COLD-CASE detectives investigating the murder of Nythe girl Sallyann John nearly 20 years ago are making slow but steady progress on numerous lines of enquiry.

Sallyann, also known as Sally or Sal, of Kimmeridge Close, was just 23 at the time of her disappearance on the evening of September 8, 1995.

Despite a concerted national missing persons appeal lasting more than two months, she was never found, and her case was kept on file until last November, when a review uncovered fresh angles for police to pursue.

Detectives arrived at the conclusion Sally was killed on, or shortly after, the night she was last seen.

A number of witnesses placed Sally around the Broadgreen area before the final confirmed sighting, at 10.45pm around Aylesbury Street and Station Road.

Sally was wearing a short, pink, nightie style dress, a black jacket, black shoes, and black thigh-length socks, when she was last seen.

During the initial investigation, sex workers around Swindon were interviewed and Sally’s boyfriend, of Nythe, was spoken to.

From the Operation Maestro incident room, the team have been revisiting those interviewed at the time and have spent the last five months tracking down those who were close to her when she vanished.

Det Insp Tim Corner, of the Major Crime Team, said progress is being made, but is inevitably hindered by the two decades separating him and Sally’s eventual fate.

“The difficulty we are finding is that a lot of people we would like to speak to are no longer around for various reasons,” he said.

“Some have died and others have left the area, and that is the main problem with investigating something so many years later.

“Investigations are still ongoing and we have a team of detectives actively working on this and conducting extensive enquiries. It is progressing well but in cases such as this, which are 20 years old, it will naturally take some time before it is concluded.

“It is an investigation which is limited in its nature by the length of time that has passed. We are still in close contact with the family, and they have been supportive of the investigation from the very outset. They need closure for the disappearance of their daughter. There can be nothing worse than to lose a daughter under those circumstances.

“I would also like to make it clear we appreciate that people’s lives will have changed in the last 19 years and that relationships may now be different. I would like to reassure callers that any information received will be treated in the strictest confidence.”

Anyone with information about Sally’s movements in September 1995 should contact the Operation Maestro team on the dedicated number for the investigation, 0800 056 0944; or to provide information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.