Suzy Lamplugh's family hope Birmingham killer may have left a clue to her fate

The brother of Suzy Lamplugh has told of his last hope that the clue to her fate may lie in a book written in jail by the convicted killer who was the prime suspect in her disappearance. The estate agent's relatives have been waiting to scatter her ashes at a place dear to them since she was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, seven years after her disappearance on July 28, 1986.

John Cannan, from Sutton Coldfield, always denied involvement in snatching and killing Lamplugh, who vanished after going on a house viewing with a Mr Kipper in Fulham, west London. He died in jail earlier this month aged 70 as he served a life sentence imposed for the murder of a second woman in 1987.

Lamplugh's brother Richard said it seemed there was now little hope of he and his sisters Lizzie and Tamsin finding out the truth. But he said there was a chance Cannan may have left some clues in books he wrote from his cell.

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The father-of-two said: "I gather he was writing books in prison, so maybe someone could read them and have a look at it. But it won't be me. There's a lingering hope that maybe he left a hidden message or a note that would give a clue about what happened to Suze.", reports the Mirror.

Lamplugh's car was later found abandoned near the property she was due to show on Shorrolds Road with the keys still in the ignition, but there was no sign of the-then 25-year-old. Suzy's family, including her devastated parents Diana, a fitness club manager, and Paul, a solicitor, who have since died, instinctively knew within days of her disappearance she was no longer alive.

Richard, who was in his late 20s at the time, said: "The thing that makes me sad, I felt I was quite close to Suze, and the one thing I do miss is that it would have been lovely to know what her family was like. She'd be a lovely mum. She was quite a mother duck, gentle. She had that warm nature."

Now 64, Richard, a school technician living in Aberdeen with his wife Christine, admitted he and his sisters had reluctantly accepted the likelihood they would not be able to scatter their sister's ashes. But the Suzy Lamplugh Trust was Diana's "something good", a charity founded in her name to raise awareness of personal safety.

Both Diana and Paul were made OBE in 1992 for their work with the Trust, which continues to be a powerful campaigning force today. According to reports, clairvoyants from around the globe reached out to the family in 1986 claiming they could reveal Lamplugh's location.

It wasn't until October 1987 that Cannan, a former public schoolboy, was arrested in connection with the murder of factory manager and newlywed Shirley Banks - like Lamplugh an attractive 20-something blonde - for which he was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

He was linked to Suzy's murder but never charged.