For 21 years, Carly Wall has lived with the possibility she may never know who killed her mum. She was just 26 when detectives knocked on her door and told her they believed they had found the body of Ann Marie Foy.
Nan-of-five Ann Marie, 46, was found dead on September 15, 2005, on land at the junction of Crown Street and West Derby Street in Liverpool city centre - the site now occupied by the new Royal Liverpool Hospital. Despite a murder investigation that spanned years and a breakthrough that led to a murder charge in 2012, no one has ever been held accountable for her death.
Final Appeal for Answers
Now, two decades on, Carly, 47, and a grandmother herself, says the recent discovery of another woman's body in Stanley Park brought the memories flooding back. It also pushed her to make one final appeal for answers.
Ann Marie had struggled with addiction and was involved in sex work. But to those who knew her, particularly younger women in similar circumstances, she was remembered for her warmth, compassion and protective nature.
Carly, from Dovecot, told the ECHO: "My mum was on heroin since I was five. She got on it in the 80s when heroin flooded the city. It was an epidemic, and there weren't many outreach services.
"Heroin is an evil drug. She got off it a couple of times but she couldn't stay off it. Me and my sister say we weren't proud of what she was but we weren't ashamed of her either. It was all we ever knew, and she was our mum and we loved her."
Remembering Her Mother
Carly said her mum had also experienced trauma during her own childhood. Yet despite the struggles she faced, Ann Marie was remembered as a loving woman with "the biggest heart".
"She'd give her last penny away even though she was a mess herself," Carly said. "She didn't deserve what happened to her. The headlines at the time were things like 'murdered prostitute grandmother'. It felt like a movie, she was just an unsolved murder, a name. But she was a person with a backstory, she was a mum, a nan. She was loved."
A post-mortem examination found 62 separate injuries, including 21 to Ann Marie's head. A pathologist theorised that she may have been throttled with a large broken tree branch found nearby, which bore traces of her blood.
Carly said: "What happened to her was horrific, it was overkill. Every bone in her face was broken. She wasn't in good health at the time and could barely walk. Whoever beat her like that, it makes you wonder whether it was personal."
The Day She Died
For Carly, her final memories of her mum have become forever intertwined with the day she died. She had last seen Ann Marie three days earlier. Carly's son was turning six on September 14, and Ann Marie had planned to visit him the following day.
"She phoned around teatime on the 14th. She spoke to [my son] and said, 'I've got your present, babe. I'll see you tomorrow about midday. I love you.' But she didn't come. I was trying to call her. With the kids, she was different. She made up for not being there for us with the love she gave to them. She wouldn't have let them down."
Then, at around 8pm, there was a knock at the door. Carly opened it to find two detectives, who told her they believed they had found Ann Marie's body.
"My sister had heard a body had been found on Crown Street on the news, but I didn't know until after. Maybe if I'd heard that, deep down I would have known it was mum. I was just in disbelief. I still replay that day over in my mind. It just creeps up on you. Sometimes I'll watch the clock and when it gets to 8pm, I'm right back there, getting a knock on the door."
Unanswered Questions
Ann Marie's murder remains unsolved. There was a major breakthrough in 2012 when local taxi driver David Butler was charged with her murder after a DNA link was identified. But he was acquitted by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court. His legal team argued that his chronic health conditions, including bronchitis and COPD, meant he was physically incapable of carrying out such a violent assault.
For Carly, the trial brought hope that her family's long wait for answers might finally be over. Instead, it ended with the same unanswered questions. In the years that followed, Carly says, the family almost convinced themselves they no longer wanted anyone to be caught, fearing that it would reopen wounds they had spent years trying to live with.
But the discovery of a woman's body in Stanley Park last month renewed Carly's need for answers. "When I heard about the woman who was found in the park, I couldn't help thinking of my mum. It's so sad, that no one missed her. Mum was loved, she would have been missed. I thought I was OK with not knowing, but I'm not. My mum deserves to have someone still fighting her corner.
"I just think we have to try for her now, just one more time. I know it's been such a long time, but I don't want her to be forgotten. Finding out what happened to her won't bring her back. But it will mean it didn't happen for nothing. You can't just do that to someone and get away with it. It's been 21 years, and here we are."
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police confirmed there have been no further arrests made, but the force continues to appeal for information. Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police's social media desk @MerPolCC on X and Facebook. You can also report information via the force's website or call 101. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
