Wendy Gallagher: Police revive investigation into notorious unsolved Barnsley murder 30 years ago

New scientific techniques are to be used in a bid to solve the notorious murder of a woman strangled in her own home 30 years ago.

Wendy Gallagher was just 24 when she was killed with an electric cord being squeezed around her neck in January 1991.

No one has ever been brought to justice for the murder in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Now, on the anniversary of the killing, investigators are to re-examine evidence using new processes for detecting traces of DNA.

Dave Stopford, head of South Yorkshire Police’s major incident review team, said: “Wendy’s family have been waiting for justice for three decades, and I really do hope that by taking a fresh look at this case, we will be able to provide them with the answers they desperately need.

“Advances in science mean that we have so many more forensic opportunities now than we did in 1991.”

He added the force was also encouraging anyone who might have previously undisclosed information to come forward.

“Allegiances and relationships change and diminish over time and it’s never too late to tell us what you know,” he said. “Seeking justice is as important to us now as it always has been.”

Ms Gallagher was living alone in the town’s Princess Street when she was killed.

She was last seen in the town centre on Friday 18 January 1991. Her body was discovered the following Monday after concerns were raised that nobody had seen her.

Her sister Maureen said: "Although it's now been 30 years, the distress of losing a little sister never fades.

"The trauma of this had a devastating effect on my parents who have now both passed away never getting any justice for the murder of their youngest daughter."

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