Family of murdered Middlesbrough woman Vicky Glass renew plea for justice after 25 years
On the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of Vicky Glass, her family have again appealed for the public’s help to get justice for Vicky.
Vicky was last seen around 4am on Union Street, Middlesbrough, on 24th September 2000. Her body was found in a stream in the village of Danby in North Yorkshire in November 2000. She had been murdered just days after her 21st birthday.
In a video recorded by Cleveland Police, Vicky’s family describe her as “an absolute diamond”, as they appealed to the public to end their search for answers, and to help get justice for Vicky.
Sadly, Vicky’s mother passed away without ever getting those answers.
In interviews with Vicky’s father Anthony Glass, her sister Claire, step-sister Cheryl and step-father Colin, they talked about Vicky and how they have coped over the last 25 years.
Father, Anthony Glass, said: “People say time heals but it doesn’t. You don’t exist as such. You lose track of time; time is lost. You stop doing the things you would normally do.
“I think there are people that know what happened, maybe they weren’t there but if they think they know something they need to phone the police.
“25 years is a long time. Somebody must know who took her up to Danby or who she was with and never returned. Tell the police. I would say it’s impossible for somebody else not to know.”
Vicky’s sister, Claire, said: “Vicky wouldn’t hurt anybody. There was not a bad bone in her body.
“Her and my mam were really close and I think that bond was formed as Vicky was so poorly when she was born. She was delicate and needed a bit of extra encouragement. She was very quiet and very vulnerable, and people could take advantage of that.”
She added: “Sometimes you think about it and it’s like it’s happened to somebody else. You get upset and angry, and think about all the things that could have been.
“It never gets any easier, you have to learn to live with it. Our grandparents had to bury their granddaughter, and our mam had to bury her daughter, and we had to watch them go through that.
“Vicky was in a jazz band, and was gutted when she had to leave at 18. She got in with a bad crowd who used her, she thought they were her friends and they weren’t. She was young and wanted to be with her friends, she wanted to impress and fit in. People in that circle took advantage of her and she couldn’t get out of it. Ultimately Vicky was a daughter, a grandchild, a sister and an auntie, and she didn’t deserve what she got. The person responsible needs to be held accountable.”
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Peter Carr, said: “Vicky was only 21 when she went missing and was murdered. Her family have gone through the heartache of not knowing what has happened to her, and tragically her mother has passed away never knowing the answers that she wanted and without knowing what happened to her daughter.
“Vicky was vulnerable and exploited when she went missing, she was pressed into sex work and drug addiction and her family have been through a horrific ordeal over the last 25 years.
“Extensive enquiries have been carried out; including viewing over 2,000 hours of CCTV footage, and using up-to-date forensic methods to try to enhance DNA and establish exactly what has happened to her.
“After 25 years we know that loyalties can change, that people may have information that they were frightened to come forward with before, and we would appeal to those people to come forward and speak to us.”
Three arrests were made over the course of the investigation, although to date no charges have been brought.
Anyone with information can contact Cleveland Police on 101 or the dedicated inquiry line by calling 01642 301773 or by submitting information online on the Major Investigation Public Portal: Public Portal
Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.
More information can be found on the Vicky Glass page on the Cleveland Police website here: https://clevelandepi.mpw.cds.co.uk/police-forces/cleveland-police/areas/cleveland-police/campaigns/op-pandect/vicky-glass/vicky-glass/