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Murder of Melanie Hall

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"Melanie Hall" redirects here. For the Australian wheelchair basketballer, see Melanie Hall (basketball).

Melanie Hall
Melanie Hall
Born(1970-08-20)20 August 1970
England
Disappeared9 June 1996 (aged 25)
Bath, Somerset, UK
StatusDeclared dead in absentia
on 17 November 2004(2004-11-17) (aged 34)
Body discovered5 October 2009
Thornbury, Gloucestershire, UK
Alma materUniversity of Bath
OccupationClerical officer
EmployerRoyal United Hospital
Known forMurder victim
Parents
  • Steve Hall (father)
  • Patricia Hall (mother)

Melanie Hall (20 August 1970 – disappeared 9 June 1996; declared legally dead 17 November 2004[1]) was a British hospital clerical officer from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, who disappeared following a night out at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath. She was declared dead in absentia in 2004.

On 5 October 2009, her partial remains were discovered, after a garbage bag containing human bones was found by a workman on the M5 motorway near Thornbury, South Gloucestershire. On 7 October 2009, the bones, which included a pelvis, thigh bone and a skull, were analysed and identified as belonging to Melanie Hall. It was determined that Hall had suffered severe fractures to her skull and face, and had been tied up with rope, although a definitive cause of death could not be established.[2] Over the years, various people have been arrested in connection with the murder, but subsequently released.

Background

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Hall was described by her parents as a "young, vibrant daughter".[3] She had graduated from the University of Bath in 1995 with a degree in sociology and psychology; Hall's mother, Pat Hall, said graduation had been a "cherished" dream of Melanie's for four years.[4] Melanie Hall worked as a clerical officer at Bath's Royal United Hospital.[3] Her father, Stephen Hall, has served Bath City Football Club as Chairman.[4]

Disappearance

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The old St. Michael's Church hall. On the night Hall went missing, she was seen by witnesses arguing with an unidentified man in the doorway of this building, is believed to be Hall's abductor.[5]

Hall had arranged to stay with her boyfriend Philip Karlbaum on 8 June and her mother dropped her off at his home.[6] On the night of 8 June 1996 Hall went to Cadillacs nightclub in Bath with Karlbaum and another couple. Hall was reported as having had an argument with Karlbaum, and he left the club "upset" after he allegedly saw her dancing with another man.[3] Hall was last seen sitting on a stool in the club at around 1:10 am on 9 June 1996.[7][8] She was reported missing on 11 June 1996 by her parents after she failed to turn up for work.[6]

Karlbaum described his devastation at her disappearance on 17 June 1996.[7][8] Avon and Somerset police launched several searches of the River Avon after her disappearance and interviewed thousands of clubbers and taxi drivers. A £10,000 reward was offered for information,[9] and the BBC show Crimewatch and Crimestoppers both made appeals to the public for information, as did Hall's sister Dominique,[10] but no trace of Hall was found. The Crimewatch appeal broadcast on 5 November 1996 included details of unconfirmed sightings of Hall around the time she disappeared: one witness saw a woman who resembled Hall in Cadillacs nightclub, talking to a man and saw them leave together; at approximately 2 am on 9 June, two women had left Domino's Pizza on Walcot Street and were heading towards the nightclub, when they witnessed a woman who looked like Hall arguing with a man outside the church hall; around the same time, further along Walcot Street, another witness saw a man coaxing a woman, who may have been Hall, into the Podium car park.[5]

Hall was declared legally dead on 17 November 2004.[1]

Discovery of remains

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The final unconfirmed sighting of Hall was of her being coaxed reluctantly by a male into the Podium car park further down Walcot Street. This was about 100 metres (110 yards) away from Cadillacs club and the church building, where there was an unconfirmed sighting of her arguing with a man.[5]

On 5 October 2009, a motorway worker found a plastic bin bag containing bones while he was clearing a vegetation patch on a slip road at Junction 14 of the M5 motorway. The bones in the bag included a skull, pelvis and thigh bone and further remains were found buried and spread around the field by the side of the motorway. Police confirmed that the remains were human, and they showed a piece of jewellery found at the site to Hall's parents, who confirmed that it had belonged to their daughter.[11] Despite this, police refused to confirm that the body was that of Hall until a post-mortem had been carried out.[12] The remains were formally identified as being Hall's through dental records on 7 October.[3][8] She had incurred severe blunt trauma to her head resulting in a fractured skull, cheekbone and jaw. Blue rope had been used to tie the bin bags around Hall's body.[2][13]

