Michaela Hague: Chilling murder of Sheffield mum-of-one remains unsolved 22 years on

On the same day the country celebrates bonfire night, it marks yet another year that the killer of 25-year-old Michaela Hague remains at large. 

On the 22nd anniversary of the chilling murder, South Yorkshire Police says its Major Incident Review Team is “continually reviewing the death of Michaela Hague and any new lines of enquiry”.

On the evening of November 5 in 2001, Michaela, who was believed to have been working as a sex worker, was picked up by a man in a car on Bower Street, off Corporation Street.

She was later found by another sex worker slumped on the ground of an isolated car park off Spitalfields, on the outskirts of Sheffield city centre between Kelham Island and Wicker. The mum-of-one had been stabbed 19 times in her neck and back.

Michaela, from Pitsmoor, was still alive when emergency services arrived at the scene, and was able to whisper a brief description of her attacker to a police officer. She told PC Richard Twigg that her attacker was white, clean shaven, and wore a wedding ring.

She was rushed to Northern General Hospital, but she tragically died three hours later from her injuries.

An old-style blue Ford Sierra was spotted driving away from where Michaela was discovered - but it was never located.

Michaela, who had a five-year-old son at the time of her death, sold her body to fund a heroin habit. She had started working on the streets just six months earlier, an inquest into her death was told.

The Star asked South Yorkshire Police how many arrests had been made as part of the 22-year investigation, and whether there was a chance the killer had re-offended.

'Our investigation remains ongoing'

A force spokesperson said: “Historically, arrests were made where appropriate. Should any new information come to light that would lead to the identification of a new suspect then we will act expeditiously.

“Our investigation remains ongoing and we continue to have an open mind about the circumstances surrounding Michaela's death.

“Our Major Incident Review Team are continually reviewing the death of Michaela Hague and any new lines of enquiry, as they do with all other undetected homicide investigations.

“We take any new information, intelligence or lines of enquiry seriously and allocate resources to look into them accordingly.”

The force said that every report they receive that raises concerns around sex work is “taken very seriously”. Where evidence is found that someone may be being exploited, dedicated teams of officers and partner agencies will provide safeguarding support to victims.

A spokesperson added: “Protecting vulnerable people across South Yorkshire is an absolute priority for our force. We remain committed to delivering work to increase the safety of sex workers, reduce vulnerability, target those who exploit or cause harm and ensure those affected receive specialist long-term support.”

Anyone with information that may assist the investigation into the killing of Michaela Hague, or anyone with concerns regarding the sex work industry, is encouraged to contact the police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.