text: Detectives probing the murders of a Playboy bunny and a 16-year-old schoolgirl 40 years ago have offered a £40,000 reward in a bid to bring their killer to justice. Eve Stratford, a 22-year-old glamour model who worked at London's Playboy club, was found with her throat slashed in her Leyton home on the evening of 18 March 1975. Six months later, Lynne Weedon, 16, was  attacked and raped in an alleyway near her home in Hounslow at 11pm on September 3, as she returned from a night out with friends. She was found abandoned and barely alive at an electricity sub-station the next morning and died a week later. Eve Stratford, 22, a Playboy bunny, was stabbed between eight and 12 times when she was murdered on the evening of 18 March 1975 . Both murders were linked in July 2006 after matching DNA was discovered on the victims, who did not know each other. It appears the motive was sexual - Lynne had been raped, and it is likely Eve had also been raped although detectives haven't been able to rule out consensual sex. The reward was posted last night as detectives appealed for information, which could lead to the identification, arrest and prosecution of those responsible, on BBC's Crimewatch show. Lynne's mother, Margaret Weedon, described the murder 40 years ago as a 'true life sentence' for the family. Lynne Weedon (right) was beaten over the head with a blunt object. Detectives believes Lynda Farrow (left), who was knifed to death in 1979, was also a victim of the same killer . She said: 'We have missed out on so much; she missed out on life, no relationship or marriage, no career or children or even just travelling the world, all taken from her. 'We are left 40 years on always wondering what it would have been like. 'We are well aware that whoever murdered Lynne also murdered Eve Stratford. That young lady also had her life snubbed out. Her family have died now. Another true life sentence. 'The hurt eases but the pain still sits deep somewhere inside. There are so many questions. So many thoughts. So much heartache. 'I will make a mother's plea for anyone who can tell us some information about the person who took my daughter and Eve Stratford's lives to come forward. Please, please give us some sort of closure.' Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh from Scotland Yard  said he was hopeful the killer had let details slip over the years - maybe to a partner, a friend or even a cellmate or medical professional. He said it is likely the suspect for both murders is now in his 60s or 70s. The glamour model was 22 when she was killed in her home and police said her throat had been slashed between eight and 12 times . Police believe Lynne was followed on foot from Great Western Road into The Short Hedges (pictured right), before she was hit with a blunt instrument - her body was thrown over the fence and she was left for dead . Mr McHugh said detectives are keeping an open mind but have previously said it is possible the killer knew his victims, particularly Eve who had a huge circle of friends and acquaintances. He added: 'It's inconceivable the killer of Eve and Lynne has kept the perfect secret for 40 years. 18 March 1975: Playboy bunny Eve Stratford found  with her throat slashed at her home. 3 September 1975: Lynne Weedon, 16, was attacked and raped in an alleyway  at 11pm. 10 September 1975: Schoolgirl died in hospital from her injuries. July 2006: Murders linked in 2007 after matching DNA was discovered on the victims. March 2015: Police launched fresh appeal on the 40th anniversary of their deaths. April 2015: Detectives offer £40,000 reward for information about killings. 'It's a heavy burden to carry and he must have let details slip over the years - maybe to a partner, a friend, even a cellmate - and I would appeal to anyone with information to contact us.' Mr McHugh appealed in particular to mental health professionals and prison officers who may have received disclosures from a patient or prisoner. Former Met Police detective Colin Sutton believes a third woman, Lynda Farrow - who was knifed to death in her home four years later in 1979 - was also a victim of the same killer. Miss Stratford worked as a bunny girl at the Playboy Club in London's Park Lane, which was the height of decadence when it opened in 1966. She was 22 when she was killed in her home and police said her throat had been slashed between eight and 12 times. Detectives believe she may have known her killer and invited him into the flat she shared with her boyfriend Tony Priest, the lead singer with the pop band Onyx, who found her body. Miss Stratford (left) worked as a bunny girl at the Playboy Club in London's Park Lane, which was the height of decadence when it opened in 1966 . This map shows the three unsolved murders all took place in close proximity - it is believed they are all linked . She was found dead in the bedroom of her flat at 5.30pm with a nylon stocking tied around one ankle and a scarf binding her hands behind her back. An hour earlier a neighbour had heard a male and female voice talking, apparently calmly, in her flat. There was no sign of forced entry. A blood-splattered bouquet of flowers she had bought earlier that day lay next to her body. She was last seen walking alone near her home in Lyndhurst Drive, Leyton, shortly before 4pm on a snowy day in March. Later that year Lynne was beaten over the head with a blunt object as she took a short-cut to her home in Hounslow. She was then thrown over a fence into the grounds of an electricity sub-station before being raped and left for dead. A school caretaker looking after the grounds found her still alive and she was taken to West Middlesex Hospital where she died a week later. The post-mortem examination found her skull was smashed with a heavy blunt instrument, but the weapon was never recovered. Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8099 or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Lynne was beaten over the head with a blunt object as she took a short-cut to her home in Hounslow, pictured an officer at the scene .
target: Bunny girl Eve Stratford, 22, found with her neck sliced at her Leyton home .
  Six months later, Lynne Weedon, 16, murdered near her home in Hounslow .
  Murders were linked in 2007 when matching DNA was found on the victims .
  Police have offered £40,000 reward in a bid to bring their killer to justice .