SALLY Ann John vanished on September 8 1995 but cops remain baffled as to what happened to her 30 years later.
The 23-year-old vanished into thin air in Swindon, and at one time was feared to be a victim of killer cabbie Christopher Halliwell.
SWNS:South West News ServiceDespite several appeals for any information on Sally Ann John’s whereabouts the tragic 23-year-old has never been found[/caption]
PASicko killer taxi driver Christopher Halliwell[/caption]
BBC OneA postcard allegedly written by Sally Ann weeks before she vanished[/caption]
Despite the cops continued efforts to solve the case, numerous appeals for information have turned up nothing – but they are not given up hope
DCI Phil Walker, lead of the Major Crime Investigation Team, told The Sun this week: “We have always kept this case open and it is subject to regular reviews.
“Sally Ann John, 23, went missing in Swindon in September 1995. Her body has never been found.
“We know that a long time has passed, and no doubt friendships, relationships and lives will have changed dramatically since then.
“Maybe you have a small piece of information that you did not tell officers at the time but could be something we can look into. We want to hear from you.”
Sally Ann’s disappearance was initially classed as a missing persons case, but in 2014 detectives had been declared a murder.
Three men in their 50s were previously arrested on suspicion of Sally Ann’s kidnap and murder the following year but all three were later released on bail.
Christopher Halliwell
Halliwell was handed a whole life sentence in 2016 for stabbing and strangling Becky Godden in 2003.
He was already serving life in prison for killing Sian O’Callaghan after abducting her from a nightclub in 2011.
The sick cabbie claimed to idolise Myra Hindley and boasted that he wanted to be a serial killer – with police believing he may be responsible for more deaths.
Fears were raised that Halliwell may have killed other women in the eight year gap between the two murders with the family of Sally Ann left to wonder if their daughter was also a victim of his.
Cops were spotted digging at two addresses in Broad Street in Swindon in 2017, including one in which the cabbie used to live with ex-wife Lisa between 1997 and 2001.
At the time, there were reports that one potential line of inquiry amid the excavations was the disappearance of Sally Ann.
Her devastated relatives spoke at the time about their desperation for any trace of what happened to be discovered.
A close relative told The Sun at the time: “Of course we have wondered about Halliwell, everyone has, but we’ve been stonewalled by the police in the past.
“I have been told categorically by the police that he’s not been in the frame for it. But now the police seem to be doing something.”
A friend who used to live with Sally Ann in Swindon, with both having worked as sex workers in the area, claimed she was convinced Halliwell was responsible for her death.
The unnamed pal said she was picked up a cabbie who turned out to be Halliwell, and who paid her for sex before she fled.
She said she begged Sally Ann to move with her to London but she declined and soon after vanished.
Sadly, no concrete evidence was unearthed at Halliwell’s former home and the trail went cold again.
Nigel IskanderSally Ann was last seen in Swindon’s so-called ‘red light district’[/caption]
CrimewatchIt has been suggested that Halliwell was responsible for Sally Ann’s murder[/caption]
Sky NewsSally Ann’s mother Lesley John during a previous tearful appeal for information[/caption]
The same year, cops released a photo of a postcard which was suspected to have been sent by Sally Ann three weeks before she vanished.
The handwritten note was addressed to “Clive” and confirmed the missing woman was safe and well.
It added: “Thought I’d write as I’ve heard you’re been missing me and that you were rather worried that something had happened to me.
“As you can see I’m in London now.”
DS Don Pocock from Wiltshire Police said at the time it “could be a vital part of evidence” as there is “very strong support” that someone else wrote the postcard.
Such suspicions were proved correct and it was deemed a fake by investigators, though who exactly wrote it and whether they are tied to the case also remains a mystery.
Sally Ann’s mum
Sally Ann’s mum Lesley told Sky News in 2014 finding out what happened to her daughter would “ease our suffering”.
Wiping away tears, she said: “I still think of her every day.
“The years I’ve wondered where she could be, I have had to deal with the thought that she may have been killed.”
She added: “I have never given up hope that one day she might walk through the door.”
If you have any information, contact Wiltshire Police on 0800 056 0944 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Rex FeaturesCops searched two properties’ gardens related to Halliwell in 2017[/caption]
SWNS:South West News ServicePolice search the garden of the house where Halliwell live on Broad Street, Swindon, in 2017[/caption]
Christopher Halliwell the ‘Cabbie Killer’
On January 3rd 2003 sex worker Becky Godden is last seen getting into a taxi Desire and Destiny nightclub in Swindon.
In 2007 she is reported missing by members of her family. On March 18 2011 Sian O’Callaghan goes for a night out and is reported missing after failing to return home the next day.
On March 22 Christopher Halliwell becomes a person to trace in the investigation into O’Callaghan’s disappearance after his car is seen in the area she was last seen.
On March 24 Halliwell is arrested and an “urgent interview” is carried out by detectives.
Just two days later, March 26, police announce they have discovered human remains which lead detective Steve Fulcher says were those of a woman abducted in Swindon between 2003 and 2005.
Another two days later, on March 26, Halliwell is charged with the murder of Miss O’Callaghan.
On April 4 cops tell Becky Godden’s mother that they have found the body of her daughter.
In May Halliwell is charged with Becky Godden’s murder. Shortly after, in June, Mr Fulcher steps down as senior investigating officer (SIO) in the case, and is later investigated for misconduct over the way Halliwell’s confession was obtained.
In January 2012 an abuse of process hearing begins at Bristol Crown Court, barristers argue Halliwell cannot get a fair trial because of breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act codes and briefings given to the media by Mr Fulcher.
Following the trial Mrs Justice Cox rules Halliwell’s confessions to the murders of both women are inadmissible.
On October 19 Halliwell pleads guilty to the murder of Miss O’Callaghan during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
He is jailed for life and told he will serve a minimum of 25 years.
Years later, in 2015, Halliwell is arrested on suspicion of the murder of Miss Godden. He tells police he will accept responsibility for the murder provided they do not ask further questions about other offences he may have committed.
In 2016 Halliwell is charged with Miss Godden’s murder, he goes on trial at Bristol Crown Court for the killing and is convicted of Miss Godden’s murder. He is sentenced to a whole life order by the judge, and will never be released.
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