Persons Unknown

Late on the evening of February 12th 1945, 55 year old Mary "Helen" Hoyles  finished her shift at the American Red Cross Club on High Street in the centre of Southampton, and began the short walk home. Helen's journey should have taken just a quarter of an hour but she did not make it safely home. Early the following morning Helen's half-naked body was found in a cul-de-sac nea...

Camille Gordon travelled from Jamaica to the UK in the early 2000s to fulfill her dream of becoming a nursery school teacher.  In 2003 she moved to London but with course fees and the ever increasing cost of living, Camille had to look round for opportunities to supplement her income. The 23 year old  found work as a hostess at one of Soho's many "Clip Joints". On the evening of Mon...

German tourist Heidi Mnilk was on a two week trip to the UK. The 17 year old pharmaceutical apprentice was staying with an English family in West Wickham in south east London.  On Sunday July 8th 1973 Heidi travelled to London with a friend to see the sights. Shortly before 5.00pm the pair boarded a train at Charing Cross Station to take them back to their accommodation. Heidi went to a non-smokin...

Thursday March 18th 1965 was a dismal day in the town of Tyrone, Pennsylvannia. Shortly after midday, six year old Kathy Shea left her home for the short walk to her elementary school. Although spring was just around the corner, slushy snow lined the streets as the Kindergartner hurried along on her way. Several people saw Kathy enroute but she never made it to her lessons that afternoon. A bloodh...

For seven years Crispin Dye had been the manager of Australian rock band AC/DC. He was a talented song writer and musician in his own right and during the early 1990s released his first solo album. Shortly before Christmas 1993 Crispin, aged 41, travelled to his mother's home in Sydney to spend the festive period with her. On the night of the 22nd December Crispin went out with friends to cel...

It was a normal Friday morning in November 1994 and 11 year old Nayantara Ali left her home in Forest Gate, East London, to walk to school. It should have taken less than 15 minutes but Nayantara never arrived. Family members reported her missing later that day and for three weeks there was no hint of what had happened to the confident and playful young girl. Worst fears were realised when Nayanta...

Tara Calico disappeared while riding her bicycle near the town of Belen, New Mexico, in September 1988. The 19 year old fitness enthusiast would go out every morning to complete a 35 mile round trip along the NM 47 highway taking in the vast open spaces of Valencia County. On the morning of September 20th she left her home as usual but never returned. Several witnesses saw Tara riding on the highw...

On a Spring day in 1991 the body of Tuula Lukkarinen was found in woods near the disused Hausjarvi gravel pits in Southern Finland. The 28 year old had gone missing the previous day after leaving the mental hospital where she was temporarily staying. It was a brutal slaying, with the killer displaying disturbing and sadistic tendencies. Two years later 40 year old Maarit Haantie disappeared in the...

The body of Joan Maschek was found by her landlord on the evening of July 13th 1976. The 48 year old divorcee had been bludgeoned to death with a flat instrument inside her bedsit on Douglas Road, Nottingham. Police investigating the seemingly motiveless killing soon discovered that Joan herself was equally enigmatic. She was an eccentric character whom neighbours said had visitors at all times of...

It was early winter 1970 in the city of Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. On the evening of Friday May 15th, 18 year old Olive Walker wrapped up warm and set out on foot to her sister's house across town, to babysit her nieces and nephews. Around an hour later Olive was spotted near the Odeon cinema in the centre of Rotorua, only ten minutes from her destination. This was the last t...

Patricia "Lee" Parsons worked as a masseuse at a sauna in Camden town London. Lee also obtained a significant income as a high end escort. The 42 year old reportedly had hundreds of clients, many of whom were high status individuals from the worlds of politics and show business. On the evening of Saturday June 23rd 1990 Lee failed to show up at a private event being held at the restauran...

Twice widowed Mabel Harper spent the evening of August 12th 1943 at her sister's house in the Maindy area of Cardiff. Time slipped by quickly and at 10.50pm Mabel left hurriedly hoping to catch the last bus home. Unfortunately the 53 year old missed the bus by minutes, forcing her to walk the 40 minute journey alone. As she made her way alongside the highway it was particularly dark, a blacko...

