A DOCUMENTARY featuring the unsolved and shocking murder case of a County Durham woman will air next week – following suggestions that ‘new’ evidence has come to light.

Titled ‘The Mysterious Murder of Ann Heron’, the documentary piece will be broadcast on Channel 5 next Tuesday (May 3) at 10pm and feature evidence, interviews, and accounts about one of the UK’s most mysterious unsolved crimes.

On August 3, 1990, part-time care assistant Ann Heron was murdered at her home in Darlington by an unidentified killer. To this day, the case remains unsolved, and many people have theories about how she came to her death.

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Within the documentary, Channel 5 have confirmed that they have interviews with Ann’s widower, Peter Heron, who was charged with her murder in 2005, but the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

In the description for ‘The Mysterious Murder of Ann Heron’, the show is described as: “The shocking story behind one of the UK's most mysterious unsolved crimes, as Peter Heron himself gives his version of the events surrounding his wife Ann's death in 1990.

“As the documentary explores the events of August 1990 in detail, new potential evidence comes to light, and questions are asked about whether the police missed a vital clue and chillingly, whether the real killer of Ann Heron escaped justice?”

The Northern Echo: Peter Heron, the widower of Ann, features in the documentary. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.Peter Heron, the widower of Ann, features in the documentary. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.

Ahead of the screening of the programme, Durham Police has issued a statement setting out their desire to convict someone for the Darlington woman’s murder and were keeping an “open mind” about the investigation.

A Durham Constabulary spokesman said: “The murder of Ann Heron has been thoroughly investigated and subject to constant review over the last 32 years, including the use of new investigative techniques with the advancement of forensic technology.

“It is still the ambition of Durham Constabulary to convict the person responsible for Ann’s murder.

“At this time there is no new evidence that identifies new suspects, but we remain openminded and committed.”

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This isn’t the first time that the unsolved murder has been featured on television. At the time of the killing, the case was featured on Crimewatch on numerous occasions in an attempt to solve it.

Heron's murder was also the subject of a 2021 Crime+ Investigation podcast. The episode, titled The Murder of Ann Heron: Darlington, was published as a part of the podcast series spin-off to the documentary show Murdertown.

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