Son’s fight for justice over murder of his mum in Sheffield

The son of a woman who was stabbed, sexually assaulted and strangled has criticised South Yorkshire Police for throwing away ‘potentially significant forensic evidence’.
 
Police chiefs have confirmed the bed base under which the body of 25-year-old Patricia Grainger was found in 1997 has been ‘discarded’.

The item was kept for a number of years but was thrown away when tests failed to find anything linked to the murder.

Detective Inspector Kevin Brown, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Although the bed base was found at the site where Pat Grainger’s body was discovered, there is no evidence to connect it with her murder.

“Nevertheless forensic examinations of the base were completed at the time.
 
“Investigations are continuing into the death of Pat.
“A review of all forensic evidence connected with the case was carried out last year and further work around this will continue.”

Pat’s son Daniel, now 22, of Lowedges, who was five when his mum was killed, said he was left ‘disappointed and frustrated’ when police officers told him the force no longer has the bed base.

His mum’s body was discovered dumped underneath it near to a brook close to their home at the time on Buchanan Road, Parson Cross.

Nobody has ever been charged over the death.

Daniel, who set up the Whokilledmymum.com website, said: “No matter what the police say there must have been the potential for forensic evidence to have been found on the bed base, if not now then who knows what will be capable with advances of technology in the future?

“It only takes a speck of evidence to link somebody to a crime scene now, so in the future there could have been the opportunity to have found something on it – but now we will never know.

“Whoever killed my mum had to touch the bed base to put it on top of her.”
He said he is upset at the lack of police activity around his mum’s murder case.

“They only ever contact me around the time of the anniversary of the death or when I speak out publicly – there doesn’t appear to be any progress being made.

“What our family wants is an appeal on Crimewatch to really draw attention to what happened to my mum.

“It is worrying knowing that whoever did this was never caught, because with what they did to her it is more than likely that they would do it again.”

He said he feels robbed of a life with his mum and wants justice.

“A neighbour told me my mum had died and I remember crying on his shoulder. I have some vague memories of my time with my mum but it’s the murder that is the main thing I think about, and I just want the person who did it to be caught.”

 
View original