Detectives hunting the killer of a vulnerable young woman more than two decades ago are hoping to jog the memories of residents in the rural village where her body was found dumped.
The 21-year-old disappeared from Middlesbrough town centre in September 2000 and her remains were discovered by a dog walker in a stream on the outskirts of Danby on the North York Moors around six weeks later.
Today, officers from Cleveland Police’s cold case unit were back in the village almost 22 years to the day since her body was found in a bid to bring her killer to justice.
Floral tributes have been laid on the edge of the stream as Vicky’s desperate family continue to battle for justice for the carefree young woman’s whose life was cruelly ended after she became addicted to drugs and was sexually exploited by men.
Read more: Big development in mystery of North East woman killed more than 20 years ago
Officers were carrying out door-to-door inquiries and putting up posters in Danby and surrounding villages after new CCTV footage came to light.
The original investigation has been reviewed by the force’s Historical Investigation Unit, and the team led by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Carr, is determined to bring her killer to justice.
Speaking from Danby, he said: “We are really hoping that this new footage will help trigger somebody’s memory of what happened to Vicky.
“We believe that she was killed close to the time that she went missing and her body was dumped near the village.
“People often live in villages like Danby for years, so hopefully we will be able to speak to a number of people who lived here then and maybe they could remember seeing something that was unusual or saw some strange behaviour at the time.
“Hopefully, someone will remember something, it could seem insignificant to them, but could prove to be a vital piece of information.
“Vicky’s family deserve to learn what happened to her, sadly her mother is no longer with us and she died without ever knowing how her daughter died.”
Detectives now have a better description of the clothes the 21-year-old was wearing in the hours leading up to her disappearance and they searched through hours of CCTV footage from the time of her death.
The footage shows Vicky in the company of a friend in the Cannon Park area of Middlesbrough on the afternoon of Saturday, September 23, 2000.
Shortly after the footage was taken Vicky spoke to a lorry driver who provided her with some money. Vicky left some personal effects with the lorry driver and agreed to meet him later in the day.
Read more: The tragic life of a young woman whose remains were dumped in a stream
The lorry driver is described as male, white, 34 to 38 years old at the time, broad build and had a distinctive mole on his face.
DCI Carr said: “Obviously, we are very keen to speak to the lorry driver or anyone who might recognise the description.
“We know it happened two decades ago but people’s loyalties change and hopefully, someone will now come forward with a vital piece of information.”
Despite extensive searches of the area where Vicky’s body was found no items of her clothing have ever been recovered.
Read next:
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here