The body of a woman who disappeared more than 40 years ago could be exhumed in hopes of linking her death to Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin.
Jessie Earl was 22 in 1980 when she disappeared near Beachy Head, East Sussex.
The art student’s wrists were bound with her own bra and her naked body remained hidden for nine years.
A post mortem examination found the cause of death to be unascertainable and an inquest held four months later recorded an open verdict.
Sussex Police did not investigate her disappearance as a potential murder until a cold case review in 2000.
Tobin, 75, is one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers.
He was living nearby in Brighton when Jessie Earl disappeared.
She described meeting a middle-aged Scottish man on the Downs at Beachy Head to her mother.
The High Court ordered a new inquest after the original 1989 Sussex Police investigation was ruled insufficient.
A pre-inquest hearing was told DNA has already been taken from her parents and police forensic experts are searching databases for a match to any crime scene.
Sussex Police have also been asked to do a thorough search of their archives and provide an audit trail of evidence collected before the first inquest.
The bra used to bind Jessie Earl’s hands was destroyed following the first inquest in 1989, the force said.
The Earl family legal team are hoping their DNA can be matched to a trophy taken from another victim of the same killer.
Chris Williams, representing the family, said: “Some serial killers retain trophies and this is to see if any of her DNA shows up on any other trophies.
“It would be useful if it could identify the identity of a potential killer in this case.”
The family asked for a complete audit trail of all the exhibits recovered in 1989.
“Sussex Police said they were all disposed of.
“With that in mind, we ask for an audit trail to see, in particular, if we can recover Jessie’s bra.
“If the killer used that bra, it is likely to yield DNA from the killer.
“DNA on the bra other than that of Jessie and would lead to suspicion a person was responsible for her death.
“Police databases could identify the person who touched that bra.”
Joanne Kane, for Sussex Police, said: “A new family DNA profile has been taken already.
“It has been loaded onto the missing person database and forensic scientist are comparing samples to any crime scene data.”
The family are willing to have her body exhumed so a sample can be taken from her bone marrow if the DNA search finds any possible matches.
Jessie’s parents Valerie and John, now both in their 90s, won the right to a second inquest in December 2021 after describing the original police investigation was as woefully inadequate.
They appeared by video from their home in southeast London at the start of a new inquest process in Eastbourne.
Mr Healy-Pratt said he agreed the young woman could have been unlawfully killed.
“The main evidential topic brought forward by the family is unlawful killing.
“This is something which has considerable force behind it and something I am agreeable to in terms of scope.”
Tobin is serving a whole life sentence in Edinburgh for the murders of three other women.
Speaking after the hearing, Jessie’s brother James Earl, 66, said the family are aware of the link to Tobin.
“The evidence might find that way although there are other possibilities.
“The police seem quite sure that it’s not him.
“I’m maintaining an open mind.
“In some ways, I hope it’s not him because the way he dispatched his victims was pretty unpleasant.
“I wouldn’t want my parents to have to go through that.”
Mr Earl said the family want the original inquest verdict overturned.
“The open verdict is unfair on my sister.
“It’s unfair on my sister it wasn’t recorded as an unlawful killing.
“That’s clearly what it was and I think they are going to come to the right conclusion now even though it’s 33 year later.
“That’s all my parents are really looking for. If there is an exhumation, there is a good side to that in that we will know exactly what happened but there is a bad side in that in might cause more suffering for my parents.
“The thing they feel most sorely is it was recorded in a way which cast doubt on Jessie’s character,” he said.
Assistant coroner James Healy-Pratt told the family they had waited long enough for the second inquiry into Jessie’s death.
“I recognise the extraordinarily long legal and emotional journey your family has had to endure.
“I intend to complete this inquest within 60 days.
“They have waited over 30 year to quash the original inquest.
“That is why I am trying to expedite matters,” he said.
The full inquest is expected to take place in May.
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