Greater Manchester Police have dismissed suggestions made in a new book that a double killer may be linked to four unsolved murders in the region and the disappearance of a young mum from Manchester.
A new theory claims the victims included the so-called ‘Angel of the Meadow’ - an unknown woman whose body was found at a building site in Manchester city centre back in 2010.
The book, The New Millennium Serial Killer, published earlier this month, alleges that double murderer, Christopher Halliwell, 57, could be linked to a total of 27 more unsolved cases across the country.
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Former cab driver Halliwell is serving a whole life term for the murders of Becky Godden-Edwards, 20, in 2003 and Sian O’Callaghan, 22, in 2011 who were abducted after leaving nightclubs in Swindon.
The cabbie buried Becky’s body without her head and arms and her skull has never been recovered.
After Halliwell led police to Ms O’Callaghan’s body in 2011, police unearthed a secret stash where Halliwell kept 60 items of women’s clothing – of which just two of the items were identified as Ms Edwards’ cardigan and Ms O’Callaghan’s high-heeled boot.
The allegations that Halliwell is one of Britain’s most prolific killers are made by former police intelligence officer Chris Clark and crime writer Bethan Trueman, who worked together on the book The New Milennium Serial Killer.
But Martin Bottomley, head of Greater Manchester's Cold Case Unit said: "We have previously liaised with the Christopher Halliwell investigation team regarding a number of unsolved historic murders in Greater Manchester.
"There is no evidence linking him to any murders within our jurisdiction."
As well as the Angel of the Meadow, the book suggests that Halliwell could be involved in the murders of Linda Donaldson and Christina Requena, Helen Sage, and Julie Jones.
They are all mentioned in a chapter called 'The East Lancs Ripper'. The title refers to the name given by the press to the killer of Linda and Christina who were both found close to the East Lancashire Road which runs from Salford through Leigh into Merseyside.
The book says Halliwell had lived in the Liverpool area, so would have been familiar with the locations, claiming his hobbies of fishing and narrowboats may have led him to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for leisure and recreation.
The authors say they believe The Angel, who is included in this cluster is a victim of Halliwell.
Her remains were found in January 2010 by builders working on the Co-op’s new £100m headquarters off Miller Street, in Manchester city centre – an area historically known as Angel Meadow.
She had been covered by sections of carpet and a post-mortem revealed she had suffered a fractured jaw, neck, collarbone and nose shortly before her death.
Police made international inquiries in a bid to identify her – including speaking to families in Tanzania, Texas and Holland.
Forensic artists also produced a facial reconstruction in the hope that relatives would come forward.
Forensic tests showed the woman was Caucasian, born in the early 1950s and was between 5ft 1in and 5ft 7in.
It is believed she was killed between 1975 and 1988 – with detectives believing she was beaten to death and possibly sexually assaulted, as she was naked from the waist down.
In January 2015 the mystery woman was buried in Southern Cemetery in a state-paid service that was attended only by two detectives who have spent years working on the unsolved murder case.
Some of the carpet used to hide her was cut to fit a Ford Cortina with holes for a gear stick.
The book says some of the carpet was burned possibly in a bid to remove forensic evidence and that is 'indicative' of Halliwell and the forensic awareness he showed when he killed Sian O'Callaghan.
The naked and mutilated body of Linda Donaldson from Liverpool, was found behind a hedge in a farmer’s field at Winnick Lane, Lowton, near Leigh.
The grim find was made on Tuesday October 18th 1988.
The 31-year-old victim had been repeatedly stabbed.
“We are looking for a maniac - a sadistic killer who could strike again”, Det Chief Supt Ken Clarke told the MEN at the time. “The type of man who could do this to another human being defies description. The mutilation was probably done in a bid to conceal identity.”
Just over two years later, the detective’s fears of second murder had been realised - and it was feared the same person was responsible.
Two children, fishing at Pennington Flash, Leigh, spotted five plastic bin bags.
Inside them was the dismembered body of Maria Christina Requena, 26, also a sex worker, from Manchester.
The youngsters saw the bags floating in the 170-acre lake, less than two miles from where Linda’s body had been discovered.
Maria, a mother-of-one, had vanished on New Year’s Day 1991 and her remains were found less than a week later on January 6th.
In a poignant twist, both victims had appeared on TV in documentary programmes about prostitution shortly before they were murdered.
Both were bought, used, killed, and discarded, but GMP’s Cold Case Unit continue to pursue the killer, or killers.
Police believed both were murdered elsewhere before their bodies were hidden in car boots and then driven to the Leigh area where they were dumped.
The book says the crime also follows the pattern Halliwell followed - abducting his victims from one police force area and dumping them in another.
They add that in the case of Becky Godden-Edwards, her skull and arms were missing when the remains were excavated by police, and it appeared the same had been attempted on Linda.
His familiarity with the area and his fishing interest - Christina was found in a lake popular with anglers - they say add credibility to their theory.
Devoted mother Helen Sage vanished in August 1997 leaving behind a six-month-old daughter she adored.
The 22-year-old from Rusholme, Manchester, worked as a sex worker and was last seen in the city's Minshull Street red light area.
Helen is still classed as a missing person.
The book suggests that Halliwell was also responsible for Helen's disappearance.
Julie Jones, 32, was found dead under bushes in the old Smithfield Market in Manchester city centre on July 3, 1998.
She had been reported missing from home in Ancoats by her housemate six days earlier.
Police believe Julie, a sex worker, may have been murdered elsewhere before her body was hidden at the market in bushes.
She had been working the night before she went missing.
Detectives said she was found naked by a dog walker. Her body had been wrapped in a carpet. Julie had suffered horrific injuries, which police said were comparable with her having fallen from a high building or being hit by a car.
Julie worked in Whalley Range and the area around Minsull Street.
The old Smithfield Market is now at the heart of Manchester’s thriving Northern Quarter, but at the time of Julie’s death it was an empty, desolate part of the city.
Julie’s mum, Theresa Hulme, 77, who brought up Julie's sons, has never given up hope that her daughter’s killer will one day face justice.
Eight years ago, Theresa said she said she believed she knew who the killer was, but didn’t have the evidence to back up her theory.
The book suggests that Halliwell was also responsible for Julie's murder.
It points out that Halliwell used prostitutes, as a narrow boat enthusiast would have been familiar with the Rochdale Canal, which runs through Manchester city centre's red light area, and lived in Liverpool - an hour's drive from Manchester.
