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Police say the case ‘remains open’ on city’s longest unsolved murder
Sunderland Echo
|May 22, 2026
It is now 40 years since Julie Perigo was found murdered in her Sunderland flat – a case which remains the city’s longest unsolved killing.
Julie Perigo was found stabbed to death in her Sunderland flat on Kidderminster Road in 1986.
The 51-year-old was discovered dead at her home in Kidderminster Road, Downhill, on May 23, 1986, after officers forced entry to the flat following concerns for her welfare.
Reports at the time described a bloodbath scene inside the property, with Julie having suffered multiple stab wounds.
A post-mortem examination later found she died from shock and severe blood loss.
The mother of two is believed to have been working as a prostitute at the time of her death.
She had reportedly told a friend she was due to meet a client at lunchtime on May 16 – the same day a neighbour last saw her alive.
This story is from the May 22, 2026 edition of Sunderland Echo.
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