THE story of teenager Billie-Jo Jenkins is a tragic one.
The 13-year-old was battered over the head with an 18in iron tent peg as she painted patio doors in 1997, leaving behind her devastated mother.
Who was Deborah Barnett?
Billie-Jo was in foster care at the time of death.
She had moved from London to live at her foster parents home Hastings, which is where her murder took place.
Billie-Jo's biological mum Deborah Barnettwas forced to give up her daughter after the girl's dad was sent to prison and she struggled to cope on her own.
It has now emerged that she died in 2018, a year after calling for police to re-open the case, the Mirror reports.
What happened to Billie-Jo Jenkins?
On February 15 1997, Billie-Jo was painting the patio doors at the back of the house when she struck at least five times on the head in a shocking attack.
She was found dying, in a pool of blood, when her foster dad Sion Jenkinsreturned to the house following an aborted trip to a DIY store, with his two oldest daughters.
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Sion, now 63, was found guilty of her murder and spent six years in jail before his life sentence was quashed on appeal.
He was formally acquitted in 2006 following two inconclusive retrials — but later had a compensation claim rejected because his innocence could not be proved.
In 2022 it was revealed how the police are now carrying out a forensic review of exhibits from the scene in Hastings, East Sussex.
When does the Channel 5 documentary start?
This one-off documentary will air on February 10, 2022.
You can catch the action on Channel 5 from 9pm.
The documentary – which will look into what happened to tragic schoolgirl Billie-Jo – will last for two hours.
It will also be available to watch on My5.
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