August 15th 1945 was a joyous occasion in Australia's history. It was the day peace was declared and six long years of war ended. As the owners of a radio set, the Eastwell family were some of the first people to hear the happy news in the small rural town of Gol Gol, located on the NSW/Victoria border. For 8 year old Valerie Eastwell the momentous events in the Pacific signalled a day off sc...

Stephanie Whittaker was a happily married mother of three who had everything to live for. On the evening of March 23rd 1990 the 34 year old was due to meet friends for a drink in the centre of Newport, South Wales. Stephanie left her house at 8.25pm to walk the short five minute journey into town but she never arrived. Despite a couple of unconfirmed sightings over the next 24 hours Stephanie has...

On an August evening in 2007, 7 year old Nurin Jazlin left her family's apartment and headed to the nearby night market in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nurin was alone and intent on purchasing a hair clip at one of the stalls. She never returned and witness reports would confirm she had was abducted by a man driving a white van. Almost a month later her parents' worst fears were...

At the age of 35 Dr Tatjana "Tanya" Kopric had already achieved so much. She had emigrated to America from Yugoslavia in 1975 and had worked at numerous hospitals before setting up her own private medical practice in Kansas city, Missouri. In September 1980 her life was cruelly taken in a matter of seconds, when she was shot at close range as she sat in her parked car.  Witnesses recogni...

On the evening of Saturday April 19th 1986  Teresa Branch and her friend Lisa were returning to Decatur in Wise County after visiting Teresa's family in Arlington, Texas. The pair had been plagued by car trouble all weekend and 18 year old Teresa's red Pontiac Sunbird stalled yet again just minutes after leaving her parents home. With no payphone in sight Teresa decided to jog the short...

In the later half of 2000 three women were murdered whilst hitchhiking in eastern Romania. The bodies of Maria Bîru, Safta Ciubotaru and Marcela Tomozei were discovered along lonely forest roads near the city of Barlad. There were few clues and little in the way of forensic evidence. All went quiet and it was assumed the killer had moved away or possibly even died. Then in 2004 it appeared the kil...

This week's episode is a little different. John guests on the excellent podcast Scottish Murders to examine the 1990 unresolved murder of Ann Heron. This is part two. You can listen to part one by visiting the Scottish Murders podcast at Home - Scottish Murders or wherever you listen to your podcasts. In part two we continue the story of Ann Heron’s murder with an arrest made in November 2005...

On a September afternoon in 1962, 7 year old Diana Moon Yoli took her younger sibling Mark to the local park. The 2 and a half year old loved to play on the slide and Diana always took great care of her little brother. The playground was  less than two blocks from their family home which was situated close to Camp Lejeune, a Marine base just outside Jacksonville, North Carolina. An hour later the...

Patricia Simpson moved to Cardiff, South Wales in 1961 looking for a fresh start. Originally from Cheshire in the north west of England, the teenager had experienced a difficult start to life. On the evening of Friday November 1st 1963 Patricia was seen leaving her home in the Adamsdown area of the city with her flatmate Mary.  Twenty four hours later her strangled  body was found ten miles away a...

In April 1981, 22 year old old student Caroline Harris-Reed went to stay with a friend in South London. Her friend was nervous about being alone in her new flat and Caroline thought the short visit would be a good opportunity to look for a summer job. On the evening of the 8th the pair were in the flat waiting for a mutual friend to join them when a violent intruder burst in, threatening the young...

Early in the morning of November 1st 1986 the body of 15 year old Chaim Weiss was found in his dorm room at Long Beach Yeshiva. He had been bludgeoned to death with a heavy, bladed weapon in a frenzied attack. The bright and gifted teenager had been at the Torah High School for two and a half years and on the surface it seemed he didn't have an enemy in the world. Police said they were keepin...

This is part 2 of Betty Shanks (Unsolved Murder). If you haven't done so already, please make sure you listen to part 1 first. In Part 2  the many theories and persons of interest surrounding this cold case will be explored. Sources for the epsiode can be found here Promos Support the show Follow  Persons Unknown:  Instagram and Facebook Email: personsunknownpod@gmail.com Website with Transcr...

At 9.32 on the evening of Friday September 19th 1952, Betty Shanks stepped off the tram at the Grange terminus, in the Brisbane suburb of Wilston. The 22 year old had spent the evening with some colleagues attending a lecture at a local technical college. She was a couple of minutes walk from her parents home as she headed down Thomas Street. Betty never arrived and her severely beaten body was fo...