The murder of Anne Marie Foy remains one of Liverpool’s most tragic unsolved cases
Nan-of-five Anne Marie Foy was beaten to death 20 years ago and left on a patch of land at the junction of Crown Street and West Derby Street(Image: liverpool echo)
Twenty years ago today, the body of a “loving” mum and nan was found dumped on a patch of waste ground just yards from one of Liverpool’s busiest streets, following a brutal and harrowing attack that has not been solved to this day.
Anne Marie Foy, 46, was found dead on September 15, 2005, on land at the junction of Crown Street and West Derby Street in Liverpool city centre, the site now occupied by the new Royal Liverpool Hospital.
Anne Marie, who had struggled with addiction and was involved in sex work, had made repeated efforts to rebuild her life. She was known for her warmth and compassion, particularly by younger women in similar circumstances, who remembered her protective, maternal nature.
Despite an investigation that spanned years and a breakthrough that led to a murder charge in 2012, no one has ever been held accountable for her death.
David Butler, a local taxi driver, was charged with her murder after a DNA link was identified. However, he was acquitted by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court. His legal team successfully argued that his chronic health conditions – including bronchitis and COPD – made him physically incapable of carrying out such a violent assault.
The reliability of the DNA evidence was also questioned, with suggestions it may have been transferred via money handled during his work as a taxi driver.
CCTV of Miss Foy at 5.21am on Thursday September 15, 2005. A passing police patrol on Paddington shines a light on her as she walks alone. Soon after, she was murdered.
Mr Butler, speaking to the ECHO after his acquittal, said: “No-one should lose their mother in those circumstances and I wish them [Anne Marie’s family] every success in getting justice. This was another false dawn for them which must have been hard but it has to be the right man and it wasn’t here.”
The trial heard deeply distressing details of Anne Marie’s death.
A post-mortem revealed 62 separate injuries, including 21 to her head. A pathologist theorised she may have been throttled with a large broken tree branch found nearby, which bore traces of her blood.
In a previous interview with the ECHO, one of Anne Marie’s sons shared memories of seeing his mum just weeks before her death, describing a woman in recovery and reconnecting with her passions.
He said: “I saw her a couple of weeks before she died and she had been off the drugs for around three months, she had started painting and writing poetry again, she was re-discovering her creative side.”
Anne Marie was known as a compassionate and kind woman and would often give younger girls “her last pound” to get home safely(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Anne Marie was known for her kindness and maternal instinct towards other sex workers on the streets of Liverpool, and her son says she was renowned for giving the younger girls “her last pound” to go home and be safe.
Her reputation showed after a tree was planted near the site of her death when the new hospital building began to take shape.
Waste land off Grove Street in Liverpool’s city centre, near the University of Liverpool, where sex worker Anne Marie Foy was killed in 2005
Her son said: “I go there on her birthday and on the anniversary of her death. It looks really nice now, there are flowers and it’s quiet and peaceful.
“Because it is the last place she was alive it feels like it has more of a connection. Other girls who were sex workers also come here and place flowers from time to time.”
Her son added: “She was a Christian and she loved going to church. I have since found out she had a lot of trauma in her own life, but I have never had the chance to get closer to her.”
Anne Marie’s murder remains one of Liverpool’s most tragic unsolved cases. Her family continues to call for answers and justice nearly two decades on.
Head of Merseyside Police’s Serious Case Review Unit, Howard Rubbery said: “Anne Marie was a loving mum and nan and her family and friends still mourn her loss today.
“Twenty years is a long time to have passed for her loved ones not to get justice, but I want the public to be reassured that enquiries into Anne Marie’s death continue to this day.
“We would never close a murder investigation and we would always encourage people with information to come forward. Any piece of information, however small, may be key to us being able to bring Anne Marie’s killer to justice.”
Anyone with information should contact the Merseyside Police social media desk @MerPolCC on X and Facebook. You can also report information via our website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.