A murderer who claimed the lives of two friends as they slept has still to be caught – 20 years on from the double killing. Rhona Schofield and Vikki Preston met at school and became good friends, becoming so close they were said to be inseparable and described as being ‘like sisters’.
But their close bond turned into a double tragedy, with them dying side by side in May 2005, when a firebug torched the house they were spending the night in. Several suspects have been arrested in connection with the arson attack, but nobody has ever been charged over their murders.
Detectives are sure the fire was set deliberately, with foam-filled armchairs and sofas in a front lounge and a downstairs living room being torched and the wooden floors beneath them burning through in Higher Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester. The killer entered the terraced house between 3.40am and 4.10am on the day in question through an insecure front door.
The girls were asleep upstairs, and within ten minutes, the downstairs had reached temperatures of 1,000 degrees centigrade, causing windows to blow out. The fire service was alerted by a neighbour at 4.09am and arrived three minutes later. Crews from Broughton Fire Station braved an intense blaze to rescue two teenagers from the first floor bedroom.
Manchester Evening News reports one of the girls, Rhona Schofield, had been a cadet at the fire station and had ambitions of one day becoming a firefighter. Both she, and friend, Vikki Preston, died at the scene. They were 19 years old. The arson attack happened under the cover of darkness, on a deserted street where half the houses were boarded up ready for demolition.
The street has since been pulled down. When the house was finally bulldozed three years on from the double killing, faded flowers placed on the doorstep to mark the anniversary of the deaths were still outside. The girls had no chance. The front door had been left open, so fresh air fuelled the fire.
The staircase acted like a chimney, funnelling fumes upstairs. Both girls died from breathing in toxic fumes. The intensity of the fire destroyed any potential forensic evidence. A dramatic inquest in 2007 exposed the chaotic and tense atmosphere in the house the day before the murders.
During that evening, a series of arguments broke out between those at the address. Eventually Rhona and Vikki were left alone in the property while the rest of the group left. It is estimated the fire started some time after 3.40am. At 4.09am, Aaron Shuttleworth, of 4 King Street, noticed flames in the front room of number 23 and his partner Kelly called the fire service.
Aaron also noticed the front door of the burning house was open. The fire was too fierce for neighbours to attempt to get into the property. The inquest verdict was that both Vikki and Rhona were unlawfully killed. Mrs Leeming told the hearing: “Whoever did this is dangerous.
“They may not have intended to murder the girls, but that does not make them any less dangerous.” More than two lives were taken on that fateful day. Two families were left shattered. Vikki left two sisters and five brothers, and since her death a sixth brother has been born. She grew up in the Broughton area, attending Grecian Street Primary and Albion High Schools.
Her mother, Jacqueline, was so grief-stricken she could not face the inquest. In 2016, Jacqueline told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s still raw. What makes it hard is no one has been brought to justice. I just don’t function like I used to. I struggle with it on a daily basis. I don’t like meeting people.
“I don’t like going out. In my lifetime I hope I see justice. There are people out there that know who did it. Their loyalties are wrong. I often wonder where Vikki would be now; would she be married, would she have given us grandchildren? But we will never know because of someone’s selfishness.”
Peter Schofield had to identify his daughter, Rhona. It was a moment which haunted him for the rest of his life. He died, aged just 54, on October 27, 2013. His wife, Doreen, died on November 18, 2019. She was only 60. Before she died, Doreen also spoke to the Manchester Evening News.
Bonded by tragedy, she made a joint appeal with Jacqueline for help to identify the double murderer as a reward of £50,000 was offered – which remains. Doreen said in 2016: “It might be 11 years but it feels like 11 days to me. We have not moved away from 2005. Someone will say something eventually. It is just waiting for that time.”
She described Rhona as ‘lovely’, adding: “I don’t know why anyone would want to do that to her. There’s no reason.” In 2021, Greater Manchester Police issued a series of images of the devastating aftermath of the fire to the Manchester Evening News in a bid to stir the consciences of those who know who the killer is.
Martin Bottomley, the head of Greater Manchester Police’s Cold Case Unit, revealed that detectives had identified two prime suspects for the murder. He said at the time: “There are definitely others that have the knowledge of who the offenders are but whether they also played an active role we don’t know.
“It would appear that a minor dispute has triggered an excessive reaction. What we need is a witness that will tell us in a statement what they know. The pain and heartbreak that Vikki and Rhona’s family and friends have had to go through is unimaginable. We will never give up, and we’re determined to find those responsible for the girls’ deaths and bring them to justice.”
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