Vicky Glass: Cleveland Police continue search for killer

Vicky Glass went missing on September 24, 2000, after she was last seen being dropped off by a taxi at 4am in Middlesbrough town centre.

The 21-year-old’s body was found dumped in a stream near Danby on the North York Moors on November 3 and detectives accept they are no closer to solving the murder.

Cleveland Police launched detailed review of the murder investigation two years ago and last year they returned to the North Yorkshire village in the hope they would be able to pick some new leads.

Vicky Glass

Part of the re-appeal for information involved a plea for information to help identify a lorry driver who was seen with Vicky Glass just hours before her disappearance.

Officers from the new investigation team also released unearthed CCTV footage of Vicky in the hours before her disappearance.

They spoke to hundreds of people following the appeals, gathering a significant amount of information and speaking to a number of people in connection with the identity of the lorry driver.

Officers putting up posters in Danby last year as part of a renewed investigation into the murder of Vicky Glass (Image: The Northern Echo)

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Carr, of Cleveland Police, said the force will continue to search for the killer.

He said: “Today represents another year having passed since the tragic discovery of the body of Vicky Glass. Another year for Vicky’s family to endure the pain of not knowing what happened to her. The suffering that must bring to a family is unimaginable and I am in awe of the bravery they continue to show.

“The investigation team remains wholeheartedly committed to finding out what happened to Vicky and delivering justice for her family.

“However, to achieve this we need the support of the public, and I am appealing once again to anyone who has any information to please come forward and speak to Cleveland Police.

Vicky's father Tony Glass, left, laying flowers in Danby with her stepfather Colin Goodall (Image: The Northern Echo)

“As I have said before, allegiances change over the years, so I really hope that this year, someone out there finds it in their heart to get in touch and tell us what they know.

“Someone out there knows something, and I say to that person – please come and speak to us. Please help us find out what happened to Vicky – not for us, but for her grieving family.”

A large-scale murder investigation was launched following the discovery of Vicky’s body on the moorland.

She was last seen being dropped off by a taxi driver at 4am on Union Street at the junction with Eshwood Square in the town on Sunday, September 24, 2000.

The force says that a number of arrests were made, but no-one has ever been charged in connection with Vicky’s disappearance and murder.

CCTV footage of Vicky Glass in Middlesbrough town centre (Image: Cleveland Police)

The recently found CCTV footage shows the 21-year-old walking with a friend in the Cannon Park area of Middlesbrough and provides a more accurate description of what she was wearing at the time of her abduction.

She is shown to be wearing light coloured trousers, a light-coloured top, white trainers and a dark coloured puffer style jacket.

Officers have spoken to the friend from the CCTV footage who provided important information to the investigation including that shortly after the footage was taken Vicky engaged in a conversation with 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. 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.

Just three days after celebrating her 21st birthday she disappeared from the streets of Middlesbrough where she had been forced to make her living to fund her drug habit.

Vicky was one of three young women who went missing from the Middlesbrough area over a four year period.

The cold case team was set up to investigate the murders of Donna Keogh, Rachel Wilson and Vicky Glass (Image: The Northern Echo)

The 21-year-old, Rachel Wilson and Donna Keogh all disappeared without a trace.

Although Vicky’s body was found just a few weeks after she was murdered, Rachel’s remains were left undiscovered for more than a decade while the heart-breaking wait for Donna’s parents continues.

Donna Keogh, 17, went missing after a Middlesbrough house party in April 1998 and her body has never been found.

Her devastated family made a formal complaint about Cleveland Police’s initial investigation into their daughter’s disappearance and successfully campaigned for a renewed manhunt to take place.

The review identified that around the time of Donnas' disappearance, she was seen in the Hartington Road, Aske Road and Bow Street areas of Middlesbrough.

The third victim, Rachel Wilson, 19, disappeared in June 2002 and her skeleton was discovered on farmland in Middlesbrough ten years later.

 Keith Hall was sentenced to 18 and a half years in prison after he was eventually brought to justice in 2021.

Hall, of Lambton Road, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, previously pleaded not guilty to murder but entered a guilty plea to a charge of manslaughter on the day his trial was due to start.

The 62-year-old had been the focus of Cleveland Police's attention throughout the investigation but it had taken them years to finally secure justice for Rachel and her family.

• Information about Vicky and the case are available here: www.vickyglass.co.uk
• Anyone with information can call the investigation team directly on 01642 301773, Cleveland Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.