The first twenty-four hours of a missing person case are the most crucial. Its of vital importance that the authorities are working with the most accurate and up to date information in order to best direct their search efforts. Steven Durand was 31 when he went missing in Salford, in the North West of England. He was a mixed race man who walked with a limp, due to cerebral palsy. He had learning difficulties and mental health problems and was known to the local police as vulnerable. When the police first began searching for him, they mistakenly described him as white, later correcting the erro ..read more

The disappearance of 14 year old schoolgirl Charlene Downes is one of the most notorious missing person cases in UK history. When Charlene vanished from Blackpool in the North West of England in November 2003, it resulted in a media frenzy, one monetized by tabloids cashing in on rumours and exploited for political purposes by the far-right. In the two decades since she vanished, countless theories have been suggested and dozens of suspects put forward, including members of Charlene’s own family. Very few missing person cases have received such coverage and scrutiny, yet, today, her loved ones ..read more

Sarm Heslop was never afraid to choose the road less travelled. The 41 year old from Southampton, couldn’t bear the thought of spending forty hours a week in an anonymous office, chained to a computer. Which is why, in the spring of 2021, she found herself working on a catamaran on St John in the US Virgin Islands. Sarm was working as the boat’s chef, captained by her partner at the time. One night, whilst moored at the harbour, the pair went ashore for dinner and drinks. Their return journey, as they approached the dinghy that would get them back to the boat, was picked up by CCTV. A short wh ..read more

All of us have things that we associate with the people that we love: a smell of perfume they wear; a taste of something they might cook; a personal possession which they once gave us, or which once belonged to them. When it comes to her brother, Marshal, what pops into Paige Fogen’s head is his truck. Marshall drove a dark blue, 2009, GMC SIERRA pickup. It was his pride and joy. Marshall and Paige had driven thousands of miles together in it over the years. The siblings had gone through a lot, and the truck represented their journey together, both physical and emotional. So when the truck was ..read more

In many missing person’s cases, there’s a potential suspect, a clear motive, or a reason why the missing person might have wanted to vanish….But sometimes cases come along with none of that. Cases which feel like such a mystery, it’s hard to know what to think or where to start. Cases like that of 51 year old mother and grandmother, Patricia Duncan, who disappeared more than 20 years ago from a quiet seaside village on the coast of Scotland. From the outside Patricia lived a full life. She had 7 children and 11 grandchildren who she doted on. She was part of the local amateur dramatics group ..read more

In season seven of The Missing, we’re examining, for the first time, missing person cases outside of the UK and Ireland. Today’s episode takes us to the United States, and the city of Tenino, Washington. That’s where Nancy Moyer, a 36 year old mother of two, who worked at the department of ecology, lived. When her daughter Sam thinks of her, she imagines Nancy smoking on the porch of her house. She recalls her enjoying a glass of wine in the kitchen. She remembers the feeling of her mother’s arms wrapped around her, after she’d crawled into her bed. But she also can’t forget the day, in March ..read more

The moment when a child enters adulthood is a tricky time for every parent. Do you get involved when they make mistakes, or in a bid for independence, do you let them figure it out themselves? For Anthea Langelaan, this question was one she grappled with endlessly. Every time she reached out a helping hand to her son, Cian, who lived in a small village in Donegal, Ireland, he would refuse all offers of assistance or guidance. Eventually, she made the tough choice to simply let him go his own way. Until tragically, one day in September 2020, she received the earth shattering news that her child ..read more

Living in a big city can make you feel small. It’s easy to feel isolated - despite being surrounded by millions of people - to lose sense of community and, perhaps, your self. Community was very important to Svetlozar Yotov, who lived in Angel, in central London. To the 30 year old aspiring culinary entrepreneur, his personal relationships were the most valuable things in his life. You could see it in the way he interacted with his flatmates - whom he loved to cook for - and in every text, phone call and encounter with his family. So, in October 2021, when Svetlozar’s family had not heard from ..read more

THE MISSING IS BACK. We're thrilled to announce the new series of The Missing is complete, and the first episode will be available on Wednesday February 14th. We have eight more episodes - eight more unsolved long-term missing cases which need your help. And - for the first time - we're adding something different. We've integrated the podcast with Missing People's Urgent Appeals, meaning that if there's an urgent appeal for a recently missing person, you'll get the detail delivered straight into whatever episode you're listening to. We, and Missing People, hope that this will mean urgent appe ..read more

We're just a week away from the brand new series of The Missing. While we wait - why not check out another show, from the same team. Smoking Gun tells the story of the extraordinary ways in which forensic science has solved crimes. It's hosted by Tracy Alexander - Britain's best known forensic scientist - and the first episode is out now. If you enjoy it - there's 30 more episodes available to binge. And a brand new episode every week. Members of What's The Story Crime can already hear the whole brand new series now. So why not sign up - listen to Smoking Gun - and get ready for more episo ..read more