"The attack was sickeningly severe. I will not rest until we have our man." The words were spoken by Detective Arnold Beales ten days after a mum of five was savagely beaten to death and raped.
The naked body of the victim lay for five hours before it was discovered by a Friday morning jogger on October 30th 1987. Thirty five years later, despite the detective's authentic words, the man who took the life of Elsa Hannaway has never been brought to justice.
Elsa, 37, was on a night out dancing to get and some respite from her kids when she was kicked unconscious and then dragged 100 yards into Whitworth Park in Rusholme. There she was raped and beaten so badly she suffered severe internal injuries, brain damage and lost a tooth.
It was a harrowing end to the bright new life she had sought when she had come to the UK from her home on the island of Saint Vincent in the West Indies aged 16. As well as her children she had a three-year-old grandson, who called her 'mummy' too.
Her grandson would later see a picture of Elsa on the news. 'There's mummy', he said, pointing at the Granada Reports broadcast. "That broke everyone's heart", Elsa's eldest daughter Jo-Ann, the child's mother, said of his words, in a 2016 interview with the Manchester Evening News.
Police tried to re-trace Elsa’s every step that night. She had been out drinking at the West Indian Sports and Social Club – where she was seen dancing on her own – before she went on to the Big Western pub.
Having left with a man, who told her inquest he thought she was worse for wear, she was then seen on Quinney Crescent, where witnesses said she was knocking on doors in the hope of getting into a party.
She went back to the Sports and Social, and left at 1.15am, having been refused a lift by a man who said he wasn't going her way. At 3.10am, a man with dreadlocks is seen running from the park.
Eye-witness Patricia O’Loughlin was stepping out of a taxi when she saw a row between black woman and a black man on a footpath in the park. “He grabbed her from behind and put his arms round her and pinned her arms to her side,” the witness would later tell the inquest.
She described moving away and looking back to see the woman on her hands and knees saying ‘oh my God’ with the man standing over her. Police are convinced the woman was Elsa and the man her killer.
The murderer left a clue to his identity at the scene. A Sekonda watch was found beside Elsa's body, along with her clothes. It is thought that it belonged to the killer, and came loose as Elsa struggled for her life.
Despite leaving six dependent children the response from the public to the police's house to house enquires for help in catching Elsa's killer was pathetic.
Elsa's death was one of a trio of murders to occur in south Manchester within a three month period. The two others were Geoffrey Gilbert, 43, stabbed to death in his Gorton flat, and Tony Gardner, 26, who was shot dead in Moss Side.
A year after Elsa died, Detective Chief Superintendent Grange Catlow took charge of all three. He was brutally honest. "In the 11 years I have been charge of murder inquiries, this is the worst response we have had from the public. Just three telephone calls could solve these cases, but there is a general lack of interest."
But 1980s Moss Side there was also calims that the investigation was hampered by racist policing, which was alleged in a council meeting which saw investigating officers accused of 'harassment, abuse and brutality' of families in Hulme and Moss Side.
Over thirty years on relations are much improved but Elsa's killer has still not been found. Mother-of-three Jo-Ann told the M.E.N.: “Obviously there is someone out there who would know who’s done it or who knows something. I think it’s really sad after so many years that it’s just been left.
"She’s been forgotten. I don’t think she should be forgotten. I don’t think anybody should die on their own like that. To me it was a pointless waste of a life.
"She was 37. She was still young and able-bodied. She missed out on numerous grandchildren. It’s sad. It would be nice if somebody turned around and said ‘I remember and I need to say something’. Then she can be rested.
“There’s no way no-one knows nothing. It’s impossible. But some communities stick together and don’t want to say anything.
“It would be a big weight off my shoulders and my brothers if something came out of this. It’s been nearly 30 years. The person who did this needs to come forward and give the family some closure. It’s been a long time.”
A member of Elsa's extended family told the MEN this week: "Thirty years ago, my brother-in-law's nana Elsa Hannaway was brutally attacked and murdered in Whitworth Park, Manchester. The killer is still walking free. The family would really appreciate your support."
The case will be featured on Crimewatch Live on BBC 1 on Monday (October 3rd) at 10am. The relation added: "We will see if this jogs anyone's memories which hopefully leads them to steps in finding her killer, so that she can finally rest in peace. Our family would like help to reach out in case anyone knows who did this horrible crime. Please spread the word! So, our family can get justice."
Anyone with information can call Greater Manchester's Cold Case Review Unit on 0161 856 5978 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
