Police to stage reconstruction in Jodi murder appeal

Police investigating the murder of 14-year-old Jodi Jones are to stage a reconstruction of the Scottish teenager’s last known movements.

Jodi's partially clothed body was found by family members in a wooded area near to a path running between the rear of Newbattle High School and Newbattle Road, in Dalkeith, southern Scotland, just before midnight on Monday, 1 June.

The post mortem revealed that she had been viciously attacked with a "knife or similar weapon" and that her assailant had cut her throat.

Detectives who are trying to establish a motive for the murder are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. Lothian and Borders Police have released recent photos of the teenager in the hope that someone may come forward with information.

Last week, Detective Inspector Tom Martin, one of the senior officers on the investigation, said: "These photos are more recent ones taken from home movies given to us by Jodi's family and I think they show a picture of what kind of girl Jodie was - a typical teenager, a carefree and happy girl.

"These happy photos show that Jodi loved life, was full of energy and had everything to live for but this was cruelly and viciously taken away from her by her attacker.

"She died in a most brutal attack which has left everyone shocked. We hope these pictures will jog someone's memory about Jodi and help people identify fully with the scale of the tragedy which has devastated her family and left an entire community in a state of shock."

He added: "We are desperately keen for any witnesses who may have seen Jodie around 5pm as she left her home in the Parkhead area. The walk to the beginning of the path at the Easthouses end from her home is about 500 yards so it would not have taken her long to get there but we still have no confirmed sightings of her.

"Anyone who thinks they may have seen Jodie in that brief time is asked to contact us as a matter of urgency."

(SP)