Patricia Hall: Police searching Fulneck site 34 years on from Leeds woman's disappearance

Police are digging the ground to search for evidence relating to the disappearance of a woman in Leeds more than three decades ago.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed that officers from its Major Investigation Review Team are examining a site at Fulneck, Pudsey, this afternoon (Saturday) in connection with the disappearance of Patricia Hall in 1992.

Officers could be seen with what appeared to be evidence bags as a digger removed soil from the corner of a car park near to the entrance of the Fulneck Moravian Settlement.

The search for potential evidence follows recent information received by the team and is being carried out on a speculative basis, they said, adding that there is nothing to suggest any link to the Moravian Church, which owns the site.

Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Jones, West Yorkshire Police lead for Specialist Crime and Criminal Justice, said: “We are conscious of the understandable public focus that this activity is likely to attract in this high-profile case.

“Patricia’s family have been informed, and we will be keeping them updated.

“We obviously have a duty to act on any new information we receive but at this stage we are keeping an open mind.

“The Major Investigation Review Team carried out a thorough cold case review into Patricia’s disappearance which concluded last year without establishing any new lines of enquiry.

“We would welcome any new or additional information that could assist us in getting Patricia’s family the answers we know they still desperately need.”

Mother-of-two Patricia Hall disappeared on January 27, 1992, then aged 39. Despite extensive investigations, her body was never found and she remains classified as a missing person.

In April this year, an inquest into Patricia’s death was opened and adjourned.