Rachel Manning family appeal – Milton Keynes

Tuesday 24 February 2009, 11:56am

The family of Rachel Manning would like to the make the following appeal:

In December 2000, a couple of weeks before her 20th birthday, and at a time of year that she absolutely loved, our daughter Rachel was murdered. Today we are here to appeal to the public to help bring the person who did this to justice.

Rachel was asphyxiated and then her body was moved and dumped in a remote location where it could have lain undiscovered for years. The person or persons responsible then mutilated her head and face after death, smashing her skull.

We had to see those horrific injuries first hand when we identified her body in the hospital mortuary. This was the most soul-destroying thing any parent could go through. This is the last image we have of our daughter and it never ever fades. We need to know who did this terrible thing to Rachel and why.

Someone out there knows who did this and they don’t deserve your protection. The pain of losing her is still fresh. The fact Rachel is dead and no-one is being held to account for it is an open wound. It’s not, after all, something to which you can just say ‘what the hell’, shrug your shoulders and move on.

The media attention and numerous legal proceedings mean we have had no peace to grieve and until someone is made to pay for this despicable crime we can’t and we won’t rest.

There is not a day that goes by where we don’t think about her and miss her. Everywhere we turn there is something to remind us of what we have lost and the life she has been deprived of. Every time we see one of Rachel’s many friends, its makes us wonder what she would have been doing now. Hearing a certain piece of music, smelling the perfume she used to wear, hearing someone call out Mum: these are constant reminders that Rachel is not here and she should be, but someone took her life and future away.

We can’t enjoy special or family occasions anymore; a birthday, Christmas, there is always this empty place where our daughter should be. It’s not just our lives that have been blighted by her loss; she had many friends who were left devastated by her death. We all remain haunted by Rachel’s brutal murder.

Rachel had been in her new job just three days when she was killed. She loved horse riding and shared her horse Harvey with her Mum. She loved reading and showed a passion for writing stories. She was a normal teenage girl who loved her friends and loved going out. She could be shy but exuded a confidence when in familiar surroundings. She was our daughter and we loved her very much.

Please, if you know anything about Rachel’s murder, no matter how small, come forward and talk to the police. Whoever did this needs to be held to account. They forfeited their right to having a future the day they took our daughter’s future away. They don’t deserve protection from anyone.

Anyone with information can contact Milton Keynes police station via the 24-hour non-emergency number, 0845 8 505 505. If you do not want to speak to the police, call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can also give information to the police in person by visiting any police station. To find out the opening times and location of your local station please call 0845 8 505 505 or visit: www.thamesvalley.police.uk/bcu/milton_keynes/bcu-info/stations.htm

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