Walcot Street in Bath, looking north, shown in 2007 and 2012. Cadillacs Nightclub, where Hall disappeared from, was only about 40-80 metres (44-87 yards) further up this road (in the direction the cameras are facing). Two of the witness sightings came from women emerging from what was then Domino's Pizza.[5]

Hall's parents launched a fresh appeal on 8 October for anyone with information to come forward,[3] while Avon and Somerset CID DS Mike Britton stated that he was staying on after his retirement to continue working on the Hall disappearance, codenamed Operation Denmark, having spent 13 years on the case.[14][15] On 29 October 2009, police announced that three keys to a Ford vehicle, possibly a Transit, Fiesta or Escort, had been found near the body, and that they were working with Ford to try to identify the vehicle. Crimewatch also launched a fresh appeal for information, which resulted in more than 200 phone calls from the public. The reward for information leading to arrest was also increased to £20,000.[16]

In October 2019, police revealed they had obtained a partial DNA profile from the rope wrapped around the bag containing Hall's remains and stated that they remained confident that Hall's killer would be caught. Her parents reinstated a £50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.[17]

Arrests

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Walcot Street in Bath, looking south towards the site of Cadillacs Nightclub where Hall disappeared from, 2007.

In 1998, the suspected killer of Suzy Lamplugh, John Cannan, was questioned over the murder.[18] Known for his Bristol connections, Cannan was spoken to by police after allegations came to light that he had plotted the murder of Hall from his prison cell at HM Prison Durham.[18] Detectives investigated claims from sources that said that Cannan had spent many hours planning what he described as the "perfect" abduction with a fellow inmate.[18] The other inmate was a convicted rapist who supposedly put the plan into action after being released from prison.[18]

Inexplicably, although Cannan was in prison at the time of Hall's abduction and murder, some witnesses came forward to say they were certain that Cannan was the man they had seen abducting Hall that night.[19] Hall's parents said that they feared if Cannan was responsible for their daughter's death they would never know the truth of what happened to her, as Cannan was infamous for tactically withholding information about victims in order to maintain a sense of control over investigators.[20]

In 2003, police arrested two men in connection with Hall's disappearance but they were released without charge after police searched buildings and a field near Bath.[21][22] In 2009, a 37-year-old man confessed his involvement in Hall's murder to police in Greater Manchester, but was eliminated from the inquiry after undergoing psychiatric tests.[21][23] In July 2010, a 38-year-old man from Bath was arrested on suspicion of Hall's murder and subsequently released on bail.[24][25] In August 2010, a 39-year-old man from Wiltshire was arrested by police on suspicion of murder after handing himself in at a police station in the Avon and Somerset area.[22] The man was subsequently released on bail.[26]

Hall's abductor may have parked his car in the Podium car park on Walcot Street that night, and taken Hall to it after she left the club at around 2:00 am.[5]

In October 2013, police said that they had found a white Volkswagen Golf car connected to their inquiries, and had received relevant information about the rope used to tie up Hall's body.[27] On 25 November 2013, it was reported that a 44-year-old man had been arrested at an address in Bath, on suspicion of murder. The man was released on bail until 19 December, and a property at Roundhill Park, Whiteway, was searched.[28] On 28 November 2014 it was reported that there was insufficient evidence to charge the suspect.[29] On 23 June 2016, a 45-year-old man was arrested following retrieval of DNA from where Hall's remains were discovered,[30] and released on bail a few days later.[31]

By October 2019, eleven arrests had been made during the police investigation but no one has ever been charged.[17]

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Police have yet to rule out the suggested links to John Cannan and the murder of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh (who disappeared in July 1986 and whose body has never been found). They have also not ruled out links to the case of a serial sex attacker in Bath, nicknamed the "Batman rapist" after he left a baseball cap bearing a Batman logo at the scene of one attack.[32][33] The unknown assailant is known to have attempted to carjack a woman at knifepoint, leaving her wounded when she fought back and managed to escape, in the same area of the city a few hours before Hall was abducted.[34][35]

