The son of a woman missing since 2000 says he needs “answers” – and the answers lie with the Suffolk Strangler, he believes
Missing woman Kellie Pratt (L) has been linked to the Suffolk Strangler (R)(Image: Supplied)
The son of a woman who vanished without a trace over two decades ago has spoken of his lifelong heartache as new questions emerge over whether his mother was a victim of the notorious Suffolk Strangler, also known as convicted Ipswich serial killer Steve Wright.
Kurtis Pratt was just four years old when his mother, Kellie Pratt, disappeared from Norwich in June 2000. Now, following Wright’s recent shock guilty plea for the 1999 murder of Felixstowe teenager Victoria Hall, Kurtis is among those demanding to know if the serial killer’s shadow looms over even more unsolved cold cases across East Anglia.
Kellie, who was 28 and struggling with drug addiction, was working as a sex worker in Norwich to fund her habit when she met a customer and was never seen again. Her body has never been found, leaving Kurtis with nothing but press clippings to remember her by.
“A piece of my heart has been missing,” Kurtis told Sky News. “Being able to have the answers would let me start the process of mending that broken heart.”
The link to Wright, who was jailed for the 2006 murders of five women in Ipswich, has gained traction due to a “seven-year gap” in his known offending. Criminal psychologists have pointed out that Wright, who ran a pub in Norwich’s red-light district in the 80s, was 41 when he killed Victoria Hall—an unusually late start for a serial killer.
While Detective Superintendent Phill Gray of the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigations Team says Wright is not currently an official suspect in Kellie’s case, he insists they are keeping an “open mind.”
The update comes days after Wright pleaded guilty to killing teenager Victoria Hall, his sixth murder victim.
Wright, now 67, had been due to go on trial at the Old Bailey for the murder of 17-year-old Victoria, who disappeared more than 25 years ago.
Wright, formerly of London Road, Ipswich, dramatically changed his plea on Monday and finally admitted Victoria’s kidnap “by force or fraud” and murder on September 19 1999. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty, then aged 22, in Felixstowe the day before.
It is the first time Wright has admitted any killings, despite pleas from his family to come clean.
As for Kurtis, his hope for the truth now rests on the chance of a confession from a man already resigned to die behind bars who has refused to admit to any of his horror slayings – until now.