From Dailymail · · 3m
Police dig a Rotherham field for Teresa Shephard, 31 years on
Her killer was jailed in 1996 but her body was never found, and now police are digging up a field that lies between two homes.
In brief
Her killer was jailed in 1996 but her body was never found, and now police are digging up a field that lies between two homes. A murder conviction closed Teresa Shephard's case in court, but police are still looking for her remains 31 years later. Originally reported by Dailymail.
A field dug up
South Yorkshire Police are digging up a field to find the body of a young woman who was murdered more than three decades ago.
“Officers are currently excavating a site off of Piper Lane, in Aston, Rotherham”
Who Teresa was
Teresa Shephard was 26 when she vanished from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in June 1995.
“Teresa was 26 years old when she disappeared in June 1995.”
Her body was never found
A murder investigation followed and led to a conviction, but no one has ever found Teresa's remains.
“Despite this conviction, Teresa's body was never recovered.”
Leaving home to meet someone
A court later heard that Teresa went missing after she left her home to meet a man in the city.
Blood in his car
Police made her boyfriend Peter Turner a suspect after they found spots of Teresa's blood inside his car.
Arrested and charged
Detectives arrested Turner, who lived on Doncaster Road in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, and charged him with Teresa's murder.
He denied it
Turner denied the murder. He said he had not seen Teresa on the night she disappeared.
Jailed for life in 1996
Turner was found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison.
A conviction without a body
The guilty verdict came even though Teresa's remains were never found, so where she was left has stayed a mystery.
Thirty-one years on
Police started the new dig 31 years after Teresa vanished. Turner, who was jailed for her murder, is now 54.
The Piper Lane site
Officers are digging a field off Piper Lane in Aston, Rotherham.
Between two homes
The field lies between Teresa's old home in Basegreen, Sheffield, and Worksop, where Turner lived at the time of the murder.
A large cordon
People saw a large police cordon around the field this week while officers worked on the ground.
Days of searching ahead
Officers expect to stay at the site for several days while they dig.
“There is likely to be an ongoing police presence at this location for the next few days.”
Family kept informed
Police have told Teresa's family about the search and say they will keep them updated.
“we will continue to keep them up to date with our enquiries”
A plea for privacy
Teresa's family are still asking to be left alone while the search goes on.
“They continue to ask for their privacy to be respected.”
What remains unknown
Police haven't said what led them to this field or whether they've found anything yet.
In short
A murder conviction closed Teresa Shephard's case in court, but police are still looking for her remains 31 years later.
