Shelley Morgan: can two old postcards solve murder 35 years on?

Police have released new information relating to the murder of Shelley Morgan who disappeared in Bristol 35 years ago today.

The 33-year-old, who was born in America, was attending art classes at Bristol Polytechnic Art College and was heading to some local woods to sketch and take photos when she disappeared.

What happened on 11 June 1984?

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Morgan left her home in Dunkerry Road in the south of the city at around 8.30am and dropped her two children at school. She headed towards Leigh Woods near Ashton Court, but never returned to pick up her children.

Four months later, on 14 October 1984, her remains were discovered in Backwell Hill, about a mile and a half from Bristol Airport. Morgan’s camera equipment, clothing and red-framed glasses have never been found.

How was she killed?

A post-mortem found that Morgan had suffered multiple stab wounds, with evidence that the attack had been sexually motivated.

What have police released today?

“Police hope that two postcards could hold vital information about the killer,” reports Sky News.

The tear-off postcards are from a calendar which was sold by the local Bristol Hospice charity in the 1980s or 1990s, according to Avon & Somerset Police.

They show the River Avon, taken from Bower Ashton, and St Andrew’s Church, from the direction of Backwell Hill.

Investigators say both locations are “significant” as they are linked to the areas where Morgan was heading and where her body was found, reports the Bristol Post.

“We’d like to speak to anyone who may have bought this calendar or who kept the tear-off postcards with these specific images, possibly for some time,” police said.

DS Sarah Barnston, of the Major Crime Review Team, said it was possible that Morgan’s interest in art and the locations she was visiting “hold the key to her killer’s identity”.

She added: “We remain of the belief that her killer must have had access to a vehicle and may have had links through work or other associations to Backwell and possibly the Leigh Woods or Clifton areas of Bristol.”

Morgan's sister Holle Brian has made a video appeal for more information.

Police are also appealing for anyone who has the missing camera, an Olympus OM20 with the serial number 1032853, to come forward.