Murder of Melanie Hall

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, who disappeared on 9 June 1996, following a night out at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath. It was not until 5 October 2009 that her partial remains were discovered, after a plastic bin bag containing human bones was located by a workman on the M5 motorway near Thornbury, South Gloucestershire. The bones, which included a pelvis, thigh bone and skull, were analysed and identified as belonging to Melanie Hall on 7 October 2009. 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 but subsequently released.

"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
17 November 2004 (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)

Background

Hall was described by her parents as a "young, vibrant daughter".[3] She had graduated from the University of Bath in 1995; 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 a chairman.

Disappearance

Hall had arranged to stay with her boyfriend Philip Karlbaum on 8 June and her mother dropped her off at his home.[5] 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 1.10am on 9 June 1996.[6][7] She was reported missing on 11 June 1996 by her parents after she failed to turn up for work.[5]

Karlbaum described his devastation at her disappearance on 17 June 1996.[6][7] 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,[8] the BBC show Crimewatch and Crimestoppers both made appeals to the public for information, as did Hall's sister Dominique,[9] but no trace of Hall was found.

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

Discovery of remains

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 Mr and Mrs Hall, who confirmed that it had belonged to their daughter.[10] Despite this, police refused to confirm that the body was that of Miss Hall until a post-mortem had been carried out.[11] The remains were formally identified as being Hall's through dental records on 7 October.[3][7] She had incurred severe blunt trauma to her head resulting in a fractured skull, cheekbone and jaw. Hall had also been tied up with a blue rope.[2]

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.[12][13] 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.[14]

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.[15]

Arrests

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.[16][17] 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.[16][18] In July 2010, a 38-year-old man from Bath was arrested on suspicion of Hall's murder and subsequently released on bail.[19][20] 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.[17] The man was subsequently released on bail.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23] On 28 November 2014 it was reported that there was insufficient evidence to charge the suspect.[24] On 23 June 2016, a 45-year-old man was arrested following retrieval of DNA from where Hall's remains were discovered,[25] and released on bail a few days later.[26]

By October 2019, eleven arrests had been made during the police investigation but no one has ever been charged.[15]

Police have not ruled out links with the murder of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh (who disappeared in July 1986 and whose body has never been found) and 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.[27][28] 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.[29][30] 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 three murders committed between 2002 and 2004.[31] 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.[15]

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See also

References
  1. Savill, Richard (18 November 2004). "Melanie declared dead 8 years after vanishing from nightclub". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. "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. "Woman's bones left 'like garbage'". BBC. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. "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. "Melanie Hall: A mystery which has baffled police". Bristol: Bristol Evening Post. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  6. "Melanie Hall: timeline". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  7. "Timeline: Melanie Hall disappearance". BBC. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  8. "Melanie Hall: the background". BBC. 14 March 2003. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  9. "Sister of Melanie Hall appeals for help from public". London: The Independent. 19 June 1996. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  10. "Jewellery 'key' in M5 bones case". BBC. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  11. "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.
  12. "CID man holds retirement for case". BBC News. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  13. "Murder of Melanie Hall". Avon and Somerset Constabulary. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  14. "Hundreds contact M5 murder police". BBC. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  15. "DNA discovery raises hopes of finally finding killer of Melanie Hall". The Guardian. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  16. Collins, Nick (31 August 2010). "Second man arrested over Melanie Hall murder". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  17. 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.
  18. Naughton, Philippe (9 October 2009). "Arrest in Melanie Hall murder was false alarm, but DNA hope remains". The Times. London. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  19. "Melanie murder: man, 38, arrested". Bristol Evening Post. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  20. "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.
  21. "Melanie Hall murder police release Wiltshire man". BBC News. Bristol. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  22. "Melanie Hall murder police receive 'significant information'". BBC News. Bristol. 3 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  23. "Melanie Hall M5 murder inquiry: Man from Bath arrested". BBC News. Bristol. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  24. "Melanie Hall murder: 'Insufficient evidence' to charge suspect". 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  25. "Melanie Hall murder: Man, 45, arrested". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  26. "Melanie Hall murder suspect bailed". 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  27. 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.
  28. Steele, John (27 October 2000). "Leaflets sent to 25,000 homes in rape inquiry". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  29. Edmondson, Ian (14 February 1999). "Riddler rapist's evil game of cap and mouse". News of the World. London. p. 42.
  30. Young, Sydney (12 June 1996). "Please find my perfect daughter". Daily Mirror. London. p. 8.
  31. Evans, Natalie (30 January 2016). "Levi Bellfield 'could be questioned over unsolved murder of Melanie Hall'". mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
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