Who was Jack Armstrong and what happened to the Cardiff taxi driver?
JACK Armstrong was a taxi driver from Cardiff, whose death in October 1979 has never been solved despite a thorough police investigation.
Here’s what we know about Armstrong, and what happened to him.
Who was Jack Armstrong?
Jack Armstrong was a Welsh taxi driver who was found murdered on October 8, 1979.
Armstrong was 58, and was last seen alive on October 5, 1979, where he picked up a customer in Cardiff.
Despite an extensive investigation from South Wales Police, Armstrong’s murderer has never been found.
This is despite police taking hundreds of statements from locals about what they remember from the day in question.
What happened to Jack Armstrong?
His taxi was found in Bridgend later on the evening of October 5, 1979, stained with blood. Locals eventually found his body three days later in Cowbridge, he had sustained fatal blows to the head.
Not a lot of details are known about the incident, other than the fact that the person he collected was called Mr Williams and wanted to be taken to Cowbridge.
South Wales Police decided to review the investigation in December 2020, 41 years after the killing took place.
Police are hopeful that modern forensic techniques could help them finally help then solve the case.
Investigators believe that the attack took place in the taxi, before his body was dragged out, hence the reason why Armstrong was found so far from his car.
The pathologist who examined Armstrong’s injuries suggested that the damage to his head were caused by a hammer, however a weapon has never been located.
Jack was a father to seven children, who have never been able to receive answers.
Armstrong’s daughter, Jean Heath, wants justice for her father’s killing.
She said of his death, saying: “I just went into shock really. I had to have an injection, a sedative because I was just traumatised. If they can find out exactly what happened, my father can be put to rest properly.”
Detective chief inspector of South Wales Police, Patrick Catto, said in 2020 that it was important for the family to get closure.
He said: “The 1979 investigation was thorough and this review is no reflection on our colleagues who were involved at the time. We do, however, owe it to the victim and his family to make sure we exploit every scientific advance available to us to try and secure the breakthrough we need.”