BATH — Avon and Somerset Police launched a fresh appeal for information 30 years after Melanie Hall's disappearance in 1996. The police also initiated the Justice for Melanie campaign to coincide with the anniversary of the case.
Melanie Hall, 25, was last seen in the early hours of June 9, 1996, at the former Cadillacs nightclub on Walcot Street in Bath. Her remains were discovered in 2009 by a workman on the M5 motorway slip road at junction 14, north of Bath, placed inside a bag.
As part of the public appeal, Hall's father, Steve Hall, and her older sister, Dominique, displayed Melanie's bedroom. The room contains soft toys on the bed, books on shelves, and photographs faded by sunlight, remaining largely unchanged.
Campaign messages will be displayed on screens during Bath Rugby's Saturday home match and on an advertising vehicle traveling through Bath. Detective Chief Inspector Ben Lavender said, "Just one small detail or memory could prove to be a huge breakthrough and solve Melanie's murder."
Steve Hall said, "I assumed she was dead after a few days. To some extent there was a feeling of relief when she was found. At least you had confirmation of what you were dreading." Hall added, "The only closure I'd get is if Melanie walked through that door. I try not to think about reasons why people do these things. I view that person a bit like you would view a wild animal that attacked and killed your daughter." Dominique said, "Thirty years is a long time. She's been gone longer than she was alive. I feel like we're running out of time."
Dominique said, "I maybe would appeal to a mum or a sister out there that might have a doubt about a male person in their life. I feel so sorry for my mum as well." Her mother, Patricia, lives with advanced dementia.