By Mark Townsend/London

 

 

Yeates: mystery over death

Detectives hunting the killer of Joanna Yeates have acknowledged that their investigation needs new stimulus and are planning an appeal for information on the BBC programme Crimewatch to be screened in an upcoming episode.

The BBC confirmed police were discussing a reconstruction of the murder for the show as Joanna’s parents David, 63, and Theresa, 58, spoke of how their daughter’s body had been “dumped like a piece of garbage.”

The couple issued a fresh plea through Avon and Somerset Police saying that any piece of information supplied to officers, “however small or insignificant,” could provide the clue to finding their daughter’s killer.

In an emotional and detailed statement, her parents said their lives had been “changed for ever” the day she disappeared.

“It was heartbreaking being in her flat, with her missing, and seeing her Christmas tree with a little pile of presents next to it,” her father said.

Their comments came as police confirmed they were pursuing new leads after retracing Joanna’s last known steps on Friday night.

More than 200 people were questioned at various locations around Bristol as officers followed the route 25-year-old Joanna is understood to have taken. Drivers were also stopped close to the location where her body was found on Christmas Day. However, news that the Crimewatch programme is planning to feature the landscape architect’s death has fuelled concerns that the investigation has stalled.

Joanna’s parents’ statement also described how they had yet fully to comprehend their loss: “We have still not come to terms with the fact that Jo will never walk through the door and say ‘Hi, Mum’’ or ‘Hi, Dad.’

“For Jo, she never had the opportunity to achieve her full potential, experience all the emotions surrounding getting married, the joy of having children, and the excitement of designing and defining a family home.”

A book of condolence has been opened at Christ Church, Clifton, close to the Canynge Road flat she shared with her boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27.

Associate vicar Wayne Massey said he hoped the book would offer some small measure of comfort for Jo’s friends and family.Players from Bristol City football club warmed up ahead of their match with Sheffield Wednesday wearing shirts showing Joanna’s picture and a police contact number.

     -- Guardian News & Media