Suzy Lamplugh (Image: ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES)
Police have investigated or reviewed Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright’s potential involvement in several other high-profile unsolved murders and disappearances and believe it is “almost certain” that he has killed more victims due to the significant gaps between his known crimes.
Suzy Lamplugh (1986): Wright and estate agent Suzy had previously been colleagues on the luxury cruise liner QE2 in the early 1980s. Wright’s first wife, Diane Cole, recalled seeing him flirting with Lamplugh during their time at sea.
On the day she vanished in 1986, Lamplugh wrote in her diary that she was meeting a “Mr Kipper”. Diane later told detectives how Wright frequently used the term “kipper” as slang for “face”.
In 2008 following Wright’s conviction for the murders of five women in Ipswich, the Metropolitan Police investigated his possible involvement. However, they found that Wright’s QE2 records placed him on the ship on the day she disappeared, leading them to describe the link as “speculative”.
However Suzy’ brother Richard, has continued to call for police to re-interview Wright, claiming that any new information could provide the family with closure over the long-running mystery.
John Cannan, a convicted murderer and rapist, remains the prime suspect in the case. Cannan died in prison in November 2024 without ever admitting involvement.
Jeanette Kempton 1989 murder: (Image: Crimewatch)
Jeanette Kempton (1989): Jeanette, a 31-year-old mother of two from Brixton, South London, vanished on February 2, 1989, after leaving a pub. Her body was discovered 16 days later on February 18, 1989, in a ditch near Wangford in north Suffolk.
At the time of her disappearance, Wright lived in Chislehurst, South London – roughly 10 miles from Brixton – and had familiarity with the Suffolk area.
In 2019, former Norfolk police intelligence officer and cold case expert Chris Clark expressed his belief that serial killer Wright was responsible for the unsolved murder of Jeanette.
Wright’s ex-wife, Diane Cole, has also expressed her belief that he was responsible for killing Jeanette.
Michelle Bettles (Image: PA)
Michelle Bettles (2002): Michelle, a 22-year-old sex worker, was last seen on 28 March 2002 in Norwich. Her body was found three days later in woodland near Dereham, roughly 20 miles from where she was last seen.
At the time of the murder, Wright was living in Norwich and had previously been the landlord of the Ferry Boat Inn, a pub located in the city’s red-light district, where both Bettles and another missing woman, Kellie Pratt, reportedly worked.
Criminologist Prof David Wilson has argued that the murder of Bettles bears “striking similarities” to the 2006 Ipswich killings. He featured the case in the 2012 documentary series Killers Behind Bars: The Untold Story, suggesting Wright was the likely killer.
Norfolk Police currently say there is currently no evidence to formally connect Wright to Michelle Bettles’ murder, though they continue to review the case. In 2022, police announced they had found new DNA profiles on items related to the case, leading to a fresh appeal for information.
KELLIE PRATT. (Image: -)
Kellie Pratt (200): Sex worker Kellie, 28, vanished on 11 June 2000. She was last seen outside The Rose pub on Queens Road in Norwich at approximately 11:30 pm. She made a mobile phone call 10 minutes after her last sighting, stating she was with a “punter” (client). Despite 270 witness statements and extensive searches, neither Kellie nor her phone has ever been found. Her case remains an unsolved homicide. Speculation over Wright’s involvement have intensified after the killer pleaded guilty to the 1999 murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall. This confession marks the first time he has admitted to a murder from that period. This week Kellie’s son Kurtis urged Wright to provide “the peace the families deserve” and admit to the murder of his mum.
Vicky Glass (Image: -)
Vicky Glass (2000): Vicky was last seen alive on 24 September 2000, three days after her 21st birthday, being dropped off by a taxi on Union Street at the junction with Eshwood Square, Middlesbrough, at approximately 4.20am. Her body was found six weeks later, in November 2000, in a stream near the village of Danby on the North Yorkshire Moors.
At the time of her death, she had been pressured into sex work to fund a heroin addiction. Police have previously refused to rule out Wright’s potential involvement claiming he had known links to the area. However they have been unable to build a case and the murder remains a mystery.
In September 2025, her family and Cleveland Police issued a renewed plea for information, using the milestone to encourage anyone with a “guilty conscience” or changed loyalties to come forward.
Detectives are still attempting to identify a white male lorry driver who was seen talking to Vicky on CCTV hours before she vanished. Four people have been arrested in connection with the case over the years, all were released without charge.
Amanda Duncan missing feared murdered (Image: Suffolk Police)
Mandy Duncan (1993): Wright has been increasingly linked by criminologists and investigators to the 1993 disappearance of Amanda Duncan – also known as Mandy Duncan.
The 26-year-old mother of two vanished on 2 July 1993 after working as a sex worker in the red-light district of Ipswich. She was last seen talking to a man in a dark-coloured Ford Sierra. Her body has never been found.
Criminologists believe Wright, who was 48 at the time of his 2006 killing spree, would likely have begun his series of murders much earlier, often targeting vulnerable young women in red-light districts where he lived and worked.
Mandy went missing in Ipswich, the same city where Wright committed his five known murders in 2006. Her disappearance matches Wright’s established Modus Operandi (MO) of targeting sex workers in that specific region.