Aug 22, 2026 · 38 min · 19 segments
*Note: This epiosde was originally released in October 2024.* Vikki Thompson lived in a village near Oxford with her husband Jonathan, two young children and the family dog, Daisy. At about 4pm one…
So if you were alive back then, can you believe that is 30 years ago? Today's story comes from the picturesque village of Ascot-under-Wychwood.
It's nestled about five minutes south of Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, about 75 miles northwest of London.
This area could easily be described as quintessential middle England, with its rolling hills and its charming cottages.
Chipping Norton, of course, is probably most famous these days for Jeremy Clarkson's pub, Didley Squat, as well as being the former home of ex-Prime Minister David Cameron.
When we pick up the story today in the summer of 1995, 30-year-old Vicky Thompson lived in the village with her husband, Jonathan, two young children, Matthew and Jenny, and the family dog, Daisy.
Daisy was a lovely collie and couldn't have been more loved by the family, and Vicky walked her twice a day every single day.
At about 4:00 PM on the 12th of August, Vicky and Daisy headed out for their second walk of the day.
It was a beautiful summer's afternoon as they headed out on their usual route in the pretty countryside and woodland near their home.
Vicky's husband knew there must be something wrong when Daisy arrived home without his wife about half an hour later.
In this pre-mobile world, of course, there was no way to track where Vicky could be.
He immediately went out to search for her, and in the small community, word quickly spread that Vicky was missing, and other locals formed search parties to search for her.
The tracks and footpaths where she walked were remote and often deserted, so it was unlikely that someone would stumble upon her if she'd fallen or suffered another type of injury.
Being midsummer, the grass and plants were high, so she may have potentially been lying seriously injured out of immediate sight.
But after almost three hours with still no sign, Jonathan called the police to report his wife as missing.
And then at 7:15, one of the searchers saw some objects across the field from the pathway near the railway embankment.
She was still alive, but clearly seriously injured by being hit with what appeared to be the rocks that surrounded her.
Whoever had attacked Vicky had also attempted to hide the body with the rocks, but it hadn't seemed to make much of a really serious attempt to prevent Vicky's body from being spotted.
It was thought maybe they dragged Vicky over a fence from the main path to this spot in an attempt to make it look as though she'd been hit by a train.
Minutes later, her husband, Jonathan, was at the scene and barely able to comprehend what had happened.
It was immediately clear to him that there was a lot of blood on Vicky and the grass where she lay.
Due to the severity of her injuries, the air ambulance was summoned, and in the moments before it arrived, Vicky was still conscious and was able to speak, although not in any sort of coherent fashion.
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to say what had happened to her, nor was she able to say who was responsible for the attack.
In John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, medical experts tried to stabilize Vicky, who'd received three heavy blows to the back of the head and two to her face, which resulted in skull fractures and a severe brain injury.
So if you were alive back then, can you believe that is 30 years ago? Today's story comes from the picturesque village of Ascot-under-Wychwood.
It's nestled about five minutes south of Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, about 75 miles northwest of London.
This area could easily be described as quintessential middle England, with its rolling hills and its charming cottages.
Chipping Norton, of course, is probably most famous these days for Jeremy Clarkson's pub, Didley Squat, as well as being the former home of ex-Prime Minister David Cameron.
When we pick up the story today in the summer of 1995, 30-year-old Vicky Thompson lived in the village with her husband, Jonathan, two young children, Matthew and Jenny, and the family dog, Daisy.
Daisy was a lovely collie and couldn't have been more loved by the family, and Vicky walked her twice a day every single day.
At about 4:00 PM on the 12th of August, Vicky and Daisy headed out for their second walk of the day.
It was a beautiful summer's afternoon as they headed out on their usual route in the pretty countryside and woodland near their home.
Vicky's husband knew there must be something wrong when Daisy arrived home without his wife about half an hour later.
In this pre-mobile world, of course, there was no way to track where Vicky could be.
He immediately went out to search for her, and in the small community, word quickly spread that Vicky was missing, and other locals formed search parties to search for her.
The tracks and footpaths where she walked were remote and often deserted, so it was unlikely that someone would stumble upon her if she'd fallen or suffered another type of injury.
Being midsummer, the grass and plants were high, so she may have potentially been lying seriously injured out of immediate sight.
But after almost three hours with still no sign, Jonathan called the police to report his wife as missing.
And then at 7:15, one of the searchers saw some objects across the field from the pathway near the railway embankment.
She was still alive, but clearly seriously injured by being hit with what appeared to be the rocks that surrounded her.
Whoever had attacked Vicky had also attempted to hide the body with the rocks, but it hadn't seemed to make much of a really serious attempt to prevent Vicky's body from being spotted.
It was thought maybe they dragged Vicky over a fence from the main path to this spot in an attempt to make it look as though she'd been hit by a train.
Minutes later, her husband, Jonathan, was at the scene and barely able to comprehend what had happened.
It was immediately clear to him that there was a lot of blood on Vicky and the grass where she lay.
Due to the severity of her injuries, the air ambulance was summoned, and in the moments before it arrived, Vicky was still conscious and was able to speak, although not in any sort of coherent fashion.
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to say what had happened to her, nor was she able to say who was responsible for the attack.
In John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, medical experts tried to stabilize Vicky, who'd received three heavy blows to the back of the head and two to her face, which resulted in skull fractures and a severe brain injury.
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