Easter and had discussed the logistics of the trip with her father.
As she had finished her gardening late, she decided to take the grass cuttings to her parent's compost heap as they only lived ten minutes away.
She also went on a shopping errand on her way to her parent's house.
Shani never made it to her destination.
Her car was found in a layby near the A4, with binbags of grass cuttings in the boot and an Easter egg in the footwell of the vehicle.
Shani's body was later found at the edge of Taplow Lake in Slough with her hands and wrists tied and her mouth gagged.
Marks around her neck suggested that she had been strangled prior to her murder.
Why was Shani Warren called The Lady in the Lake?
On April 18, 1987, a woman was walking her German Shepherd around Taplow Lake on a regular evening stroll.
The dog showed an unusual interest in an object in the water, which turned out to be the body of Shani.
This led to the case being dubbed "The Lady of the Lake".
During the initial inquiry into Shani's death, police announced that they believed her death to be suicide.
A pathologist also ruled her death a suicide as they found no signs of struggle on her body.
Crucial details the police missed indicated that Shani was not suicidal, including her plans to meet with her ex-boyfriend and no history of mental illness or depression.
A second pathologist found signs of indecent assault and noted her hands had been tied behind her back, therefore, she could not have tied herself up as originally assumed.
Three days after the discovery of her body, a murder inquiry was launched, however, due to lack of leads her case went cold.
Due to the advancement of forensic science and DNA testing, police reopened her case and an arrest was made.
Donald Robertson was convicted of the crime over three decades later.
In May 2022, he received a 30-year-minimum term life sentence.
Her parents died during the coronavirus pandemic before they could see justice served.
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