Family's heartbreaking plea 26 years after Vicky Glass found murdered in stream

Family's heartbreaking plea 26 years after Vicky Glass found murdered in stream Detectives have examined hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and made several arrests over the years, but the mystery surrounding Vicky Glass's murder remains unsolved more than two decades later The family of a young woman murdered just days after turning 21 have renewed their desperate search for answers — after her heartbroken mum died without ever knowing who killed her daughter. Vicky Glass vanished in Middlesbrough, Teesside, in the early hours of September 24, 2000. Six weeks later, her body was discovered in a stream on North Yorkshire moorland, around 20 miles from where she was last seen. Now, 26 years on, her devastated family have vowed to continue fighting for justice, revealing how they mourn her every day and grieve for the woman she never had the chance to become. In an emotional statement, Vicky's family said: "We have spoken about our pain year after year, how can we emphasise that this pain increases as the time goes on. It is vicious and brutal. It breaks us down, but it will never stop us from fighting for Vicky, to keep asking for your help, to get answers, to get justice for Vicky." Despite four arrests over the years, nobody has ever been charged with Vicky's murder. Her mother, Deborah, died without discovering who was responsible for her daughter's death. The family said: "Our grief intensifies, it's not only grieving her life being taken, we grieve for the woman she could have been if she was still here with us, the chance for change was ripped from her. We grieve for our family, for who we could have been, a family with Vicky with us. "We mourn every single day, not being able to talk to her, go shopping with her, sitting around a table with her having a family meal, laughing with her, making memories with her, all the small things that are taken for granted we do not have. We were not given that chance." Vicky was last seen at around 4am on Union Street in Middlesbrough, near its junction with Eshwood Square, after being dropped off by a taxi driver. Her body was found in horrific condition due to the decomposition after it was pulled from the river and was found near the village of Danby on November 3, 2000. Detectives have examined more than 200 hours of CCTV footage during the investigation. Three people were arrested in previous years, while a fourth suspect, a 65-year-old man, was arrested in June this year and remains on police bail. Officers have also sought information about a lorry driver believed to have spoken to Vicky before she disappeared. Vicky turned to sex work to fuel her crippling drug habit. In 2022, Cleveland Police released CCTV footage showing Vicky, who was a sex worker, with a friend. She was wearing light-coloured trousers and a top, white trainers and a dark puffer-style jacket. After speaking to her friend, detectives learned that Vicky had spoken to a lorry driver who gave her money. Police said she left personal belongings with him and agreed to meet him again later that day. The driver was described as a white man with a broad build and a distinctive mole on his face. He was believed to have been aged between 34 and 38 at the time. On 8 August 2003 at an inquest into the woman’s death Dr Kenneth Shorrock delivering a post-mortem examination and said he was unable to give a pathological cause of Vicky’s death. The doctor described the difficulties he had in examining the badly decomposed body. In a grim revelation Dr Shorrock revealed numerous parts of Glass's body were missing – including a number of her major organs and bones. At the inquest coroner Michael Oakley said: "We don't know how she came to be where she was found, we don't know the cause of death as whether there was a third party directly or indirectly involved in her death." As police continue to investigate the unsolved murder, Vicky's family have spoken of their anguish at knowing the person responsible has yet to face justice. They said: "For 26 years we have been waiting for the cold-blooded monster that murdered Vicky to be named, for justice to be served, for them to pay the price for what they have done. "For 26 years this killer has lived a life they had no right to live, a life free of consequence with no thought for the life they stole our Vicky's life and our lives." Detective Chief Inspector Steve Chatterton, who is leading the investigation for Cleveland Police, urged anyone with information about Vicky's movements between her disappearance and the discovery of her body to contact officers. He said: "Vicky’s family have longed for answers regarding her death and the person responsible for 26 years. As we continue to investigate Vicky’s murder, we would again appeal for anyone with information regarding Vicky’s whereabouts, between the last sighting of her and her body being found six weeks later, to contact us. "Any information at all could assist us in finally bringing to justice the person who murdered Vicky Glass, and bringing an end to this nightmare for her family." In a final appeal, her family said: "Our lives are plagued, there is a dark shadow that follows us, we can't get justice for Vicky on our own so we ask once again, we implore anyone with any information, big or small, to please come forward." Anyone with information can contact Cleveland Police on 101 or the dedicated inquiry line on 01642 301773. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.