The Unseen Podcast

Day 5 of 12 missing person cases throughout December. On the 29th of June 2011, Dr David Lidgey left his home in Hilgay, Norfolk after taking his children to school. He left a note saying he was going for a walk but hasn't been seen again. His family continue to wonder what happened to him. David's missing person profile: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/help-us-find/david-lidgey-11-002631 Importa...

Day 4 of 12 days of missing person episdoes throughout December. On September the 15th 2019, 39 year old Leanne Smith left her home in Whitehaven in Cumbria. Her family have not seen her since and despite appeals and searches she has not yet been found. Link to Leanne's missing person profile: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/help-us-find/leanne-smith-19-005751 Important information provided by: h...

Day 3 of 12 days of missing person cases throughout December. On Monday the 15th March 1999, 40 year old Bruce Gapper failed to turn up to work at his job as a lorry driver. This was highly unusual for him and his family and colleagues were worried about his whereabouts. It would turn out that he had left his home in a hurry and his car had been abandoned. He has not been seen since. Bruce's missi...

Day 2 of 12 days of missing person cases throughout December. On the 1st December 1986 28 year old John Dobson headed to the University of Lancaster to study for his postgraduate degree. There was nothing odd about this day however John failed to return home. He hasn't been seen since. John Dobson is still missing and his parents never found out what happened to him. Important information provided...

Day 1 of 12 days of missing people throughout December. On the 3rd of November 1999, 51 year old Ellen Coss Brown headed to Manchester Piccadilly station from the area of Langley in Middleton. She had been staying with her sister and was on her way back to Holyhead then on to Dublin where she lived. At some point on her journey however she disappeared and has not been seen since. Ellen's missing p...

Two cases of unidentified people from 1975 and 1990 have caused investigators to be baffled since their discoveries in London and Surrey. As of 2023, these people are still unidentified and they deserve their voices and identities back. I have used information provided by the charity Locate International as well as other press sources for this episode. Important information provided by: https://lo...

In the early morning of Halloween 1980, a 24 year old nurse was cutting through the area of Brandon Hill in Bristol on her way to work at the hospital. She found a man lying face first in a pool of his own blood. This man was Derek Grain and he had been beaten with a sand filled traffic cone. Derek's murder is still unsolved today. Important information provided by: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/n...

On August 29th 1986, police entered the home of Lorna Hayles in Tasman road in Clapham. Neighbours had reported that Lorna hadn't been seen in weeks and there were flies in the window of her home. When they entered they found Lorna's lifeless body. Her murder is still unsolved. Important information provided by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEQmzU3BH5o - Crimewatch reconstruction. https://crime...

On the 18th of April 1943, 4 boys were looking for birds nests in the area of Hagley Woods in Worcestershire. They made an unsettling discovery in the stump of a tree. They discovered a skull. This launched an investigation which would make this one of the most famous unidentified missing person cases in UK history. Who put Bella in the Wych Elm? Important information provided by: Contemporary art...

On the 25th of January 1919, 18 year old John Bianci met his cousin Elizabeth off the ferry in the Walkergate area of Newcastle. The pair had a lovely evening together before John offered to walk her to work at the local hospital. As they were walking along the road, John was brutally murdered. 104 years later it is still unsolved. Important information provided by: All contemporary articles- http...

On Thursday the 14th of November 1996, 47 year old Vera Holland headed out from her home in Shinfield close to Reading. She was on her way on a short journey to her local KFC to get dinner for her family. She never returned and her body was later found set alight around a mile away. What happened to Vera and who committed this? Important information provided by: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ - All...

On the 2nd of May 2000, mother of two Nicola Ray went out with her friend in Basildon in Essex where she lived. She set off walking home from her friends house at around 1:30 the next morning and has never been seen again. There have been some developments but her case is still unsolved and Nicola is still missing. Important information provided by: https://www.missingandmurdered.co.uk/post/nicola...

