White Ribbon Day: 20 women whose murders remain unsolved - including Nicola Payne and Natalie Pearman
The 20 cases include those of Nicola Payne, Yvonne Fitt and Vicky Glass and remain tragically unsolved
From a woman whose body was found so badly beaten she has never been identified to the case of a young mum who vanished on her way home, their cases remain unsolved.
Spanning from 1970 to the early 2000s, the perpetrators of the murders have yet to be brought to justice despite extensive police investigations.
In some cases the bodies of the women were never found, but the circumstances of their disappearances have led to their cases being treated as murder.
Friday (25 November) marks the start of 16 days of activism aimed at ending violence against women, starting with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and White Ribbon Day.
We take a look at 20 female murder victims of all different ages and walks of life from across the UK whose cases have tragically remained unsolved.
In some cases the bodies of the women were never found, but the circumstances of their disappearances have led to their cases being treated as murder.
17. Natalie Pearman
Just over 30 years ago 16-year-old Natalie Pearman’s body was discovered in a lay-by at Ringland Road, on the outskirts of Norwich. Natalie had been a sex worker in the red-light district of Norwich, and was last seen alive in Rouen Road, Norwich, at 1.15am on the same day she was discovered. A post-mortem later revealed she had died from asphyxiation. At the time of the initial investigation, a DNA crime profile was obtained and loaded onto the national DNA database. The investigation into Natalie’s death has never been closed and has been subject to reviews since 1992.
18. Victoria Hall
The body of 17-year-old Victoria Hall was found in a ditch. Police had been alerted by a dog walker on 24 September, 1999, who had spotted what he thought was a dummy in the ditch in Creeting St Peter, near Stowmarket. Victoria had been on a night out a night out in Felixstowe with a friend on 18 September. They went to the Bandbox nightclub, leaving the club at about 1am in the morning and started their walk home. They separated at about 2.20am, close to Victoria’s home – but Victoria never made it home. She was reported missing on the morning of Sunday 19 September by her parents.
19. Patricia Grainger
Patricia Grainger was 25 years old when her body was found face down in water. She was discovered by a group of children at Hartley Brook Dike on Sunday 10 August 1997, submerged by the weight of a divan bed base placed on top of her in an attempt to conceal the body. The mum-of-one, who had learning difficulties, was living nearby with her young son Danny and her parents in Parson Cross, Sheffield and had not been seen by her family for almost a week. She was found semi-naked, and the post-mortem examination established she had suffered multiple stab wounds.
20. Karen Reed
A a man disguised as a pizza delivery driver shot Karen Reed, 33, five times when she answered her door to him. Those involved in the suspected contract killing in Woking, Surrey on 30 April, 1994, have never been identified. Investigators believe it was a case of mistaken identity, and the intended target may have been Ms Reed’s sister, whose husband was jailed for murdering a former Chechnyan prime minister and his brother. On the evening Ms Reed, a geophysicist, died, she was at her home on the Barnsbury Estate in Woking when she answered the door at around 9.15pm. The bogus delivery driver, who was tall, dark-haired, wearing glasses and holding a blue and white pizza box, asked her to confirm the address before shooting her at close range five times. A reward of up to £10,000 is on offer from Crimestoppers for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of those linked to Ms Reed’s murder.