Brutal Attack Leaves Mother Dead While Family is Away

It’s been 30 years since Janet Brown was found brutally murdered in her Buckinghamshire home, and her daughter is now making an emotional plea for help – hoping this might finally be the breakthrough police need.

On the night of April 10, 1995, Janet, a 51-year-old mum of three and a medical researcher, was home alone. Her husband, Dr Grahaem Brown, was working in Switzerland. Her children – Zara, Benedict, and Roxanne – were all out. At some point between 8:15 pm and 10:15 pm, someone broke in and attacked her most horrifically. The killer first tried to cut through the glass patio door but ended up forcing entry.

She was found the next morning by a builder due to start work at the property. Janet’s body was lying at the bottom of the stairs, naked, gagged, and handcuffed. But despite the brutality, detectives ruled out a sexual motive – and nothing had been taken from the house. Three decades on, and so much about the murder still doesn’t add up, according to the Express.

One thing they do have is DNA from the crime scene. Police are confident it belongs to the killer, but it hasn’t matched anyone on their system. Over 1,000 men have been investigated and ruled out, but no arrests have been made.

Now, Janet’s eldest daughter, Zara Harden, is begging the public to come forward. “Ultimately her killer, or killers, have so far gotten away with it,” she said. “We want to see them prosecuted and not to have somebody who is extremely dangerous still be out there on the loose, who could commit other crimes… We just want to stop it happening again.”

Zara’s words carry the weight of someone who has lived with the pain and confusion for far too long. “Somebody must know something because there would have been a lot of blood,” she added. “She was handcuffed and beaten badly, literally bludgeoned to death. It doesn’t matter if a person didn’t come forward at the time. It’s not too late.”

Peter Beirne, who’s heading up the cold case team at Thames Valley Police, is urging anyone who might know something – no matter how small – to come forward. “Do you have a friend or loved one who acts strangely when this case is mentioned in the news?” he asked. “We have a DNA profile that was left at the scene… Any information whatsoever could help.”

There’s even a £20,000 reward for info that leads to a conviction. Thirty years may have passed, but this family still desperately needs answers.

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