Michelle Bettles murder: Norfolk cold-cases detectives announce DNA profile in Crimewatch appeal
Detectives investigating the 20-year-old unsolved murder of a mum-of-three say they have found a new DNA profile they hope could lead to a breakthrough.
Michelle Bettles, 22, was working as a sex worker when she was killed in Norwich in March 2002.
In a 20th anniversary appeal earlier this year, police said they had discovered new DNA traces on her clothing, and received eight calls from the public identifying her friends or contacts.
They have now confirmed that this evidence includes a complete male DNA profile, and that they are now working to identify the person.
Andy Guy, Norfolk Police's major crime review manager appeared on BBC Crimewatch on Wednesday to publicise the case and appeal for information.
Forensic work is also being done to examine if the other DNA samples found on Ms Bettles' clothing can provide complete DNA profiles of people with her in the days and hours before her murder.
Mr Guy said: “There have been multiple advances in forensic science over recent years which have significantly advanced this investigation, so I ask anybody who knows what happened to Michelle or has suspicions regarding who may be responsible to do the right thing and contact us.
“I would also urge any man who had legitimate, personal contact with Michelle to come forward and be eliminated from the inquiry, before we contact you.”
Ms Bettles had been working in the red-light district of the city on the evening of Thursday, March 28, 2002. Her body was found three days later by a dog walker in the village of Scarning, near Dereham.
A murder investigation was launched at the time but her killer was never identified.
In March, Ms Bettles' mother Denise told ITV News Anglia that time would never heal her heartache and that she and Michelle's father, John, would never stop hoping to see justice served. Mrs Bettles said: "Even now, every time I see a woman with long brown hair I think it must be Michelle.
"Isn't that horrible? Even now, I just don't want to believe that she died and I certainly don't want to think that she was lying out there in the woods on her own."
Michelle Bettles' parents spoke to ITV News Anglia's Natalie Gray on the 20th anniversary of her death
Ms Bettles had not kept an appointment with a regular client, whom she had arranged to meet close to her home in the Dereham Road area of Norwich.
CCTV footage from the evening showed her walking along St Benedict’s Street towards the city centre at 8.20pm that evening, suggesting she never intended to keep the appointment with the regular client as she was heading in the opposite direction.
The review of Ms Bettles' murder is also looking at a potential sighting of her in the City Road area, walking towards Queens Road just after 10.30pm, on the evening she was last seen.
There were further, unconfirmed, sightings of her around the Rouen Road and Ber Street area.
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