"Someone knows who this man is" - £20,000 reward for information 30 years after murder of Janet Murgatroyd
It was a crime that sent shock waves through Preston, and the family are still looking for answers.
The mum of a Penwortham student brutally murdered after a night out has made an emotional plea - 30 years after her daughter’s death.
Janet Murgatroyd was just 20 years old when her life was cruelly taken - her body found in the River Ribble just a mile and a half away from her home, on June 16, 1996.
Despite a huge investigation by Lancashire Police, and an overturned conviction, nobody has ever been brought to justice for her murder, which is one of the force’s most high-profile unsolved cases.
New appeal
Now, three decades later, a renewed appeal for information has been made, and a £20,000 reward has been put up by Crimestoppers.
Her mum Mary said: “Janet Murgatroyd, my only child, was brutally murdered 30 years ago. The perpetrator is still at large; someone knows who this man is.”
She added: “I need closure, this continues to affect me and my siblings. The killer needs putting away.”
What happened?
On Saturday, June 15, 1996, Janet had spent the day with her best friend Fiona Watson shopping in Preston and visiting pubs in the city centre. The day was also memorable for two significant events - the IRA bombing of Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre in Manchester, and for the Euro 96 football match between England and Scotland, where Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne scored an iconic goal.
Janet and Fiona visited The Adelphi pub late on the Saturday evening, Janet leaving the pub with a young man she had been talking to and walking into the city centre.
They parted company near to Tokyo Jo’s nightclub, and Janet was later seen walking alone on Fishergate and Fishergate Hill in the direction of Penwortham.
In the early hours of Sunday, June 16, several people saw Janet on Penwortham Bridge which crosses the River Ribble between Preston and Penwortham.
Two brothers walking home from a night out reported hearing a female wail and seeing a man crouched down by the riverbank near to the Holme Road car park.
Later that day, Janet’s body was found in the River Ribble.
Detective Chief Inspector Bryony Midgley of the Major Crime Review Team, said: “Janet was a young woman who loved life and was loved by so many people. She had so much going for her and that was taken away when she was attacked and killed as she walked home.
“Janet should have been able to get home safely that night, she was entitled to feel safe as she made her way home from Preston to Penwortham. Someone saw her on that journey home and for whatever reason attacked Janet and murdered her. It is horrifying to think of what she experienced.”
She added: “It is 30 years since Janet was killed but we remain determined to get justice for Janet and her family. DNA technology and scientific approaches have significantly improved over the last 30 years, so I hope we will be able to take advantage of this as part of our investigation.
“We continue to appeal for information. It might be that you saw something that night or have information which you didn’t contact police about in 1996 or in the years since. It might be that relationships and loyalties have changed since then, and you are now able to speak to us. Something you saw at the time might not have seemed relevant and you didn’t report it, but it could help our investigation.“
“If you were in the area around Fishergate Hill and Penwortham Bridge late on June 15 and into the early hours of June 16, and you haven’t spoken to our officers, I ask you to please get in contact.“We have a dedicated team of detectives working on the investigation.”
How to get in touch with information
If you have information which you think could help investigators, contact Lancashire Police using our Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) here: Public Portal . Or you can call 101, quoting log 0260 of 15th June 2026.
Independent charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of who is responsible for Janet’s murder. They worked independently of police and can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A man who was convicted of Janet’s manslaughter in 2003, and later had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal, does not form part of the latest enquiries.