On the 23rd of May 1970, 25 year old Helen Kane went out for her wedding anniversary with her husband Joe and two other couples. They went out to the Leith area of Edinburgh in what should have been a fun, much needed night out. The next day however Helen's body was found beaten not far from where she had last been sighted. To this day, Helen's murder is still unsolved and her family do not have t...

On the 27th of February 1982, people who were walking around the High Edge Racetrack near Buxton in Derbyshire found the body of a woman alongside it. This woman was 20 year old Elaine Wakefield and she had last been seen two days before. It would turn out that Elaine had walked up the racetrack and had been seen by multiple people but why? Elaine's case is still unsolved and deserves more attenti...

Today we are looking at two cases of unidentified people in the UK; the Clifton Suspension Bridge Man and the Burnham on Sea woman. The Clifton Suspension Bridge Man was found in May 1996 in Bristol and the Burnham on Sea woman was recovered in January of 1993 in Somerset. These two people solely have a description and a list of their belongings. They deserve a name. Important information provided...

On the 8th of January 1932, the body of a woman was found on a beach 30 miles from the town of Workington in Cumbria. The body was found to be that of 28 year old Nancy Patterson who some residents in the town knew as 'the Black Shadow'. Nancy had gone to church the previous Sunday and never returned. What happened to Nancy and who killed her has gone unsolved for over 90 years and remains this wa...

In the early hours of the morning of the 26th of February 1993, 42 year old Bulic Forsythe's flat was found engulfed in flames. He had been murdered and his flat set alight. Why did someone want to murder a council worker so brutally and did it have some connection to a sex abuse scandal? Important information provided by: Crimewatch episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPULWI4LygM&themeRe...

This is an update episode in which we present some more details and information provided by Ann's son David. On the 25th of June 1997, 45 year old Ann Myring left her job at Hewlett Packard close to her home in Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire. She returned home but the next day her two sons heard that she had gone to visit a health farm for the weekend. On Monday they then heard that she had...

On the 1st of April 1992, 40 year old Jacqueline Palmer- Radford took her 6 year old son to school as usual. By the end of the school day though, Jacqueline had been found brutally murdered in her own home in Eversley in Hampshire. Witnesses in the village had seen some odd things that day but were they in any way related to her murder? Sadly this is still unsolved. Important information provided...

On the 26th of August 1988, Michael Williams went out for drinks with his colleagues in Pimlico, Central London before making his way back home to North London on the tube. This was something many people were doing on this Bank Holiday weekend however the next morning the body of 41 year old Michael was found in Highgate Woods. His murder is still unsolved and he left behind a loving wife and youn...

In May 1979, Bernard Bielby contacted Humberside Police to explain that he wanted to report his wife Gloria missing. When asked how long she had been missing he said it had been 3 months. A huge investigation would follow to try and explain where Gloria Bielby went in February 1979 and why. Important information provided by: https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/hull-model-...

On the 21st of May 1994, a park ranger working at Mam Tor in the Peak District discovered a woman's body underneath a pile of rocks. The woman was identified as 19 year old Dawn Shields and she had been murdered. The investigation into her murder would eventually go cold and it is still unsolved however over the years it has been linked to several other murders. What happened to Dawn Shields? Impo...

In January of 1977, 56 year old Annie Walsh was found murdered in her flat at Hulme Crescents in Manchester. She was an unlikely victim and police were initially unsure of who could have committed such a murder. Just 4 months later however Robert Brown was arrested and then convicted for her murder. This was not the end of the story though and as of the present day, Annie Walsh's murder is still u...

This episode is out of our usual fortnightly schedule however as you will hear in the episode, I am moving to 3 episodes per month with a week break so I can try and include more missing person cases. This is the first of these missing person episodes! On the 25th of June 1997, 45 year old Ann Myring left her job at Hewlett Packard close to her home in Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire. She ret...

On the 5th of November 1988, 74 year old Harry Howell was seen out and about in the town of Blackpool where he lived. Harry was sociable, loved to put on a bet and go for a pint but he was also a creature of habit and enjoyed his usual routine. It was thought that he had gone home that night as usual nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Around 2 weeks later though his battered body was found...