Who was Veronica Anderson and how did she die?
VERA Anderson received a phone call prompting her to leave her seven-year-old son in the care of a neighbour, saying she would be gone for 10 minutes.
Described as fun-loving, popular and family-oriented, five hours later she was found dead in her own car with her throat slit — a crime which remains unsolved since 1991.
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Who was Veronica Anderson?
Veronica Anderson, often known as Vera, was a 42-year-old single mother residing in Widnes, Cheshire.
She was well-liked in her community and co-ran a sandwich business with her teenage daughter, supplying local shops and factories.
On the night of August 24, 1991, Veronica was at home with her two children.
Her daughter, Lorraine, was 19 and pregnant, while her son, Neil, was just seven years old.
At around 10pm, Veronica received a phone call.
The identity of the caller has never been established, but whatever was said prompted her to ask a neighbour to look after her son Neil, explaining she would be back in about 10 minutes.
Roughly ten minutes after she received the phone call, Veronica left her home and headed out in her blue Ford Cortina — she was never seen alive again.
In the early hours of August 25, 1991, Veronica's body was discovered in her car off Tannery Lane in Penketh, Warrington, more than four miles from her home.
She had been brutally murdered — her throat was cut, and there were signs of a violent struggle.
A blood-stained glove and a length of cord, similar to window sash cord, were found at the scene — both believed to have been left by her killer.
The attack was neither sexual nor a robbery, but the level and nature of the violence had the hallmarks of a hitman.
Despite extensive investigations, the person responsible for her murder has never been identified or brought to justice.
Over the years, the case has remained unsolved, despite renewed appeals and even arrests.
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At the time of her death, Vera had been seeing a trucker for about three years.
The man, who was eliminated from inquiries, stayed overnight at her home on August 23, 1991.
In September 2024, Vera's daughter Lorraine Newton made a fresh plea for justice, saying: "It would be fantastic if the police could get someone for the murder.
"It would be a form of relief to think they have got what they deserved."
She continued: "I still hope that one day the culprit will get the justice they deserve.
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"I would say to anyone who knows who did it to speak to the police. He has got away with this for so long and he could do it again.
"Somebody knows — maybe his wife — if they do I don't know how they could live with that for 33 years. It is a very hard secret to keep.
"She might have been threatened of course — 'open your mouth and I'm going to do it to you'."
Media coverage
The case has been featured in media and true crime programs, including reconstructions on Crimewatch.
An episode of In The Footsteps of Killers examines the case of Veronica Anderson's unsolved murder.
Emilia Fox and David Wilson investigate the mother-of-two's tragic demise.
In The Footsteps of Killers: The Murder of Vera Anderson airs on Channel 4 at 10pm on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
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