Suffolk Police report 'significant progress' in Victoria Hall murder investigation
The 17 year old was last seen alive in September 1999
Last updated 26th Jul 2022
Suffolk Police say they've made 'significant progress' in the investigation into the murder of Trimley St Mary girl Victoria Hall more than 20 years ago.
The 17 year old was last seen alive in the early hours of Sunday 19 September 1999, as she was returning to her home from a night out in Felixstowe.
She was walking with a friend back to the village after going to the Bandbox nightclub and for food at the Bodrum Grill in Undercliff Road West.
The pair parted company at around 2:20am at the junction of of High Road and Faulkeners Way - just yards from Victoria's home.
She was reported missing the following mordning and her naked body was discovered five days later, on September 24 1999, in a ditch in Creeting Lane, Creeting St Peter.
The case became live once again in 2019, with a new team of detectives being brought in to re-examine the evidence.
A man was arrested on suspicion of murder almost a year ago - on July 28.
He has since been released and remains under investigation.
25 dedicated officers are now working on the case. They have taken statements from 500 witnesses, reviewed over 43,000 documents and 9,000 exhibits and viewed more than 3,500 hours of CCTV footage.
Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Smith said:
“The investigation into the tragic murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall in 1999 remains a high priority for Suffolk Constabulary. The inquiry team are totally committed to bringing the person or persons responsible for her dreadful murder to justice.
“This is a challenging and complex case which has amassed extremely high volumes of information and evidence over the preceding 23 years.
"There are now 25 staff working on this investigation full time and as a consequence we are making good progress.
"This is demonstrated by the hundreds of witnesses that have been spoken to; the tens of thousands of documents and exhibits that have been reviewed; and the thousands of hours of CCTV footage that has been viewed.
“We are in frequent contact with Victoria’s family to keep them updated as to our progress and as ever are truly grateful for their patience and for the support they provide our investigation. They are an amazing family.
“It will be 23 years in September since Victoria was murdered and we will continue to pursue all new lines of enquiry. I once again urge anyone with information that could assist us to come forward, it is never too late.”