Renewed police appeal

Detectives investigating 21-year-old murder of a Grantham mum now have a DNA profile which could identify her killer.

Julie Pacey was found dead in the bathroom of her Longcliffe Road home in September 1994. She had been  strangled and sexually assaulted.

Mrs Pacey worked at St Peter’s Day Nursery, St Catherine’s Road, which has since been demolished and replaced by Martin’s Court. It was across the road from the then police station, Stonebridge.

On Monday 26 September  at about 4.15pm, her body was discovered  by her 14-year-old daughter, Helen, lying on the bathroom floor of their family home.

In an appeal for information on last night’s BBC’s Crimewatch programme, Lincolnshire Police urged anyone with suspicions about the identity of the offender to come forward.

The senior investigating officer in the inquiry, Detective Inspector Helen Evans, said: “Advances in DNA technology meant a “nearly complete” profile of an individual had been extracted from evidence found at the scene.

“This means that if we can link that DNA to a person, it is entirely possible that we may have found Julie’s murderer.”

But because the DNA does not match anyone presently on police databases  detectives are urging the public for help in giving them the name. The new DNA17 technique allows far fewer cells to be used in identification.

DI Evans said: “All we need is a name and we can then decide if that person is relevant or connected.”

She said it may be that the killer did not live in the Grantham area at the time of the offence, or had since moved away.

Detectives are still pursuing several other lines of inquiry, including an ongoing effort to trace a man wearing blue overalls who was seen leaving Mrs Pacey’s home three days before the murder.

Officers also remain interested in any details regarding a blue BMW, possibly a 5 series, that was seen parked on the driveway of the family home, next to the victim’s Audi.

In addition, they are still seeking information regarding a Luc Desroches watch that was noticed to be missing from the property.

Anyone with information to assist the inquiry is urged to contact Lincolnshire Police on either 01522 532222.

In July of that year, Sharon Harper (21) was found strangled in shrubbery, on the former Shepherd Construction car park , Earlesfield Lane. She disappeared after working a Friday night shift as a barmaid at the Market Cross (later Barcode) in Westgate.

Also that year,  Crimewatch broadcast a reconstruction of the Julie Dart murder, whose body was found at Easton, near PAS, in 1991, leading to the capture of Michael Sams.