Marion Hodge reinvestigation: one week on
Detectives reinvestigating the murder of Marion Hodge have set up an online portal to encourage members of the public to submit information.
Today (Monday 7 March) marks one week on from the announcement that officers from the Unresolved Homicide Investigation Team would be reinvestigating the disappearance of Marion from Lockerbie in July 1984.
The Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) is a website that gives the public access to a form so they can send information directly to the dedicated team. It supplements the standard reporting methods which include phoning Crimestoppers anonymously or Police Scotland directly.
The senior investigating officer will also be appearing on BBC One's Crimewatch Live tomorrow (Tuesday 8 March) to share the appeal.
Marion is understood to have been dropped off in the Whitesands area of Dumfries around 7.30am on Friday, 6 July, 1984. She was reported to be carrying a blue canvas suitcase and brown handbag, wearing a cream high collared blouse, grey skirt and black sandals. Three days later she was reported missing to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary.
The mother-of-two lived in Balgray, Lockerbie, and worked in the town’s Clydesdale Bank. She was described as 5ft 4in tall, slim build with dark brown collar length hair. She was 34-years-old at the time of her disappearance.
Following her disappearance with no further sightings or contact, Marion was declared legally dead by the Court of Session, Edinburgh, in 1992. Her body has never been found.
Police Scotland’s Homicide Governance and Review Team keep unresolved inquiries under review, including those from legacy Scottish police forces, and meet with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. If appropriate, the case is passed to the Unresolved Homicide Investigation Team.
Detective Inspector Stephen McGrath, senior investigating officer, said: “The response to our appeal so far has been positive but we are continuing to ask the public to contact us if they have any information that might help.
“Marion’s family and friends deserve closure.
“We’re appealing to anyone who remembers anything unusual leading up to Marion’s disappearance, any sightings in the Whitesands area or any other relevant information that might help our inquiry.”
The online form can be found here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/96HO020308D09-PO1
Anyone with information can also contact the dedicated inquiry team on 0141 305 4551 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
