Tracey Mertens was doused in petrol and set alight in Eaton churchyard near Congleton, in Cheshire, on 23 December 1994. She was 31 years old. Despite having burns to around 95 per cent of her body, Mertens held on to life for 12 hours and was able to tell detectives as much as she could before she died.
Now, 30 years on, detectives at Cheshire Police are desperate to solve the case, particularly for the woman’s two children. But they say help is needed from the public for more information on what happened.
This story is from the December 24, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 24, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Academy champion Pulling dreams of moving up to F1
The British driver tells Kieran Jackson about beating boys and eyeing the big time after a dominant year on the track
Fury and Usyk weigh future after bruising encounter
Years were spent debating who would emerge as this generation’s greatest heavyweight.
Win or lose it's a wild ride for fans with Ange in charge
It’s just the way they play, mate. From 3-4 to 1-1 to 5-0 to 4-3 to 3-6, with Tottenham taking and giving up leads, mounting comebacks, scoring in the first minute and conceding at almost any point, often in calamitous fashion.
Can Reeves save our frozen economy from a recession?
Jack Frost swept an icy chill across the UK economy earlier than anyone expected. Following on from last week’s grim economic news, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revised its third quarter (July to September) estimate of GDP growth down to absolute zero.
Russian scientists reveal baby mammoth remains
Researchers in Siberia are conducting tests on a young mammoth whose remarkably well-preserved remains were discovered in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years.
Greenland will ‘never be for sale', its leader warns Trump
The leader of Greenland has flat-out rejected US president-elect Donald Trump’s renewed interest in purchasing the massive Arctic island from Denmark, insisting that the territory is not on the market.
Mangione pleads not guilty on New York State charges
The 26-year-old faces 11 counts including first degree murder
Far-right AfD holds rally as Magdeburg mourns victims
Market attack was carried out by an Islamist full of hatred for us Germans, for us Christians’, co-leader tells gathering
'He ripped down the tree and punched me in the face'
Thousands of women will spend this festive season trapped behind closed doors and being subjected to domestic abuse
Fresh appeal over woman set on fire 30 years ago
Three decades on from the unsolved murder of a mother who was attacked in a churchyard, detectives have renewed their push to find her killers.