They reported what they saw to police, not knowing 25-year-old architect Miss Yeates had gone missing from her Clifton flat the night before, and would be found dead on the side of the same road near Failand a week later, on Christmas morning.
Avon and Somerset police spokesman Martin Dunscombe said: "We take every piece of information we receive from the public seriously, and this is one of many lines of inquiry we've pursued."
She came home with two bottles of cider – one of which was opened and partly drunk – and a Tesco Finest mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto pizza. When Joanna's boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27, returned home from a weekend in Sheffield two days later, she was nowhere to be seen.
Fears for her safety escalated as her purse, keys and mobile phone were left in the ground-floor flat on Canynge Road, where there was apparently no sign of a struggle.
Her strangled body was found off Longwood Lane by a couple out walking their dogs.
Avon and Somerset police have received thousands of calls and hundreds of leads from the public, but are still hunting the killer. Many of those calls have mentioned vehicles or people acting suspiciously on Longwood Lane, which can be busy as it is a cut through from B3129 Beggar Bush Lane to the B3128 Clevedon Road and Providence Lane to Long Ashton.
Miss Yeates' mother has offered to take part in a TV reconstruction of her daughter's last-known movements.
Avon and Somerset police are planning a reconstruction of the landscape architect's last steps, which will be shown on the BBC programme Crimewatch later this month.
Theresa Yeates, 58, is keen to take on the role as she is of similar height and build to her daughter. Her husband, David, 63, confirmed his wife would like to take the part but said he did not know whether they will be involved.
Yesterday details emerged of what may have been the final text message Miss Yeates sent on the night she disappeared. Her friend Matthew Wood told a national newspaper he received a text from Miss Yeates at 8.20pm on December 17, saying: "Where are you? Do you fancy a drink?" He said he replied about an hour later to say he was unable to meet her that night – but never received a reply.
Police are continuing to look for a knee-length, light grey ski sock missing from Miss Yeates' body when she was found. Despite the sub-zero temperatures at the time of her disappearance she was not wearing a coat and her boots were found at her home.
Two people have now claimed to have seen men acting suspiciously near the spot where Miss Yeates' body was found, early last Friday. One man, who asked not to be named, told the Evening Post he believed the two men could have been searching for Miss Yeates' missing sock.
He said: "They were absolutely soaked as it was hammering down and were only wearing jeans and T-shirts.
"It didn't make any sense to me. One was of a big build with dark hair and wearing a black T-shirt. The other was smaller with light hair and wearing a grey T-shirt."
An earlier report of two "agitated" men emerging at the same time from woods close to where Miss Yeates' body was found was posted on social networking website Facebook by the daughter of a motorist who spotted the suspicious activity.
Writing on a tribute page for Miss Yeates, the woman said the men had no coats and were drenched by rain. She added the men "looked really agitated" and her mother thought they were going to try and force her to stop.
Another line of inquiry surrounds Facebook itself, which detectives have used to appeal for witnesses. It is believed they have interviewed a number of Miss Yeates' Facebook friends and are swabbing them for DNA samples. But police spokesman Mr Dunscombe said: "We're not confirming whether we're doing this or not, but as in any criminal case, DNA evidence will play its part."
Meanwhile, police have said CCTV footage from Clifton Suspension Bridge is highly important to the case, despite reports that when the bridge is illuminated the glare of the lights makes the image quality of its 32 cameras too poor to identify number plates or drivers' faces.
An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said: "There are some pictures where you can't see the driver very clearly but you can see the make of the car – and in terms of the bigger picture that can help us."
Anyone with information should call police on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
http://steelmagnolia-gossips.blogspot.com/2011/01/jo-yeates-sightings.html
Jo Yeates sightings
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/CAR-SIGHTING-HOLD-KEY-CLUES/article-3083969-detail/article.html
