On the 2nd of February, 1991, Janine Downes (22), was last seen in Wolverhampton's red light district. Earlier that day she had told friends she planned to leave for London that night, but first needed to earn money for her fare.
At 9.30am on Saturday, February 2nd, Janine's body was found concealed by a small hedge near Lambert's Restaurant on the A464 Shifnal to Wolverhampton road. Janine had been strangled, sexually assaulted, and had extensive head injuries. The bottom half of her clothing and her trainers were missing. Following the killing, a West Mercia Police pathologist estimated that her body had been left there between midnight and 4am.
Janine Downes was a mother of three young children, and she was liked by her friends. Sadly, just months before Janine's murder, her friend and fellow sex worker, Gail Whitehouse had been murdered and her body had been found in bushes. A convicted rapist would be charged with Gail's murder, but was later acquitted. There has been some speculation that the two women's murders may be linked.
Theories
The most likely theory is that Janine was murdered by her client. However, who the client could be is as yet unknown. There are however, some theories:
1) That the client was the same person who murdered her friend Gail Whitehouse.
2) That Janine (and or Gail Whithouse) was a victim of convicted killer Christopher Halliwell.