Police launch new probe into unsolved murder of nightclubber Melanie Hall, 25, whose body was found 13 years after she disappeared – and hope AI will help finally track down her killer

The mystery behind who killed nightclub owner Melanie Hall has finally been solved with the help of artificial intelligence, as police launched a new investigation into the unsolved case 30 years later.

Melanie, a 25-year-old office worker, was last seen talking to an unidentified man while sitting on a stool at the edge of the dance floor at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath at around 1.10am on 9 June 1996. It was the night England played Switzerland in the opening match of Euro 96.

Their remains were not found until 5 October 2009, when a worker discovered them alongside a minor road on the M5 near Thornbury, Gloucestershire, 45 miles north of the city.

He had a fractured skull and reportedly fractured his jaw and cheekbone, indicating he had been subjected to a violent attack. Her body was naked and tightly tied to garbage bags secured with thick blue nylon rope.

Thirty years later, Melanie’s killer is still at large.

Detectives at Avon and Somerset Police this week announced the launch of Operation Denmark, a new investigation into the unsolved murder. They are hopeful that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can help provide answers to the young woman’s devastated family.

While the contents of 90 cases of evidence have now been digitized, police have suggested that artificial intelligence could be used to analyze the unsolved case.

Police had previously identified around 100 ‘persons of interest’, this number has now been reduced to less than 20, while alibis are being re-examined.

Melanie’s remains were found 13 years after her disappearance and her killer remains at large. Image: Items similar to those worn by Melanie that have not been found before

Police re-release e-mail of man they believe was with Melanie at nightclub

Det Chief Inspector Ben Lavender, who led the cold case team, said: Mirror: ‘With advances in artificial intelligence in the coming years, I’m sure this will give us another way to look at the data we get in intelligent ways.’

He also explained that police have now created a database of digitized evidence and are re-looking at CCTV footage found at the time.

The agency had previously tried artificial intelligence to examine evidentiary material in 27 complex cases in 2024; Answers that would have taken detectives 81 years to solve were provided in just 30 hours.

known as Söze said the tool not only saves detectives time. Analyze information more abstractly. For example, they can ask the system to show connections between two suspects.

It can also categorize objects, people, anomalies, and patterns much faster than any human could, revealing insights and relationships not currently possible.

Previous efforts to discover the identity of Melanie’s killer have involved more than 400 police officers over the years and 96 hours of CCTV footage has been used to find clues. Eleven people were arrested but no one was charged.

Detectives now plan to go ‘back to square one’ to discover whether any evidence has been missed.

As part of these efforts, police reissued the E-fit a.They found a description of a man they believed was with Melanie at the nightclub.

Detectives at Avon and Somerset Police this week announced the launch of Operation Denmark, a new investigation into the unsolved murder.

He is described as white, in his mid-to-late 20s, 5ft 10in tall, of medium build, with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, bushy eyebrows and clean shaven.

He was wearing black trousers, black shoes and a brown silk shirt. It is possible that he had a gold hoop earring in his right ear and wore a flashy gold watch.

Police are also trying to find out what happened to the clothes Melanie was wearing the night she disappeared.

She was wearing a pale blue silk dress, black suede mule shoes, a cream single-breasted long-sleeved jacket, and a black satchel-type bag. None of these items were found.

Detectives will also forensically test the bag and ropes where the remains were found, along with a partial DNA profile being revealed.

Mr Lavender said of the items: ‘These are both important exhibits for us to look at using all the new technology available to see what can be found on them.’

Melanie, an office worker at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, had gone out for the night with her German boyfriend and a couple they knew.

They went home and left Melanie alone in the nightclub; An eyewitness later reported seeing the 25-year-old talking to a man in the early morning hours.

Avon and Somerset Police released images of earrings similar to those belonging to Melanie Hall (left) and the ring found near her body (right) in October 2009.

Replica of the rope wrapped around the trash cans where Melanie Hall’s body was found

His remains were found by workers at junction 14 northbound of the M5

This was the last known sighting of Melanie.

Her father, Steve Hall, previously released a powerful and moving statement detailing the impact the murder had on their lives.

In a statement, police said: ‘When Melanie was murdered, it wasn’t just one life that was taken, that changed and then destroyed many lives.

‘Mine, my wife’s, my daughter’s, my mother’s; Clearly there are people out there and probably some people who know what happened to Melanie.

‘If they felt they could uncover information that would lead us to find out what happened to Melanie, then at least we can feel like we did everything we could for our child.

‘We are different people now. When he disappeared that night, we changed; We are not the people we were before.

‘We carry deep pain, deep pain. ‘We have lost something so beautiful and so precious to us that we cannot replace it… a family with a piece missing.’

Melanie’s sister Dominique said in a Channel 5 documentary examining the case, airing in 2023: ‘I hope someone thinks about Mum and Dad, they are both almost 80 now, someone can find some compassion or empathy for Mum and Dad… and I think now is the time to let them know and get the answers they need.’

Mr Hall said in the documentary: ‘As each day went by, I wished I hadn’t woken up in the morning. But you do. You wake up and you have this little moment where you realize something is wrong and then it hits your brain.

‘And you think ‘oh yeah, that’s Melanie.’

His sister adds to the programme: ‘Weeks and months go by and you realize he’s not coming back.

‘We were really close as little kids. He was the shyer of the two, so I was a little more protective. My biggest fear is that whatever happened to him, he was scared at the time.’

Mr Hall added: ‘In our family we will forever mourn and miss our beloved daughter.

‘He will never achieve his life’s goals, he will never marry, he will never have children, and my wife and I will never have grandchildren again.

The building formerly known as Cadillacs in Bath, where Melanie was last seen alive

Police closed the road after Melanie’s body was found alongside the M5 in 2009.

‘Her mother’s lasting memory of her youngest daughter was the day she saw a battered skull and several broken bones at the coroner’s office in Portishead.

‘We are sure of this after all these years’ [those responsible for Melanie’s murder] They will happily take their terrible secrets to the grave, just as we will do the same with our pain.’

Det Chief Inspector Lavender said: ‘Someone knows what happened to Melanie, whether it was just the person who killed her or did she tell someone else, or someone else witnessed something in the evening, maybe someone returned acting suspiciously, blood was seen, anything like that is really important to us.’

Anyone with information can contact Avon and Somerset Constabulary on 101, quoting Operation Denmark or via the dedicated contact line. Major Incident Public Portal.