SCHOOLGIRL Anne Dunwell was on her way to catch the bus home when she was snatched from the streets and murdered.
The body of the 13-year-old – who vanished on May 5 1964 in Maltby near Rotherham – was found the next day dumped at the foot of a manure heap on the side of the road.
CollectAnne Dunwell was murdered in 1964 aged 13[/caption]
Wikimedia CommonsShe had been planning to get a bus home from her aunt’s home[/caption]
British Newspaper ArchiveA newspaper clipping from just after Anne’s murder[/caption]
She had been stripped naked, sexually assaulted and strangled with her own stockings.
Chillingly, more than 60 years later – her killer remains on the loose in what is one of Britain’s most notorious cold cases.
Sadly, Anne’s father died without ever seeing anyone held responsible.
Her heartbroken older sister Irene Hall has previously said “somebody does know” what happened and has pleaded for witnesses to come forward.
The case is among those regularly reviewed by South Yorkshire Police’s Major Incident Review Team – and via The Sun the force has appealed for any new information with the murder no closer to being solved.
The unit’s workload is mainly sexual assaults but also high-profile murder cases, with the aim to use modern technology, such as DNA analysis, to crack cases from as early as the 1960s.
It comprises part-time investigation officers who have returned to after the end of their police service.
A force spokesperson told The Sun this week: “A murder investigation was launched immediately following Anne’s death, and hundreds of dedicated officers have worked on the investigation in the years since, revisiting the case as developments in forensic technology have enabled new leads to be pursued.
“A large number of men have been traced and eliminated from the enquiry.
“The case has been reviewed on a number of occasions in the past and new lines of enquiry identified. Sadly, these did not lead to the identification of Anne’s killer.”
They added that the force will investigate any new information “that comes to light”.
There have been a number of theories over the years, including a link to Peter Pickering, known as The Beast of Wombwell – though cops have since ruled him out as a potential suspect.
Anne’s disappearance
Anne had left her aunt’s home in Brampton around 9.15pm to catch a bus home to nearby Whiston, where she lived with her grandmother.
She had originally planned to spend the night there but decided to keep her gran company due to her grandfather working a night shift.
Less than 24 hours later, a labourer found her body as he walked to work on Slade Hooton Lane.
Police questioned more than 30,000 people following Anne’s killing.
As a senior officer announced at the time: “We have a beast at large who has killed once and will possibly try to kill again.”
In 2002, a break came when police carried out extensive re-testing of evidence found at the scene.
The knots in Anne’s stockings and bacteria found on her underwear suggested the killer had a sexually transmitted disease.
CollectAnne (right) and her sister Irene[/caption]
Anne had been heading home when she was snatched
Mugshots of Peter Pickering – who was at one time feared to be Anne’s killer
But officers have since established the substance came from the manure heap where Anne’s body was dumped.
Despite the years passing, witnesses continued coming forward to help get justice for the tragic teenager.
One led cops to reveal in 2003 they were hunting a mysterious chain-smoking Scotsman.
The man had been seen drinking in The Ball Inn just yards from the bus stop where Anne was last seen alive a week before she was taken.
His van had also been spotted in the area on the night Anne disappeared.
The witness said he smoked Craven A cigarettes, which he kept in a silver case, and wore a ring with a blue-coloured stone on his left middle finger.
He spoke about psychology while drinking brandy and had a soft Inverness accent.
The appeal was put on Crimewatch and circulated by police but the well-educated stranger was never located.
As to his involvement, police are still stumped.
A force spokesperson previously told The Sun: “It is uncertain whether he was ever strongly suspected or just a person that was seen in the pub near where Anne was last seen.
“Therefore, we cannot comment on the importance of this individual to the investigation.”
For Anne’s family, the lack of justice in finding her killer has been torture.
Her sister Irene said previously: “You learn to live with the pain and heartache but it never goes away.
“I appeal to those who, for their own reasons, have kept information to themselves for so long.
“It is possible that the person responsible may now be dead but did they admit what they had done?
“My father always wanted to know who could do such a thing before he passed away, but he never got to know.
“I’d like to see the killer brought to justice too, but I’m not getting any younger. If I don’t then the burden will fall to my children.”
Anyone with information should contact South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Do you know more? Email [email protected]
British Newspaper ArchivePolice feared Anne’s killer would strike again[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationPickering was dubbed the Beast of Wombwell[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
