Age: 28
Sex: female
Date: 31 Dec 1999
Place: Hownsgill Viaduct, Consett
Emma Kennedy was found dead at the bottom of the Hownsgill Viaduct.
Her death was considered suicide, but her family say that she was thrown off.
She had lived in Dorset Crescent, Moorside, Consett, County Durham.
The fall from the viaduct was 180ft.
Her father claimed that her death was connected to the murders of Rachel Tough and Julie Smailes. The murders of Julie Smailes and Rachel Tough are both unsolved, but there was a prime suspect in the case of Rachel Tough who hanged himself in a wood with whom Emma Kennedy had been good friends. However, it was claimed that multiple people had been involved in their murders. The police said that there had been four people involved in Julie Smailes murder, two people that murdered her and two that helped to cover it up and that one of the suspects had killed himself. The man that hanged himself did so a week after the murder of Rachel Tough.
It was thought that Emma Kennedy might have been murdered because she knew too much about the murder of Rachel Tough and/or Julie Smailes.
However, the police said that there was no connection between the murder of Julie Smailes and the death of Emma Kennedy.
It was heard that Emma Kennedy had been receiving telephone calls not to speak about Julie Smailes murder from another man that was connected with the man that was arrested for Julie Smailes murder.
At her inquest, the Coroner said that there was no suicide note and not enough evidence to suggest she intended taking her own life.
It was also noted that items of Emma Kennedy's jewellery and clothing were found hanging near the viaduct on the same tree that the Julie Smailes murder suspect had hanged himself from.
It was also heard that signs of violence were found at Emma Kennedy's house and furniture had been piled up against a door as though she had barricaded herself in and that there was a hole right through one internal wall from one bedroom into another bedroom. It was also said that her whole house had been trashed.
Emma Kennedy had lived in Delves Lane, Consett and in June 2004 the police searched the property in relation to the murder of Julie Smailes and the back garden was dug up.
