Her father found her remains himself, a week after Kenyan officials insisted she had been killed by wild animals. He spent nearly £2 million and made over 100 trips to Kenya trying to prove otherwise.
The Murder
Julie Ward, a British woman on a solo photography safari, was last seen alive on September 6, 1988, in Kenya's Maasai Mara game reserve. Her remains were discovered a week later by her father, John Ward, who had traveled to Kenya himself after she was reported missing. Kenyan officials initially attributed her death to an animal attack, a conclusion her father disputed and eventually disproved by uncovering additional evidence.
Decades of Trials
Two junior park rangers were tried and acquitted of Ward's murder in 1992 due to insufficient evidence, though the presiding judge recommended investigating the head park ranger further. In 1997, a new team of Kenyan police reopened the case, and in 1999, Simon Ole Makallah, the park's chief warden at the time of the killing, was tried and also acquitted for lack of evidence.
The British Inquest
In 2004, a coroner's inquest held in Ipswich, England, formally ruled Julie Ward's death an unlawful killing.
A Father's Ongoing Campaign
John Ward has continued to push for a resolution in the decades since, spending significant personal resources and making frequent trips to Kenya. In 2009, a key witness in the case, Valentine Ohuru Kodipo, who had left Kenya in exile after providing testimony, died in Denmark. In 2018, Ward continued publicly campaigning for Kenyan authorities to obtain DNA from a suspect he has long believed was responsible.
Where the Case Stands
Despite three trials, no one has ever been convicted of Julie Ward's murder, and the case remains formally unsolved more than three decades later.
FAQ
Has anyone ever been convicted of Julie Ward's murder?
No. Three separate trials over the years resulted in acquittals, and the case remains unsolved.
What did Kenyan officials initially say caused her death?
They initially attributed it to an animal attack, a conclusion later disproven after her father uncovered additional evidence.
What did the British inquest conclude?
A 2004 inquest in Ipswich, England, formally ruled her death an unlawful killing.