The mystery behind who killed nightclubber Melanie Hall could finally be solved with the help of AI, as police launch a new review of the cold case 30 years on.
Melanie, a 25-year-old clerical worker, was last seen sitting on a stool at the edge of the dancefloor speaking with an unidentified man at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath, on June 9, 1996, at about 1.10am. It was the same night England played Switzerland in the opening match of Euro 96.
Her remains were not found until October 5, 2009, when a workman discovered them 28 miles north from the city, next to a slip road on the M5 near Thornbury, Gloucestershire.
She had suffered a fractured skull, and reportedly had a broken jaw and cheek bone, indicating she had been subjected to a vicious assault. Her body was naked and had been tightly bound in bin bags, secured by thick blue nylon rope.
Three decades on, Melanie’s killer remains on the loose.
Detectives at Avon and Somerset Police announced this week that have launched Operation Denmark, a fresh investigation into the unsolved murder. They remain hopeful Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology could help provide answers for the young woman’s devastated family.
The contents of 90 crates of evidence are currently being digitised, while police have suggested AI could be deployed to analyse the cold case.
Police previously identified around 100 ‘persons of interest’, which has now been pared down to less than 20, while alibis are being re-examined.
Hellbound and Down 