Who was Diane Jones and what happened to her?
DIANE Jones was found brutally murdered in a Suffolk wood in 1983 — but her killer was never brought to justice.
The cold case features in the new documentary Prime Suspect: Murder In Suburbia.
Who was Diane Jones?
Dian Jones was a 35-year-old former social worker who was found murdered.
Dr Robert Jones was the prime suspect in the case — but was never charged with killing his wife.
He was questioned by police on numerous occasions and was arrested in November 1983 — but was released without charge.
Jones denied being involved in his wife’s murder and stuck to this story until his death.
She was last seen in the Woolpack Inn in her hometown of Coggeshall, Essex on July 23, 1983.
Witnesses in the pub said she had a row with her husband and was “drunk”.
The Joneses returned home to Lees Farm, Colchester — but Dr Jones said Diane then disappeared from there while he parked the car after dropping her off.
Jones did not report her missing until nine days later.
He died on March 7, 2023 at the age of 80 in France, having lived there for years.
A Suffolk Police spokesman said his death had limited the scope of the investigation, but the team would continue to exhaust all leads.
Andy Guy, the Major Crime Review and Unsolved Case Team manager, said: “We had been making some positive progress in the case of Diane’s murder and are unearthing new information, even after all this time.
“The death of the suspect in this inquiry means it is unlikely we will be able to progress much further now, as we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this crime.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to reach the evidential threshold required for a prosecution for murder on two separate occasions.
“This case will remain with our team. Several people have spoken to us recently who had not felt able to do so before, but we would still like to hear from anyone who believes they have information about the incident.”
What happened to Diane Jones?
The body of Diane, who was pregnant when she was killed, was found with a fractured skull three months after she went missing from her home on July 23, 1983.
She was found dead in a wood in Martlesham, Suffolk.
According to reports, police believed she was battered to death with a spiked hammer soon after her disappearance.
The murder weapon was never found.
How can I watch Prime Suspect: Murder In Suburbia
Prime Suspect: Murder in Suburbia will air on Monday April 1, 2024.
The documentary starts on Channel 5 at 10pm and finishes at 11.40pm.
You can also watch the show on Channel 5’s streaming service — My5.