Deborah Steel Ely murder case: Appeal to pub drinkers

Deborah Steel has not been seen since 28 December 1997

People who drank at a pub nearly two decades ago are being urged to help discover what happened to its landlady who vanished in 1997.

Deborah Steel, 37, landlady of the Royal Standard in Ely, was last seen at about 01:00 GMT on 28 December 1997. Her body has never been found.

Over the weekend police excavated a garden and searched a property in Longfields linked to the disappearance.

Police are calling for pub customers with information to contact them.

Excavations took place in the Longfields garden in Ely throughout the weekend, police said

During the weekend a number of items of interest were seized from the house.

Det Ch Insp Martin Brunning, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said: "The focus of our investigation remains very much centred in Ely.

"We would particularly like to hear from anyone who knew Deborah or who drank at the Royal Standard pub.

"I remain convinced the answer to Deborah Steel's disappearance lies in Ely and that there are people in the city who can provide key information."

A 70-year-old man from Ely was arrested on suspicion of her murder on 2 September and released on bail until 2 October.

Anyone with any information should call Cambridgeshire Police.