Cold case appeal for young woman found dead in field

More than three decades ago a cyclist riding past a carrot field in Rainford, Merseyside, came across the naked body of a young woman.

Her killer had strangled her at some point between the night of 5 August 1994 and the following lunchtime, before leaving her close to the Wheatsheaf Hotel near the A540 Rainford Bypass - making little effort to conceal her remains.

The woman was identified as 23-year-old Julie Finley, from Liverpool, who had struggled with a heroin addiction and whose weight had dropped to about six stone (38.1kg) when she disappeared.

Since then, despite offers of cash rewards for information, Crimewatch reconstructions and numerous media appeals, no-one has been charged with her murder.

Now Merseyside Police are urging anyone with information, and who may have kept quiet in the past, to come forward.

Finley was last seen at about 22:30 BST on 5 August 1994 on Pembroke Place in Liverpool city centre, behind then the Royal Liverpool Hospital building.

She was talking to a man aged in his 20s or 30s, who has never been traced.

Merseyside Police have previously said they are looking for a woman called Tina, who contacted the murder investigation team shortly after Finley's body was found.

She told officers that on the night of 5 August Julie had said she was going to meet a taxi driver from Prescot.

Tina promised to get back in contact with the officers she had spoken to, but never phoned again.

Julie's mother, Pat Finley, previously told BBC News she wanted to "see justice while I am still alive".

She said her daughter had attended a hairdressing college in Liverpool but became addicted to heroin in her late teens.

"Who knows how her life would have turned out had she not been taken from us?", she said.

"Julie's dad has now passed away and he went to his grave having never seen justice delivered."

In 2005 Merseyside Police retested forensic evidence in the hope that advances in DNA technology would identify a suspect.

However no arrests have been made over the past 20 years.

Det Insp Sam Davies from the force's Major Incident Team said: "It is 32 years since Julie was murdered but the investigation into her death remains ongoing.

"We know that back in 1994 people may have had information about Julie's death which either through loyalty or fear they didn't bring to our attention.

"My message would be it is never too late to do the right thing and tell us what you know, no matter how small. One piece of information could be key to solving the case and bringing the person responsible to justice."

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