Melanie Anne Road was a lovely girl. She was joyful and outgoing; a typical seventeen year old girl. Her family and friends considered her to be a bright spot in their lives. Melanie was smart too. She was an A-Level student, and had many ideas of what her future may hold. On a June 8th, 1984 Melanie went to celebrate the start of the weekend with her boyfriend and friends. The teenagers headed out to the Beau Nash, a popular nightclub in Bath, Somerset. At 1:30 A.M. Melanie said she was too tired to continue on. She began to head home. The walk would be 20 minutes long, but the teenager was not troubled by the thought of traveling alone. Melanie said goodbye to her friends, and began her journey down Broad Street. This would be the last time Melanie Road was seen alive.
In the early morning hours of June 9th Melanie’s body was found. The unfortunate discovery was made by a milkman and his young son. The crime scene was gruesome. Large amounts of blood were spread throughout the area, and Melanie’s body had been abandoned in a pool of it. Evidence would show that she had first been stabbed during the walk home. At one point the teenager managed to escape, leaving behind her a trail of blood. Melanie ran 30 meters down the road with the assailant chasing after her. As they rounded a corner the man caught up with her, and continued the vicious attack. In total, Melanie had been stabbed 26 times with a sharp edged knife. Wounds found inches deep covered her chest and back. She had been sexually assaulted as well.
Melanie’s mother, Jean Road, still vividly remembers the day she learned of her youngest daughter’s horrific death. “I wandered aimlessly through the streets of Bath hoping to see a glimpse of Melanie,” Jean wrote. “Searching the places we had visited together. Where Melanie’s blood was spilled, I prayed that it would not rain to wash it away, and when it did I cursed the rain for finally taking it away. I felt even the weather was against Melanie and the family.”
As soon as detectives arrived on the scene, they meticulously began to collect evidence. They combed through every inch of Melanie’s clothing. They took swabs from both the clothing and body. Each of the 71 blood spots were also swabbed for later testing. No stone was left unturned. Despite all of the hard work, the case grew cold. Police created a flyer appealing for information related to Melanie’s death. While several leads came in, none would pan out. Years would pass by, but the police held on to their evidence. With technology always advancing, they clung to the hope that someday they will be able bring justice to Melanie.
In 2014 the story took a turn. This new chapter began with a 41 year old woman being arrested for domestic violence. As it was protocol, she was cautioned with criminal damage and her DNA taken. That DNA was then placed into the national database.
Another year passed before they got a hit. DNA that had been collected from Melanie’s clothing was run through a familial test. These results lead detectives to the woman, and they then began to look into her family members. Her father, Christopher Hampton, became a person of interest. In June of 2017 Hampton was questioned by police. He willing gave up a sample of his DNA .The man was calm and maybe even a little arrogant, as some would say.
Hampton’s DNA matched up with the semen samples had been found on Melanie’s trousers. His DNA was also found in blood spots at the crime scene. More than three decades had passed had passed, but Melanie’s killer was about to face justice. Hampton was arrested and charged with the murder. Although he originally denied any involvement in the teenager’s death, Christopher changed his plea to guilty. He was sentenced to serve out the rest of his life in prison.
32 years after Melanie’s untimely death, her family continues to grieve her loss. They hold on to the happier times; memories in which Melanie is alive and always smiling. Jean remembers the last time she saw her daughter. The two were enjoying a pleasant car ride together when she dropped Melanie off in front of the Francis Hotel in Bath. Melanie got out of the car, and before walking into the hotel she turned to her mother one final time. Smiling brightly, Melanie said, “Look, there’s a red carpet laid out for me. What a way to go.”
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