Cold case detectives investigating the murder of a woman who vanished 35 years ago have released two old postcards of beauty spots connected to the case that they hope may finally help bring the killer to justice.

Shelley Morgan, 33, disappeared on 11 June 1984 after dropping off her two children at school in Bristol and heading towards Leigh Woods on the outskirts of the city to sketch and take photographs.

Children playing in a wooded copse in Backwell Hill, nine miles from Leigh Woods, found her remains in October 1984. She had suffered multiple stab wounds and there was evidence that the attack was sexually motivated.

The major crime review team recently came upon two postcards they believe may have a significant bearing on the investigation. The tear-off postcards are from a calendar sold by a Bristol hospice charity in the 1980s or 1990s. One shows a view of the river Avon from near the woods where Morgan had been heading; the second is the view of a church from Backwell Hill.

Shelley Morgan, who was killed in 1984. Photograph: Avon & Somerset Police/PA Wire

Avon and Somerset police say they cannot spell out how they got hold of the postcards or how they may fit in with the investigation. DS Sarah Barnston of the major crime review team said: “Both locations are significant as they are linked to the areas where Shelley was heading for on the day she disappeared, and where her body was found five months later.”

Police would like to speak to anyone who knows anything about the postcards.

Barnston added: “She left home that day intending to photograph and sketch in the Leigh Woods area, so it’s possible her work and the locations she was visiting that day hold the key to her killer’s identity.

“We remain of the belief that her killer must have had access to a vehicle and may have had links through work or other associations to Backwell and possibly the Leigh Woods or Clifton areas of Bristol.”

Morgan was carrying a camera, a tripod and sketching materials in a large patchwork-style shoulder bag. Neither the camera, the bag, or the clothing she was wearing, including red-framed glasses, have been found.

Barnston said: “It’s impossible to imagine the pain and anguish Shelley’s family have felt over the years and understand the impact her murder has had on her two children, who’ve been left without a mother for the majority of their lives.

“I would urge anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward. Loyalties and relationships change over time and there may be someone who didn’t feel able to speak to us at the time, but who may be in a position to do so now.”

The major crime review team can be contacted on 101 or via the force’s website: avonandsomerset.police.uk/contact-us.

