Police still appealing for information two decades on from Suffolk murder
It's 22 years today since Victoria Hall was last seen alive in Suffolk.
It's 22 years today since Victoria Hall was last seen alive in Suffolk, and police are still trying to find her killer.
She was 17 when she was seen in the early hours of the 19th September 1999 in High Road in Trimley St Mary.
Victoria left home the night before to go out with a friend at the Bandbox nightclub in Bent Hill, Felixstowe, where they stayed until 1am on the 19th.
They then went to get food at the Bodrum Grill in Undercliff Road West before starting the walk back to Trimley St Mary.
They parted ways at around 2.20am near the junction of High Road and Faulkeners Way.
Victoria was just yards from her home.
Police were called that morning when her parents awoke to find she hadn't returned home.
Five days later, on the 24th September, Victoria's naked body was found in a ditch beside a field by a dog walker in Creeting Lane in Creeting St Peter, around 25 miles from where she was last seen.
In September 2019, Suffolk Police revealed that the case – known as Operation Avon - was now a live inquiry again and being fully reinvestigated by a new team of detectives, after fresh information had been received that was not previously known.
Earlier this summer, on Wednesday 28th July, officers arrested a man on suspicion of murder. He was taken into police custody for questioning by detectives and remains under investigation, pending further enquiries. This individual was not someone who had previously been arrested as part of the inquiry.
A dedicated team of officers is continuing with the investigation, which involves pursuing several lines of enquiry, including the review of all material gathered since 1999, as well as exploring new opportunities to secure evidence upon which to progress this tragic case.
Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Smith, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: "As the anniversary of Victoria’s disappearance approaches this weekend, our thoughts will very much be with her family.
"We are genuinely humbled by what an amazing family the Halls are and our investigation team is absolutely committed to ending their long wait for justice.
"I want to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone with information about Victoria’s murder who has not yet come forward, to do the right thing and contact us.
"Our investigation has made significant progress, but we need the public’s support and assistance. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant this may seem, we want to hear from you.”
Anyone with information about Victoria Hall's disappearance and murder should contact police on 01473 782059 and quote Operation Avon.