Suffolk Police remain committed to catching Victoria Hall’s killer on the eve of 24th anniversary of her disappearance

The detective who has taken over the Victoria Hall murder investigation has reaffirmed the police’s commitment to catching her killer on the eve of the 24th anniversary of her disappearance.

Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick has taken over leadership in the investigation of 17-year-old Victoria’s murder, who was last seen alive in the early hours of September 19, 1999 in High Road, Trimley St Mary.

Victoria left home on the evening of Saturday, September 18 to go for a night out with a friend at the Bandbox nightclub in Bent Hill, Felixstowe, where they stayed until around 1am on Sunday, September 19.

They then went to get some food at the Bodrum Grill in Undercliff Road West, before beginning the walk back to Trimley St Mary.

They parted ways at around 2.20am near to the junction of High Road and Faulkeners Way.

Victoria was just yards away from her home.

In the morning, Victoria’s parents discovered that she had not returned home and they called the police. A missing person inquiry began.

Five days later, on Friday, September 24, Victoria’s naked body was found in a ditch beside a field by a dog walker in Creeting Lane, Creeting St Peter – about 25 miles away from where she was last seen.

Suffolk Police revealed in September 2019 that the case – known as Operation Avon – was again a live inquiry and being fully reinvestigated by a new team of detectives, after fresh information had been received that was not previously known.

The dedicated inquiry team remains in place, comprised of 17 officers and police staff who are working full time on the case. They are continuing to make excellent progress in what is a lengthy and methodical process.

A man who was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 28, 2021 and taken into police custody for questioning, remains under investigation.

Following the retirement of the previous Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), DCI Matthew Connick has taken over.

Mr Connick, who had been a Deputy SIO for Operation Avon, said: “I have been working on this case for the past three years, so am fully embedded in the inquiry and have been able to seamlessly pick-up the baton from my predecessors who had made significant inroads already. We remain fully committed to this inquiry; the work being undertaken is extremely time consuming but absolutely necessary.

“The anniversary date of Victoria’s disappearance is always a time of reflection for us, as well as Victoria’s family and friends. We never lose sight of the young life ended so needlessly at the centre of everything we are doing.

“We continue to be grateful for the support and patience of Victoria’s family and we ensure they are provided with regular updates as to the progress we are making. They understand the vital lengths that we need to take to achieve the end goal for us all – which is to achieve justice for Victoria.

“I would like to renew our appeal to anyone with information about Victoria’s murder who has not yet come forward, to do the right thing and contact us. If you have any information – no matter how insignificant this may seem – we want to hear from you. It is never too late.”

Anyone with information about Victoria’s murder should contact the Major Investigation Team on 01473 782059 and quote Operation Avon.