Exeter: 25th anniversary of schoolgirl Kate Bushell’s murder – £20,000 reward for information

An appeal to find the killer of Exwick schoolgirl Kate Bushell, who was murdered 25 years ago has been renewed and a reward of up to £20,000 has been offered by Crimestoppers for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Kate was killed on Saturday 15 November 1997 as she left her home in Burrator Drive at around 4.30pm to walk her neighbour’s Jack Russell, Gemma. 

Her body was found in a field off Exwick Lane in Exwick, Exeter at around 7.30pm. She had died from a savage knife wound to her throat, caused by a blade at least six inches long, following enquiries and searches of the area by police and her family. 

She was last seen alive at 4.50pm by a layby near the Whitestone Cross end of Exwick Lane. Witnesses remember seeing her and Gemma but also spotting a small blue car parked in the nearby stables layby with a man stood by it. 

He was described as white, aged between 30 and 40, of average build and height, clean shaven with dark collar length hair.

Several witnesses reported seeing a ‘running man’ in the Farm Hill/Cornflower Hill area of Exwick that evening. This man has never been traced.

On the 25th anniversary of Kate’s death, detectives remain convinced that someone holds the final clue to bring Kate’s killer to justice and are urging them to finally break their silence.

***Crimestoppers – which is independent of the police - is supporting the renewed investigation by offering a reward of up to £20,000 for anonymous information the charity exclusively receives – either online or by calling freephone 0800 555 111 – that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the murder of Kate Bushell***

Speaking on behalf of the Bushell family, Kate’s older brother Tim said there wasn’t a day that his family didn’t remember Kate and “implored” anyone who hadn’t yet come forward to help “apprehend her killer and achieve justice for Kate.”

“It has now been 25 years since this truly terrible murder but we have never forgotten Kate. We are as committed as ever to bringing the person responsible to justice.

“We appreciate that 25 years is a long time but someone must know what happened that day. For whatever reason they have not come forward but it is not too late to do so now. My hope in making this renewed appeal is to ask once again for that vital piece of evidence we need to trace the killer and bring much-needed closure for Kate’s family.

“The sightings of the two men are just as important now as they were in 1997. Who are they and why have they never come forward? If you know who they are or if it was you and you were there for a genuine reason, then please get in contact.

“The man next to the blue vehicle is highly likely to have seen Kate in the lane but has never contacted us despite repeated appeals.”

Orange fibres

A critical piece of evidence was the presence of orange clothing fibres, more than 100 of which were found on Kate’s body and one on a nearby country stile.

Detectives have carried out substantial work on the fibres which are from a bright orange azoic-dyed cotton material predominately used in non-florescent workwear such as boiler suits, aprons and gloves.

“Does anyone remember someone with orange non-florescent clothing who was acting strangely around the time of the murder? If someone does have suspicions then please give us a name.”

Local connection

Detectives remain convinced that the offender has local connections due to the isolated location of the murder which was then mainly used as a cut through to Nadderwater and Whitestone, and frequented by local dog walkers.

“The murder location has huge significance because it is not common to anyone from outside of the area. We believe that the killer may have lived locally or had links to friends and family members there. 

“Kate’s body was found in a field which leads to Kinnerton Way and she would have gone down a country path and across two stiles to get there. 

“I remain convinced that either somebody knows or suspects who is responsible for Kate’s death. Maybe someone had suspicions about someone in their life back then and has been protecting them out of misplaced loyalty. It is now time for those allegiances to change.

“We must never forget that this was the murder of a child in the most horrific circumstances. Kate was a popular and very bright girl with aspirations to go to Oxford University. She loved playing basketball and was heavily involved with the church. She was also extremely musical; she played the saxophone, the clarinet and the piano.”

Please note: Computer IP addresses are never traced, and no-one will ever know you contacted Crimestoppers. For telephone calls, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and calls have never been traced. We are completely independent of the police and guarantee your personal identity will always be protected. 

***The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police – a reward code must be asked for when calling our charity on 0800 555 111. If you contact Crimestoppers via the simple and secure anonymous online form, the 'keeping in contact’ communication facility must be used and a reward code must be requested. You must log back in 24 hours later to get the code. You will be asked to check with our charity two months later with the reward code to see if there has been a positive result. More details about the rewards process can be found here.***