Detectives trying to find murderer of 22-year-old woman 20 years ago find complete male DNA profile on her clothing
- Norwich sex worker Michelle Bettles was found dead on March 31, 2002
- A forensic review launched this year found ‘several DNA profiles’ on her clothing
- Police found a complete male DNA profile and are trying to identify the man
- Officials urge anyone who had personal contact with Ms Bettles to come forward
Police investigating the murder of a 22-year-old woman strangled 20 years ago have identified a ‘complete male DNA profile’ on samples of her clothing.
Michelle Bettles, a sex worker in Norwich, was was last seen in the city’s red-light district at around midnight on March 28, 2002.
A local resident found her body in woodland beside a country track in the village of Scarning, Norfolk on March 31 – the weekend the Queen Mother died.
Her killer has never been identified. But a recent forensic review identified ‘several DNA profiles’ on Ms Bettles’ clothing, ‘including a complete male DNA profile,’ police revealed on Wednesday.
Detectives are working to identify the male and forensic work on other DNA samples found on her clothing is continuing.
The body of Michelle Bettles, 22, (pictured) was found in woodland beside a country track in Scarning, Norfolk on March 31, 2002. Her killer has never been identified, but a forensic review has identified ‘several DNA profiles’ on her clothing, ‘including a complete male DNA profile’
Investigators launched a probe to re-examine DNA found in Ms Bettles’ case in March this year, on the 20th anniversary of Ms Bettles’ death.
Major crime review manager Andy Guy, revealing that forensic evidence was found on her personal items, has encouraged anyone who shared personal contact with Ms Bettles to notify police.
‘There have been multiple advances in forensic science over recent years which have significantly advanced this investigation, so I ask anybody who knows what happened to Michelle or has suspicions regarding who may be responsible to do the right thing and contact us,’ Mr Guy said.
‘I would also urge any man who had legitimate personal contact with Michelle to come forward and be eliminated from the inquiry, before we contact you.’
Detectives received eight calls from members of the public offering names of possible friends or contacts of Ms Bettles.
There was also a report of a potential sighting of her in the City Road area on the evening of March 28, 2002.
The information from these calls is still being investigated, the force said.
CCTV footage showed Ms Bettles walking along St Benedict’s Street towards Norwich city centre at 8.20pm on March 28. Unusually, the sex worker had not kept an appointment with a regular client who she had arranged to meet close to her home address in the Dereham Road area.
This suggested she never intended to keep the appointment with the regular client as she was heading in the opposite direction, police have said.
Ms Bettles’ parents, John Bettles and Denise Taylor, appealed earlier this year for people to come forward with any information that might assist the investigation.
‘After 20 years it is quite emotional,’ Mr Bettles told Eastern Daily Press in March. ‘The way she was just cruelly and abruptly taken from us. It is not just us, it’s the rest of the family.
‘You think how would she have grown up? How would she have matured? What would her achievements in life have been, because I think she would have achieved a lot. She was a bright kid.’
CCTV footage showed Ms Bettles walking along St Benedict’s Street towards Norwich city centre at 8.20pm on March 28, 2002. She was found dead on March 31
Mr Bettles said, at the time, he was hopeful the relaunched investigation would lead to a break in the case.
He warned: ‘The items being tested will come back and if you were in contact with Michelle anywhere near the time of her disappearance then chances are if you’ve left your DNA it is going to be there and they will find it.’
‘I’m hoping and praying that the person who did this will worry because DNA has moved forward and now there is every chance they will get their comeuppance,’ Ms Taylor added.
Ms Bettles’ parents also noted how despite it having been 20 years they constantly feel a ‘hurt that never goes away.’
‘The hurt never goes away, it just gets deeper and deeper but the deeper it gets, the more it hurts,’ her father told Norfolk Live earlier this year, noting how when he learned of her death ‘the world just stopped.’
‘It never gets any easier because every time I see anyone with long dark hair and slim build, I always look and think it’s Michelle and her children look just like her too,’ echoed Ms Taylor.
‘I think the killer is still out there walking the streets and what goes around comes around and they will get caught. The re-appeal isn’t just for Michelle, it’s for everyone out there, I don’t want this happening to anyone else.’
Anyone with information about the case or Ms Bettles’ last days alive is asked to contact the Major Crime Review Team on 01953 423819 or email [email protected].
Alternatively, tipsters can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
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