For more than two decades, Debbie Griggs' disappearance haunted her family and baffled investigators. The devoted mother-of-three, who was pregnant with her fourth child, vanished from her home in Kent in 1999. As suspicion increasingly focused on her husband, Andrew, detectives painstakingly assembled a case without a body. Years later, shocking revelations would finally expose the truth and uncover the lengths one man was prepared to go to in order to protect his secrets…
Read moreClose Your Eyes / The Murder of Dawn Rhodes and The Killer Who Walked Free
In June 2016, Dawn Rhodes was killed at the family home in Redhill, Surrey. Her husband, carpenter Robert Rhodes, who cut Dawn’s throat and claimed self-defence, told the police that she had attacked him. In 2017, a jury at the Old Bailey believed him. He walked free. But in 2021, one of the couple's children disclosed the truth to a therapist…
Read moreUnsolved / Vicky Glass
The man and his dog rambled through the North York Moors towards a stream just outside Danby. Like many locals, they regularly enjoyed walking through the scenic heather-covered moorland. There were always areas off the beaten path where they had never set foot and never saw a soul. That day was different. As they got close to the stream, the man spotted something in the water…
Read moreAll That Remains / The Murder of Simon Shotton - Part 2
After Benjamin Atkins and Debbie Pereira were caught with their lodger’s severed arms in their back garden, they were charged with murder and brought to trial at Winchester Crown Court. The prosecution alleged that the couple had acted together to kill Simon Shotton, dismember his body, and scatter his remains around Boscombe. Although Atkins had admitted to causing Simon’s death, he claimed that he had acted in self-defence, and Pereira argued she was innocent of any involvement… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreAll That Remains / The Murder of Simon Shotton - Part 1
As she waited for a break in the downpour, something heavy landed with a thud next to her. Dana worried someone had purposely thrown something. Undeterred, she quickly ran the remainder of the way to her workplace and grabbed her coat. A short time later, as she returned down the steps, Dana saw something wrapped in black plastic and grey masking tape. It had been discarded in the exact spot where she stood not fifteen minutes earlier. As she got closer, she recognised the object's shape. It looked like a human foot… (Part 1 of 2).
Read moreButchered / The Murder of Latifa Lazaar
It was early on a warm Sunday morning, and very few cars were on the A22 road between Eastbourne and London. A motorcyclist pulled in on the grassy verge and ventured a few yards behind the tree line of Ashdown Forest. The sun shone down between the tall oak trees, casting shadows on the leafy ground. Something stood out amidst the earthy tones of the undergrowth. As the motorcyclist walked closer to the blue fabric that was poking out of the soil, he was overwhelmed by a foul smell...
Read moreUnsolved / Elsie Frost
Something caught Thomas’ attention at the bottom of a set of stone stairs known to locals as the ABC steps. Twenty-six stone platforms jutted out from the steeply sloping hill towards the canal towpath, a stone for each letter of the alphabet. A young girl was curled up at the bottom of the stairs, her legs folded beneath her as if she were crying. Thomas wondered if she was upset or had fallen, but the reality was far worse...
Read moreDeadly Greed & A Stolen Inheritance / Annie Garbutt / Joanne Hussey
Emergency responders arrived within minutes and approached the two-bedroom cottage. Joanne was waiting for them at the door, before leading them upstairs to her grandmother's bedroom. The paramedics pulled back the quilt and found the frail pensioner lying on bloody sheets. Blood spatter covered the walls near the bed. Due to the highly suspicious nature of Annie’s death, the police were immediately contacted…
Read moreAbuse & Exploitation / The Murder of Michael Gilbert - Part 2
Michael Gilbert had been living with the Watt family on and off since 2001. At first, he believed he had found a haven, away from life on the streets, but Michael soon realised that his sanctuary was, in fact, a nightmare… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreAbuse & Exploitation / The Murder of Michael Gilbert - Part 1
Arlesey has stood the test of time. It is mentioned briefly in the Domesday Book of 1086 and has been through many reinventions over the centuries. It has witnessed the births and deaths of thousands of fleeting occupants, but nothing in Arlesey’s varied history could compare to the horror of one man's murder in 2009… (Part 1 of 2).
Read moreThe Grindr Cons
Finding prospective matches through dating websites and apps is a valid and popular way to meet people. While most online interactions do not result in a date, some lead to a meeting in person. However, the exchange may or may not result in what both parties set out to find. There is a small minority of users who utilise dating apps for both sexual and financial extortion...
Read moreUnanswered Questions / Where Is Bernadette Walker? - Part 2
On July 18, 2020, Bernadette Walker disappeared. Her parents initially claimed that she ran away from home following an argument. But as the search to find the missing student intensified, not everything was as it seemed, and soon a terrifying possibility considered unimaginable became a frightening reality… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreUnanswered Questions / Where Is Bernadette Walker? - Part 1
A 17-year-old spends the night with her grandparents. The next day she is collected, ready to be driven home. Part-way through the journey, the car stops, and she exits the family car for a final time before she is never seen again. Appeals are made by relatives, but no one seems to know what happened. Was she living off the grid, going unnoticed or was the unthinkable a terrifying reality…(Part 1 of 2).
Read moreVampires, Murder & Queen Of The Damned / Thomas McKendrick / Allan Menzies
"The blood is the life, I have drunk the blood, and it shall be mine, for I have seen horror” — This handwritten passage, penned by Allan Menzies, was found among his things when Lothian and Borders Police searched his home.
Read more