A reconstruction of murdered Jo Yeates‘ final journey home was filmed for the BBC’s Crimewatch programme today.
A lookalike actress re-enacted the moment she walked into a Tesco store in Clifton, Bristol, to buy a pizza as she walked home on the night of December 17.
She had enjoyed after-work drinks with colleagues in The Ram pub on Park Street before setting off on the mile-long journey alone at 8pm.
The landscape architect stopped at a Waitrose store before continuing to a Bargain Booze outlet in Clifton Village to buy cider.
She then popped into the Tesco Express on Regent Street where she bought a Tesco Finest mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto pizza from a self-service checkout at 8.30pm.
Yesterday the Crimewatch crew filmed the Jo lookalike – an un-named actress who works for the BBC – in the store as she re-enacted Jo’s purchase.
The blonde actress, aged in her 20s, wore a cream sports jacket, grey trousers, black boots and a rucksack.
She was also carrying a black handbag and white carrier bag, just as Jo was on the night she vanished.
A crew of four cameramen filmed her choosing the pizza and scanning the item across the self-service checkout and paying in cash – replicating the final CCTV image released of Jo.
The crew then filmed her exiting the store to the right and heading up Clifton Down Road.
After leaving Tesco Jo walked the 250 yards back to her flat at 44 Canynge Road.
Police believe she arrived home safely as her keys, coat, purse and shoes were all found in the flat. However, no trace of the pizza or its packaging has ever been found.
Jo’s snow-covered body was found dumped three miles away in Longwood Lane near Failand on Christmas Day.
Yesterday’s reconstruction was the second of six scenes being filmed for the appeal.
Police say some scenes have already been completed and others will be shot later this week.
They are due to film outside Bargain Booze and the programme will be aired on BBC1 at 9pm on January 26.
The filming comes the day after Jo’s emotional parents, David and Teresa, made a direct appeal to anyone who may be shielding the killer to come forward.
In a joint statement, David, 63, and Teresa, 58, said: ”If you do know something and you do not come forward you are consciously hampering the apprehension of Jo’s killer(s) and the perpetrator(s) is still free.
”You will also be prolonging the torment of Jo’s family and friends.”
Yesterday detectives revealed that 111 people had contacted them as a result of Mr and Mrs Yeates’ appeal.
Commenting on the Crimewatch appeal, Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones said: ”We use Crimewatch as an opportunity to refresh the public’s memory in relation to Jo’s movements on the night she went missing from her home.
”The programme allows us to visually recreate the route home she took with the aim of jogging the memories of those people who may have seen her.
”The reconstruction may also jog the memories of those people who used Longwood Lane in Failand on Friday December 17 or over that weekend and have not come forward.
”This is a valuable opportunity for us to reach out to the nation in their homes.”
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Keep concentrating on her boyfriend. It has happened so many times before that shortly after the murder an emotional appeal is on tv with family and boyfriend and in the end it turns out to be a close relation or boyfriend
no way boyfriend,you can see he loved her so much,but who ever has done this when caught they should be hanged…never mind prison thats just a meal ticket and free lodge.think about rest of years espec..xmas when everyone happy look what jo family will be thinking,my heart goes out to all family and boyfriend,
The boyfriend’s alibi(s) must be subjected to much closer criitcal public scrutiny and verified by independent witnesses.
I Know what you mean about the boyfriend but did the police not rule him out because his mobile phone signal was where he said he was? Unless he was helped by someone else, a friend, and the phone was taken by that friend to the said area and the boyfriend was then free to kill poor Jo.
why not just lynch him and have done with it?
*irony alert*
I didnt know this couple but I met them a couple of times, I know you can never be sure but they seemed so in love and he seemed so sweet, I think the police were able to verify his alibi straight away, but I know what you mean everyone suspects the boyfriend from at the start. I think they have the right guy now.