York family's plea to find out what happened to Lizzie Gilmour

Lizzie Gilmour, of St Stephen’s Road, Acomb, was found on a dark and isolated stretch of the on York’s outer ring road, the A1237, near the Askham Lane junction, after being hit by a car on January 15, 2000.

Her mother, Rose Ozturkce, formerly Gilmour, claims there are people in York who can still explain why and how she was in the area at the time but have never come forward.

She says Lizzie was believed by police to have been driven to the ring road.

Lizzie Gilmour

She urged people to find it in their consciences to come forward now, and end her torment as her family have always believed that someone in the city knows more about what happened to Lizzie.

Rose, 69, said: "As each year passes finding justice for Lizzie is becoming harder and harder, but we will never give up on trying to find out what happened to Lizzie.

"It's very hard living in the area where Lizzie was killed and knowing there are people who know what happened to her.

"If someone would just have the heart and the empathy to come forward and speak to the police and tell them what they know."

Schoolgirl Lizzie, who was 15, left home at about 6.30pm and was later seen at Acomb Green where she was seen to be very distressed and crying in the back of a car.

The Lowfield School pupil was hit by an Audi car as she lay in the road at 8.20pm.

Police said at the time that the car driver was not at fault.

Evidence showed that the driver was not speeding and could not have avoided the collision.

Rose said Lizzie's dad, David Gilmour died in February last year which has made life even harder for the family.

"It's getting me through his death knowing that Lizzie has her daddy with her now.

"I live in grief every day. It's like it was only yesterday that Lizzie died to us and it's 24 years. Nobody can understand that unless they have lost a child."

At an inquest into Lizzie's death, an open verdict was recorded.

At the time around 40 people were questioned, but the police were unable to discover how she came to be on the road.

At the inquest the then York coroner Donald Coverdale said he could not believe the “sensible and level-headed”youngster intended to take her own life, or had lain in the road to make “a grand gesture” after falling out with her boyfriend.

He said there were questions about her “perplexing” death that might never be answered.

North Yorkshire Police has said previously that if any further information came to light, it would investigate fully.

l Anyone with information should phone101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.