Victoria Hall murder investigation 'making good progress' say police

Victoria Hall was 17 years old when she was killed as she walked home from a nightclub in 1999

Officers investigating the murder of a 17-year-old girl in 1999 were "making good progress", Suffolk Police said.

Victoria Hall, from Trimley St Mary, went missing on her way home from a Felixstowe nightclub on 19 September. Her body was found five days later.

Police said 25 people were working full-time on the case and they had taken statements from 500 witnesses.

Last year a man was arrested on suspicion of murder and later released. He continues to be under investigation.

Victoria's body was found in a ditch at Creeting St Peter five days after she went missing

Victoria was last seen alive in the early hours of 19 September on High Road, Trimley St Mary, close to where she lived.

She had left home the previous evening to go to the Bandbox nightclub on Bent Hill, Felixstowe, with a friend.

Listen: Former detective on an unsolved Suffolk murder

The pair stayed at the club until 01:00 BST the next morning.

After getting some food at the Bodrum Grill on Undercliff Road West, they began to walk home and parted at 02:20 near the junction of High Road and Faulkeners Way - just yards from Victoria's home.

Her parents discovered she had not returned home and contacted police.

On 24 September, Victoria's naked body was found by a dog walker in a water-filled ditch off Creeting Lane, Creeting St Peter - about 25 miles (40km) away from where she was last seen.

The case was reopened in 2019 after "fresh information" was received, police said.

The force said there were 25 officers and staff working full-time to crack the case, with the team taking statements from more than 500 witnesses, reviewing more than 43,000 documents and viewing more than 3,500 hours of CCTV.

Det Ch Supt Andy Smith said officers were "making good progress".

"This is a challenging and complex case which has amassed extremely high volumes of information and evidence over the preceding 23 years," he said.

"We are in frequent contact with Victoria's family to keep them updated as to our progress, and as ever are truly grateful for their patience and for the support they provide our investigation.

"I once again urge anyone with information that could assist us to come forward - it is never too late."