Specialist dig at allotment in a bid to uncover details of unsolved murder case

An area of waste ground in Middlesbrough is being excavated as part of attempts to solve a 20-year-old murder case.

Police and a specialist search team started work at a former allotment site near to Troon Close, Middlesbrough on Monday 18th June 2018.

It's part of the investigation into the disappearance of Donna Keogh from Middlesbrough in 1998 when she was just 17 years old.

Donna has never been found and her disappearance is being treated as a murder investigation.

The investigation is being conducted by Cleveland Police’s Historic Investigations Unit, established by a grant from the Home Office earlier this year.

Detective Superintendent Michael Hunt, leading the investigation, said:

As part of this operation, neighbourhood officers will hand-out leaflets to people living nearby, appealing for information and explaining the police activity they will see over the coming days.

There is no set timetable for the excavation, it will be concluded once the site has been thoroughly examined.

To support the investigation, the public can visit www.finddonna.co.uk to view details about Donna’s life, her disappearance and the police’s on-going investigation.