Exclusive:Police excavate field in search for body of Sheffield woman killed 31 years ago - police statement in full
Teresa vanished three decades ago
A huge police search is underway for body of a young Sheffield woman three decades after she disappeared.
Teresa Shephard, from Basegreen, Sheffield, was reported missing in 1995 - and her ex-boyfriend was jailed for her murder the following year, even though a body was never found.
Now, South Yorkshire Police has a huge cordon in place in Aston, Rotherham, as a field is excavated.
Aston lies between Teresa’s Sheffield home, and Worksop, where Peter Turner, the ex-boyfriend who was jailed for her murder, lived.
Explaining the police presence in a field off Piper Lane in Aston today, South Yorkshire Police said: “Officers are currently excavating a site off of Piper Lane, in Aston, Rotherham, as part of our efforts to locate the remains of Teresa Shephard, who was murdered in 1995.
“There is likely to be an ongoing police presence at this location for the next few days.
“Teresa was 26 years-old when she disappeared in June 1995.
“An investigation was launched which resulted in detectives arresting and charging Peter Turner with Teresa's murder.
“In 1996, Turner, formerly of Doncaster Road, Worksop, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
“Despite this conviction, Teresa's body was never recovered.
“Teresa's family are aware of this update, and we will continue to keep them up to date with our enquiries. They continue to ask for their privacy to be respected.”
Teresa disappeared after going to meet a man in Sheffield, the trial of her ex-partner at Sheffield Crown Court heard in 1996.
During a three-week trial, the jury was told that her ex- boyfriend was charged with her murder after spots of her blood were found in his car.
He denied the murder, but was found guilty.
Turner, aged 24 and of Doncaster Road, Worksop, when he was jailed, had denied he had seen Teresa on the night she went missing.