BILLIE-JO Jenkins was brutally bludgeoned to death outside the home of her foster family in 1997.
Now 25 years on, her case is one of the UK's most high-profile unsolved murders – and is the subject of a new documentary by Channel 5.
Billie-Jo had moved from East London to Hastings, East Sussex, aged nine, where she was placed in foster care with Siôn and Lois Jenkins.
The "fun-loving" teenager – who lived alongside the Jenkins' four biological daughters – spent five years as part of the family.
But on February 15, 1997, Billie-Jo was found in the back garden of the family home, having been bludgeoned to death with a tent rod.
She had been painting the patio doors at the back of the house when she was struck at least five times on the head in a shocking attack.
The rest of the family had been away from the property at a DIY store, with dad Siôn later returning to find her in a pool of blood.
Police turned their attentions to her foster father, and arrested and later charged him with murder a month later on March 14, 1997.
Jenkins was formally acquitted in 2006 following two inconclusive retrials – but later had a compensation claim rejected because his innocence could not be proved.
Sussex Police are now conducting a forensic review of the cold case for the first time in 15 years – and officers reckon DNA and blood tests could finally solve it.
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The initial probe hinged on 148 "invisible" blood spots found on the clothing of ex-deputy head Jenkins.
Prosecutors claimed these were consistent with "impact spatter", but Jenkins’ defence team argued they came from a fine spray on Billie-Jo’s breath after he discovered her dying.
The spots – and whether they contained bone fragments vital to prove the prosecutions case – will form part of the review.
Following Jenkins' acquittal, his ex-wife Lois alleged he had been violent to her and their four daughters.
Jenkins, who remarried, has repeatedly demanded police reinvestigate the murder and accused them of lacking the courage to face mistakes.
He has also repeatedly claimed he fears his foster daughter was killed by a "prowler".
His Justice for Sion Jenkins website says: "Billie-Jo’s story can’t have a happy ending but it should have a truthful one."
Scientists are also conducting DNA tests from tapings in the hope of matching it with potential suspects outside the family.
The Sussex Police said: “We are carrying out a forensic review of material to establish whether scientific advances can provide new lines of inquiry.”
Channel 5's new documentary will look into the original case, the investigation in court and the huge wave of media attention.
Expert witnesses on both sides will speak for the first time, and hear from Billie-Jo's school friends haunted by her death.
Who Killed Billie-Jo? airs tonight (10 February) at 9pm on Channel 5
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