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Police determined to crack 24 unsolved Bristol murders

While the discovery of Melanie Hall's body has kick-started the quest to find her killer, detectives say they are as determined as ever to crack the 23 other unsolved murders in the Bristol area.

Little did they know, a few days later one of the most high-profile mysteries was about to be blown wide open by the discovery of Melanie Hall's body yards from the M5, near Thornbury.

DCI Carter said last night: "These cases are never closed until they are solved.

"For the last nine months the team have been working very hard on finding out what we have and where we are with 24 of the murder cases."

Mr Carter took over the team last November. They have been trawling through thousands of documents, papers and exhibits in a bid to crack the cases and find out whether new technology – particularly DNA – can be used to make progress.

"This has been a huge task," Mr Carter added. "We have 49 boxes of exhibits and files for the case of Melanie Road (who was killed in Bath in 1984).

"I was really pleased with the professional approach of my team, the work they put in and the information they could provide.

"I am satisfied now that if a victim's family came to me now I would be able to say what we've done and what we are doing. The families and the victims have not been forgotten."

In a bid to keep the crimes in the public psyche, Mr Carter said the team will publicise the cases on their anniversaries from now on.

There are 27 unsolved murder cases in the force area, 23 of which – with 24 victims – are linked to greater Bristol.

The oldest is that of Robert Parrington-Jackson, 32, who was shot dead as he worked in the office at Odeon Cinema in Union Street on May 29, 1946.

Although officially unsolved, in 1993 – and again last month – the son of the alleged killer named him as Billy "The Fish" Fisher, a petty crook from South Wales who travelled with an accomplice to rob the cinema. He admitted, on his death bed in 1989, shooting Mr Parrington-Jackson with a Colt 45.

The most recent unsolved murder is that of Dean Jeffery, who died on September 28, 2006, after he was assaulted in the Ridgeway Parade area of Fishponds a week earlier. Despite a reconstruction and continued appeals, his killer, or killers, have not been found.

Mr Jeffery's case was not part of the recent review as it is still with the Major Investigation Team.

The MCRT was set up in February 2003 to revisit historical crimes.

There have been numerous successes in cracking cases, in particular "stranger rapes", and so far 12 offenders have been jailed using DNA technology.

The latest conviction was that of Vincent Dally, 29, of Bowring Close, Hartcliffe, who was jailed last month for attempted rape, 14 years after attacking a 39-year-old woman in Hartcliffe.

In an interview with the Post earlier this year, head of CID Louisa Rolfe said: "Some cases are very, very challenging. If you can't get to the bottom of the case it's really frustrating for everyone involved. But we never let go of these cases."

Since Melanie Hall's body was found, her murder has become a "live" case. Forensic examinations are still being carried out.

If you have any information, call police on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The unsolved Bristol murders in full:

Robert Parrington-Jackson May 29, 1946

The 32-year-old was shot in the head with a Colt 45 while working in the office at Odeon Cinema in Union Street.

Although officially "unsolved", in 1993 the son of the killer had finally named him. Billy "The Fish" Fisher, a petty crook from South Wales who travelled with an accomplice to rob the cinema, admitted, on his death bed in 1989, panicking and shooting him twice.

George Black January 7, 1949

Married 52-year-old George, from Clifton, was killed during a robbery at Lloyds bank, Wells Road, Knowle. A man in a trilby shot Mr Black dead, then disappeared. Mr Black was in charge and struggled with the robber and was shot twice.

Carrying a briefcase full of money, the killer left the bank, got into an Austin Saloon which had been stolen that morning, and drove off.

June and Royston Sheasby July 1, 1957

The siblings went missing while playing in Snuff Mills Park on a warm evening in June.

A massive hunt for them by emergency services and thousands of volunteers took place. But 11 days later, any hopes of finding the brother and sister alive were shattered by the shrill blast of a police whistle.

Their bodies were later found in a shallow grave within the park.

They had been battered to death – possibly with a stone.

Louise Jane Dunne June 28, 1967

The 74-year-old, from Easton, was raped and strangled in her own home in Britannia Road. Friend Vi Allene noticed a window slightly open and climbed through, finding her prostrate body lying on the floor.

Phew, what a scorcher! Another day of the 1975 summer's grilling, inescapable heat. On Sunday 3rd August Filton, Bristol, and Finningley, near Doncaster, were jointly the hottest places in Britain, each notching up 90°F. This was no discouragement to your wilting photographer who, more "uptight" in youth than in his middle age, never ventured out of doors without a jacket and regarded even a short-sleeved shirt as a form of undress. After several hours of pounding the hot pavements I remember the sheer agony of standing in Lamb Street, St Jude's, waiting for a bus to take me home. This being a Sunday the service, of course, operated at a reduced frequency. Indoors there was no relief. My room faced west and caught the afternoon sun. Looking down to read, beads of sweat formed on my brow, combined, ran down my nose and dropped onto the page ...the first time I had even known this to happen.
I had started my expedition at Bathurst Basin. Huge gulls swooped at my head from the roof of the derelict Turner Edwards warehouse, where they must have had a nest. The "sand boats" operated by the Holms Sand & Gravel Co. were the last shipping to use the basin. The firm moved to a wharf opposite Welsh Back, then to Hotwells, before abandoning the city docks altogether in the early 90s. The boarded-up houses in Bathurst Parade were reprieved and survived to be renovated, gentrified and painted in preposterous pastel colours. The pub at the left-hand end of the terrace was still called the Bathurst Hotel. For a while, having a wrought iron balcony, it was renamed "The Louisiana". A little later, following renovation of the houses, the Parade was paved with setts and furnished with spurious quayside impedimenta. It looked rather as though it were being made ready for use as a backdrop in some TV adaptation of Jane Austen, or a hard-hitting drama about the slave trade. The pub was again renamed, this time as "The Smugglers". How one longs for simple authenticity in the appearance of one's surroundings.