A GRIM SEARCH FOR ANSWERS

DOES AN ENGLISH CAFE HOLD CLUES TO A SERIAL KILLER’S GRUESOME MURDER?

- Michael Crooks

It was called a secretive project, but for those living in the area it was clear what the ITV documentary crew were doing at The Clean Plate cafe in Gloucester, England. The eatery was where 15-year-old part-time waitress Mary Bastholm had worked before disappearing on January 6, 1968. According to reports, the film crew, headed by revered English newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald, were filming an investigative documentary on her suspected murder – and on May 7, they found something.

Using a dog trained to sniff out bodies and ground-penetrating radar, the crew spotted something that suggested “a body could be buried within the property”, read a statement from Gloucester Police, who swooped on the site after the crew alerted them. Added chief constable Craig Holden, “This could be a significant development on a case which has gained a lot of public interest over the years.”