THE reinvestigation of Vicky Glass' murder is the latest development to come out of a multi-million pound cold case review of the disappearance of three young women two decades ago.
Operation Pandect, which was set up to look into the murders of Miss Glass, Rachel Wilson and Donna Keogh, has delivered one substantial result with Keith Hall admitting killing Miss Wilson.
The operation was launched following a number of independent reviews and pressure from families after the force acknowledged there were ‘shortfalls’ with the initial investigations.
Hall was the primary suspect when the 19-year-old went missing on May 31, 2002 but it took almost 20 years to bring him to justice.
Despite being more than 20 years her senior, Hall had dragged the teenager into a life of addiction and prostitution.
At the time of her disappearance she was in a longstanding relationship with Hall, who was older than Rachel's mother.
Hall, of Lambton Road, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, previously pleaded not guilty to murder but entered a guilty plea to a charge of manslaughter on the day his trial was due to start earlier this year.
The 62-year-old also admitted living off prostitution and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
A sentencing date for the killer has yet to be set at Teesside Crown Court when Miss Wilson's family will see justice delivered.
For Donna Keogh's family, the heartbreak continues as they are yet to experience any level of justice as her body has never been recovered and no one has been charged with her murder.
The 17-year-old went missing after a Middlesbrough house party in April 1998 and has not been seen since.
It is thought she was murdered 'within a short period of time' after the party but her body has never been found.
In 2006, Donna's parents lodged official complaints against Cleveland Police in relation to the inquiry.
A new inquiry was launched in 2016, with hundreds of people interviewed, carrying out thousands of lines of enquiry.
In 2018, Cleveland Police won £3.77m Home Office funding for its Historic Investigation Unit to investigate the crimes, and at the time they said the investigation could last up to six years.
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