It has also been suggested that there may be a link between Hall's murder and Levi Bellfield, who is serving life imprisonment with a whole life order for murders of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell, and Amélie Delagrange committed between 2002 and 2004.[36] A suggested link with convicted killer Christoper Halliwell, who is serving a life sentence with a whole life order for the murders of Sian O'Callaghan and Becky Godden-Edwards, has been ruled out by Avon and Somerset Police.[17]

See also

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Other UK unsolved murders where there is DNA evidence:

References

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  1. ^ a b Savill, Richard (18 November 2004). "Melanie declared dead 8 years after vanishing from nightclub". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Murder victim Melanie Hall was bound with blue rope after killer broke her skull and jaw". The Herald. 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Woman's bones left 'like garbage'". BBC. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Family's years of heartache". The Bath Chronicle. Bath. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e Crimewatch (5 November 1996). Crimewatch UK, 05/11/1996 (Television programme). BBC One. Event occurs at 01:16-10:56.
  6. ^ a b "Melanie Hall: A mystery which has baffled police". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Melanie Hall: timeline". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  8. ^ a b c "Timeline: Melanie Hall disappearance". BBC. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  9. ^ "Melanie Hall: the background". BBC. 14 March 2003. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  10. ^ "Sister of Melanie Hall appeals for help from public". The Independent. London. 19 June 1996. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Jewellery 'key' in M5 bones case". BBC. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  12. ^ "Police refuse to confirm bones link to missing Melanie". Bristol247. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  13. ^ Morris, Steven (13 October 2009). "Melanie Hall suffered fractured skull". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  14. ^ "CID man holds retirement for case". BBC News. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  15. ^ "Murder of Melanie Hall". Avon and Somerset Constabulary. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  16. ^ "Hundreds contact M5 murder police". BBC. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  17. ^ a b c "DNA discovery raises hopes of finally finding killer of Melanie Hall". The Guardian. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d Welch 2012, p. 135.
  19. ^ "Murdertown: Bath" (TV Documentary). Prime Video (Crime+ Investigation Play). Event occurs at 22:18: Crime+ Investigation. 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  20. ^ Welch 2012, pp. 135–136.
  21. ^ a b Collins, Nick (31 August 2010). "Second man arrested over Melanie Hall murder". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  22. ^ a b Morris, Steven (1 September 2010). "Man held in Melanie Hall murder inquiry". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  23. ^ Naughton, Philippe (9 October 2009). "Arrest in Melanie Hall murder was false alarm, but DNA hope remains". The Times. London. Retrieved 12 September 2010.[dead link]
  24. ^ "Melanie murder: man, 38, arrested". Bristol Evening Post. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  25. ^ "Man held over Melanie Hall M5 murder inquiry". BBC News. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  26. ^ "Melanie Hall murder police release Wiltshire man". Bristol: BBC News. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  27. ^ "Melanie Hall murder police receive 'significant information'". Bristol: BBC News. 3 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  28. ^ "Melanie Hall M5 murder inquiry: Man from Bath arrested". Bristol: BBC News. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  29. ^ "Melanie Hall murder: 'Insufficient evidence' to charge suspect". BBC News. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  30. ^ "Melanie Hall murder: Man, 45, arrested". BBC News. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  31. ^ "Melanie Hall murder suspect bailed". BBC News. 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  32. ^ Grierson, Jamie (6 April 2010). "Fresh police plea in Melanie Hall murder probe". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  33. ^ Steele, John (27 October 2000). "Leaflets sent to 25,000 homes in rape inquiry". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  34. ^ Edmondson, Ian (14 February 1999). "Riddler rapist's evil game of cap and mouse". News of the World. London. p. 42.
  35. ^ Young, Sydney (12 June 1996). "Please find my perfect daughter". Daily Mirror. London. p. 8.
  36. ^ Evans, Natalie (30 January 2016). "Levi Bellfield 'could be questioned over unsolved murder of Melanie Hall'". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Welch, Claire (2012). "Melanie Hall". Unsolved Crimes: From the Case Files of The People and Daily Mirror. Yeovil: Haynes. pp. 134–138. ISBN 978-0-857331-75-5.
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