Police have revealed three suspects in the unsolved 1993 murder of Ipswich's Karen Hales have died as police continue to appeal for information in the case.

Karen Hales' body was discovered at her home address in Lavenham Road at 4.40pm on Sunday, November 21, 1993. 

The 21-year-old was found with multiple stab wounds in the kitchen by her parents who arrived at the address after seeing Ms Hales' fiancé Peter at work. They had visited Ms Hales' partner over an issue they had with their car.

Ms Hales' body had also been set alight and her 18-month-old daughter Emily was next to her but unharmed. 

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Hales' cause of death was attributed to shock and haemorrhage, secondary to multiple stab wounds. 

A timeline of the events stated Ms Hale was killed at some time between her partner leaving for work at 3.50pm and her parents arriving at her home at 4.40pm.

READ MORE: Daughter of murdered Ipswich woman Karen Hales thinks about her every day as 23-year-old cold case remains unsolved

The murder shocked the townThe murder shocked the town (Image: Newsquest) Police launched a murder inquiry with a dedicated team of 50 officers who interviewed witnesses, examined the home and surrounding area and questioned more than 400 motorists in the hope they might have seen something. 

Andy Guy, manager of the major crime review and unsolved case team at Suffolk police, appeared on the BBC's Crimewatch Live on Wednesday morning to reveal the three declared suspects in the unsolved murder have all now died.

The unsolved case team hopes disclosing the information will help people who may have been previously afraid to speak to come forward and share information without the fear of repercussions. 

Mr Guy said: "Despite the passage of time, the effects of this senseless murder are still very much felt by Karen's family - in particular her parents who had to endure the unimaginable trauma of discovering the crime scene, and also her daughter who never had the opportunity to know her mother. 

Karen Hales' family have appealed for information about their daughter's murder many times over the years. (Image: Newsquest)Karen Hales' family have appealed for information about their daughter's murder many times over the years. (Image: Newsquest) (Image: Newsquest)

“Although we keep an open mind as to who was responsible, there were three suspects for Karen’s murder, but unfortunately there was insufficient evidence over the years to proceed.

“What we know about these individuals is that they were violent, involved in drugs and domestic burglaries and if anybody knew or suspected they had any involvement in Karen’s murder, they may have been reticent to come forward.

Police investigating the murder in 1993Police investigating the murder in 1993 (Image: Newsquest)

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“My hope in revealing that these people have now died is that those barriers will be removed. Although we cannot name these individuals, it is my belief that there will be people who know or suspect who was involved and they will be fully aware of who I am referring to."

It was also confirmed that the police are not ruling out that someone else beyond the three suspects could have been responsible for the murder. 

Anyone who believes they have information which could assist with the investigation should contact the joint Norfolk and Suffolk unsolved case team by calling 01953 423 918 or by emailing unsolvedcasereviews@norfolk.pnn.police.uk.