The sister of a murdered teenager has made a heart-felt pledge to continue the fight to bring her killer to justice more than 30 years on.
Natalie Pearman's body was discovered by a lorry driver in a lay-by at Ringland, on the outskirts of Norwich, in the early hours of November 20, 1992.
The 16-year-old was last sighted alive in Rouen Road a few hours earlier, working in the red light district of Norwich.
Three decades on, her killer remains at large despite an on-going cold case investigation that has seen 4,000 people interviewed and police believing they have a DNA profile.
READ MORE: How a killer is still escaping justice after death of Norfolk schoolgirl
Natalie's younger sister Georgina Simpson has now said she still has hope despite the passage of time and the DNA so far finding no match.
“There are people that have these cases solved years and years after. Why can't we be one of those people? There's nothing to say that we won't be that lucky,” she said.
“I've always believed that someone knows something and has never said it, either through fear or their own personal reasons.”
In a heartfelt and extensive interview with the BBC she talks about growing up in the shadow of a sibling she barely knew.
“I don’t remember a particular point that I found out about her murder. Me and my brother were considered too young to know,” she said.
“We knew that this huge terrible thing had happened, but we didn't talk about it. It was like there was always this big pink elephant in the room and no-one's allowed to mention it.
“It wasn't until I started to grow up and started to do some research of my own that I actually found out what exactly had happened.”
READ MORE: Family of murder victim release never-before-seen photographs to help solve case
Natalie was a “normal kid”, funny, a good gymnast and loved horses with no signs until she hit teenage years of things starting to go wrong.
“My siblings say she was hanging around with the wrong kind of people and getting herself into trouble,” said her sister.
“I think she wanted more than our tiny little seaside village of Mundesley, where we grew up.”
The family remain frustrated by the emphasis placed on her being a sex worker which they believe may have hampered the investigation.
“The main point should have been that this child was found strangled. Not that a sex worker was found strangled,” said Georgina.
“I don't know if it would've made a difference in the case, but I believe that if this was to happen now, it would have been perceived completely differently.”
READ MORE: Sister of murdered teen Natalie Pearman launches support group
Norfolk Police’s cold case manager Andy Guy said: “Natalie’s case continues to be a live investigation and information relating to it is regularly received from the public, which is always acted upon.
"We do hold a DNA profile of the individual whose identity remains unidentified. Anyone who has information regarding Natalie’s murder is encouraged to contact the cold case team".
- Anyone with information can contact the cold case team by emailing unsolvedcasereviews@norfolk.police.uk or calling 01953 423819.
- Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or share the information via the Norfolk Police online portal.
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