Father who devoted life to finding his daughter’s murderers dies without ever seeing them punished

John Ward, who devoted his life to hunting down his daughter Julie Ward’s ruthless killers in Kenya, has died without bringing them to justice.

Mr Ward spent three decades and more than £2 million solving the infamous 1988 murder in the Maasai Mara.

Wildlife photographer Julie was 28 when she was raped and murdered, and her body was dismembered, burned and buried.

In his heartbreaking quest for justice, Mr Ward made 200 trips to Kenya and uncovered evidence suggesting she had been murdered by the son of then Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi – and accused UK authorities of participating in the cover-up.

Yesterday, Mr. Ward’s son Bob announced that his father had passed away. Tragically, Miss Ward’s mother, Janette, also passed away last month.

John Ward spent three decades and more than £2 million solving the infamous 1988 murder in the Maasai Mara

Bob Ward said, ‘After 65 years of marriage, John died within two weeks of his beloved wife Jan. They were born two weeks apart and died two weeks apart. Both sadly missed the celebrations the family had planned to commemorate their 90th birthday later this month. They will be sadly missed.’

Since Julie’s horrific murder, the couple had fought for the truth in her memory, a crusade now carried on by her younger brothers Bob and Tim. Last night Bob said: ‘For 35 years the family, led by John, has fought with the Kenyan government and the British government, Scotland Yard and MI6.

“This story is nothing short of astounding as this ordinary but driven family, led by a determined, ruthless person, showed such resilience against the authorities. John knew Julie had been killed.’

Grandfather of four Mr Ward, a retired hotelier from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has traveled to Kenya, the United States, Denmark, Belgium, France, Uganda and Tanzania in his quest. During his 1970s and 1980s, he taught himself forensic science and represented himself in courts in Kenya – where he was questioned for a record 28 days – and the UK.

Julie was on a six-month adventure after quitting her job at a publishing house in Bury St Edmunds to photograph animals in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

When she went missing in September 1988, Mr. Ward boarded a flight to Kenya within hours to begin his own search. It was his first time in Africa.

He paid for five planes to search the area where Julie was last seen and spotted her Suzuki in a gully.

Yesterday, Mr. Ward’s son Bob announced that his father had passed away. Tragically, Miss Ward’s mother, Janette, also passed away last month

Her body was eventually found 10 miles away. It was John who found his daughter’s jaw and lower left leg, both burned, deep in the bushes.

Over the years, Mr. Ward, in his tireless search, dug out a latrine near the crime scene looking for Julie’s belongings and kept DNA evidence in his own freezer.

Mr. Ward became convinced that Jonathan Moi, son of the then president, had brutally raped Julie and then ordered his drunken cronies to dispose of her body.

Mr. Ward’s search repeatedly hit a brick wall. A pathologist originally said Julie had been killed, before the report was rigged to say she had been attacked by animals. Then Mr. Ward was told that his daughter had been struck by lightning.

He claimed that the British government and MI6 helped Kenyan officials cover up the murder. In 2008, he used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain a 2004 report prepared for Lincolnshire Police, which was highly critical of the Foreign Office, the British High Commission and Scotland Yard.