Watton: Parents Appeal On Anniversary Of Johanna Young's Death

23 December 2013, 06:00

21 years after the disappearance of Johanna Young in Watton and her parents are appealing for information to bring them closure.

14 year-old Johanna disappeared from her family home in Watton and was discovered dead three days later.

21 years after her death her parents continue to be deeply affected and are appealing for any new information which may finally give them some answers.

Heart's Annie Green went to speak to Carol and Robert Young:

Johanna Young - Robert and Carol Young

Johanna Young - Carol Young

Johanna's Last Sighting

The last known sightings of Johanna alive were on the evening of Wednesday 23rd December 1992 between 7:30pm and 8:45pm when she headed towards Watton town centre on a cold and very foggy night.

Johanna's parents didn't notice that she hadn't returned home until her alarm went off at 6am the following morning and she did not respond to it.  They'd assumed she had stayed at her boyfriend's for the night because of the fog and it wasn’t until Johanna failed to turn up for her paper round at 7am that the matter was reported to the police.

On Saturday 26th December 1992 in the afternoon, a member of public was walking his dogs on Griston Road, Watton when he found Johanna's training shoes in the undergrowth. He reported this to Watton police station.

A search of the area took place and later that evening, Johanna’s body was discovered around 120 metres from where her trainers had been found.  She was face down in the water with some of her clothing removed.

Her body was covered in scratches and a post-mortem examination revealed her death was caused by drowning and a fractured skull.

21 Years On

Despite a major investigation taking place in 1993 with a number of arrests of local men, no one has ever been charged in connection with Johanna’s death.

Detective Inspector Marie James, from the Constabulary’s Major Investigation Team, who leads the enquiry into this unsolved case, appealed for further information saying:

"Twenty one years have gone by since Johanna’s death and we hope that people, who may not have not been prepared to come forward on the original investigation, may now feel strong enough to do so. 

"Johanna’s parents still grieve for her loss and often wonder who was responsible for her murder, thinking it was someone who knew her. They have asked me to specifically appeal to the people who live in the Watton area, asking them to search their consciences and offer them some form of closure."