BODY IN BROOK (FULL HEADLINE BODY IN BROOK KILLER MAY STRIKE AGAIN!)
Sex killer strikes then hides his victim in stream
August 11th 1997
View original Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
By Paul Whitehouse
A WOMAN was sexually attacked, strangled and stabbed before her body was dumped in a Sheffield brook, police revealed this afternoon.
Her body was discovered by two schoolboys playing on open land between Parson Cross and Ecclesfield last night.
Police named her as Patricia Grainger, of Buchanan road, Parson Cross, Sheffield.
Brunette Patricia, aged 25, was dumped in water and part of abandoned bed had been dragged over her body.
Det. Supt Derek Deakin described the murder as a “nasty crime” and warned the killer could strike again.
Patricia was just over 5ft tall of medium build and dark haired. Some of her clothing had been disturbed.
“I hope we can identify her quickly so we can work out her last movements”
“It is a crime where i feel we will need help from the public” said Mr Deakin.
Patricia’s body was thought to have been in the water for at least 24 hours and tests are now being carried out to check whether she had been drinking and taking drugs.
Mr Deakin warned the man responsible could still be in the area “I cannot rule out the fact that he could still be in the area and could strike again.
“There is a large influx of police in the area and high profile policing” said the office.
The victim’s handbag was missing and no weapon had yet been recovered. They will form the main targets of police searches involving scores of policeman as well as forensic experts.
Anyone with information should contact south Yorkshire police on 0114 220 2020,
Killer May Strike Again
80 Officers face a race against time to catch sex beast
By SARAH GOLDTHORPE
EIGHTY police officers have started with the painstaking take of tracking down a sex-killer they fear may strike again.
As soon as police were alerted to the murder scene last night work began on piecing together the jigsaw of events leading up to the victim’s death.
From an incident room at Ecclesfield, officers are conducting house to house inquiries, a finger tip search of the area and researching any similar murders try to pinpoint the killers profile and methods.
Underwater search police were this afternoon probing the brook, off Colley Drive, Ecclesfield, where the strangled and stabbed body was dumped beneath a mattress.
Det Supt Deakin said: “Our inquires now are concentrated at the scene by way of fingertip searches or anything that looks alien to the scene”.
“Then we’ll spread the net out further with officers doing house to house inquires.”
The grim scene was sealed off last night after the woman’s body was taken to Sheffield Medic Legal Centre for identification and a post-mortem examination.
Forensic tests will establish whether the victim had been drinking or drug taking, which is known to be a problem in the community where she was found.
One link of inquiry is the likelihood of the body is that of a woman reported missing recently.
Det Supt Deakin describe the brook as a play area for youngsters but also a dumping ground for residents with carpets, Mattresses and other domestic items littered about.
Crucial
He said there were no immediate characteristics to link this crime to any other murders.
Once crucial fact police want to establish is whether she was murdered at the scene or somewhere else and her body ditched there.
Scenes of crime officers have carried out the detailed examination of the area where the body was found to gather evidence which may lead to her killer.
She was found faced down last night dressed in a skirt, cardigan and training shoes.
The police operation is one of the biggest in recent years.
RESIDENTS were still stunned today after a murder victims body was discovered yards from their homes.
Dozens of police engulfed the normally quite estate off Colley Drive, Ecclesfield which is habited mainly by pensioners.
One resident whose home overlooks the murder scene said “Two police cars turned up first then within minutes there must have been a dozen of them.
‘It’s got worse and worse’
“They were swarming all over the place, late into the night.”
Another tenant, 79-year-old Alice Leesley, heard motorbikes around the time of the grisly discovery but thought nothing of it.
Then she saw the area outside her home being sealed off with the blue and white police tape.
She sad “it’s awful, it’s normally very quite around here but the last two years have got worse and worse.
“The council have let flats to younger people and the mix isn’t right.
It used to be a most select bit of Sheffield – a lovely community.
We’ve looked after each other and guarded houses when people have been away. Something like this is a total shock to us all.”
EDIT By Me: The above states that ‘Forensic tests will establish whether the victim had been drinking or drug taking’ The Post-Mortem showed no traces of alcohol or drugs.
Sex killer strikes then hides his victim in stream View full…
Posted by Who Killed My Mum? Patricia Grainger Unsolved Sheffield Murder on Sunday, June 21, 2015
I remember training at this school sawing clothes and we went to the ball and my friend knew her she was there at the ball we went to her house and iwas talking to hermum and her mum was very stress with her she had fits and she would nt take her tables and she had smash her mothers door I hope they find the killer she was vurble then
I remember her in my teens I cant believe it she was vurbley then I hope they find the killer
I can remember this hitting the headlines , such a sad sad story x lets hope the killer is caught n brought to justice x
Please read and share