Families across the region face spending Christmas without their loved ones who are missing from home.
Brian Blakeman from Skelmersdale, disappeared on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 6 this year. The 77-year-old is understood to have left his home after eating breakfast around 9am, with the alarm being raised by his partner when she came back and he was no longer there.
The Everton FC fan was wearing a blue fleece with an Everton FC badge, navy blue jeans and black and white Lacoste trainers when he disappeared. He was last seen in the Tanhouse area of Skelmersdale.
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Detectives investigating Brian’s disappearance are continuing to review extensive CCTV and Ring doorbell footage. Lancashire Police are asking people to call 999 if they have any sightings of Brian.
Brian is one of many people who are currently missing from home across Merseyside and the surrounding areas. Around 180,000 people are reported missing in the UK each year – that is one person every 90 minutes, according to the independent charity Missing People.
Here the ECHO highlights the cases of the people who are currently listed as missing in Merseyside and surrounding areas by the charity Missing People. If you know anything about any of their whereabouts, please contact Missing People on their free and confidential helpline: 116 000 , call Merseyside Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.
Carol Mighall
Carol Mighall disappeared from her home in Birkenhead on January 4 2021 and hasn’t been seen since.
The mum-of-five was last seen on CCTV in a convenience store on Rodney Street in the Wirral town centre that day. She had bought a litre bottle of vodka and 20 cigarettes and then headed in the direction of Birkenhead Central Station.
On the day her mum disappeared, Carol’s daughter Kayleigh Doyle, said it felt like part of her body went missing. Kayleigh told the ECHO last year: “We were like each other’s shadows. We were always together and she was always with the kids.
“The kids miss her and all want her to come home.”
Carol has five children and nine grandchildren who have all been out looking for her since the day of her disappearance. Kayleigh said: “The look on my kids’ faces every time they see a picture of her – it’s the look of heartbreak. We miss her every day.”
Carol is described as a white female, 5ft 4in tall, of slim build and with a pale complexion. She has brown shoulder length hair, often worn in a ponytail. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 21-000137
Huong Vo
Huong Vo was 17 when she disappeared in Huyton. She was last seen in the area at around 4.20pm on Friday, 2 April 2021, and has not been seen since. She is a Vietnamese female, around 4ft 10in tall, of slim build, with long black hair which is blonde at the ends. Huong speaks fluent Vietnamese and some English, and has a tattoo of a feather on her wrist.
When last seen, she was wearing black leggings, a white t-shirt, and trainers. She is known the frequent areas of St Helens and Knowsley. Huong is also believed to have links to the Coventry, Birmingham, Edinburgh areas, and East Dulwich in London. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 21-002217
James Miller
James Miller was 37 years old when he went missing just three days before Christmas on December 22, 2020, after leaving his mum’s house in Warrington at around 11pm. He was last seen on CCTV in Slater Street, Latchford, but that was the last known sighting of him
Three years on from his disappearance and his devastated family are still searching for answers. Detectives investigating the case from Cheshire Police have renewed their appeal for information this week.
A police spokesperson: “Despite a thorough investigation into his disappearance and an extensive appeal made by his family and friends, James has never been seen since.”
A number of sightings have been reported to police since James disappeared but they have proved inconclusive. James is described as 5’8″ tall with bright blue eyes, of a medium build and with a distinctive scar on the side of his head.
He was wearing a white t-shirt and grey jogging bottoms when he went missing. Speaking to The Missing podcast, which examines cases of long-term missing people, earlier this year James’ sister Emma said: “We’ve got nothing. We have no trace of him.
“We’ve got no proof of him. There’s nothing. And when I say nothing, I mean absolutely nothing.”
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 21-000068. You can also contact Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or via www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us, quoting IML 880492.
Thinh Ho
Thinh Ho, from Aigburth, was last seen on Wednesday, April 29 2020. The teenager was 17 at the time of his disappearance and is described as Asian, 5ft 10in tall, of slim build, with short dark brown hair and a moustache.
When last seen, he was wearing black tracksuit pants and a black long sleeved top. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 20-002320.
Vuong Duy Vo
Vuong Duy Vo was also reported missing from Aigburth on the same day – April 29 2020. The teenager was 16 years old at the time of his disappearance and is described as Asian, 5ft 2in tall, of medium build, with short black straight hair.
When last seen, he was wearing black tracksuit pants and a black t-shirt. He has a dragon tattoo on his left shoulder/bicep. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 20-002370.
Tu The Nguyen
Tu The Nguyen has been missing from his home in Knowsley since the start of 2020. The schoolboy, who was 14 at the time, was last seen in the Huyton area at 2.15pm on February 8 that year.
He is a Vietnamese male, 4ft 10in tall, of medium build with short/shaven black hair and brown eyes. He also has a small scar in the middle of his forehead.
When last seen he was wearing a black Under Armour tracksuit with a black coat and black trainers and was wearing a large silver chain around his neck. Anyone who has seen him or knows of his whereabouts is asked to DM @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact @missingpeople on 116 000, using the reference 20-001653.
Ibrahim Alfadoon
Ibrahim Alfadoon was reported missing from his home in Liverpool on October 30, 2019. Ibrahim, who was 17 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen in Balmoral Road, Fairfield that day.
He is described as a Middle Eastern male, around 5ft 10in tall, of slim build with brown hair and brown eyes. Ibrahim is known to frequent areas of Toxteth and Manchester.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 19-005459.
Ann Ocampo
Ann Ocampo was 42 at the time of her disappearance on August 30, 2019. Ann, who is originally from the Philippines, was last seen in Mann Island.
She is described as 4ft 10in tall and of medium build, with brown shoulder-length hair. When last seen she was wearing a grey cardigan, a t-shirt and dark blue jeans.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 19-004452.
Trevor Farthing
Trevor Farthing was 52 when he disappeared in 2017 and was never heard from again. On the day of his disappearance, Trevor called his partner of 30 years, Marie Comber, who he had three children with, to tell her he was “going away.”
He was last seen on Marshalls Cross Road in St Helens at around 9.30am on June 21, and Merseyside Police have repeatedly appealed for information about his whereabouts.
Speaking to the ECHO this December, six years on from Trevor’s disappearance, Marie said: “When he went missing we were searching everywhere you could possibly search. The police did as well.
“You’re looking all the time. You never stop looking everywhere you go. You go out into a town and there’s people on the streets and you’re examining them just to see if it could be him.
“As soon as I hear someone has gone missing I’m onto it. I’m watching all the time. I’m thinking maybe when they find this person they might come across Trev somewhere.”
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 17-003451.
Alessandro Severitano
Alessandro Severitano went missing from his home in Liverpool on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. Alessandro turned 40 on the day of his disappearance, and was last seen by friends at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital at around 9pm.
His relatives released an appeal around a week after he went missing, that said: ‘Alessandro, mother is worried and anxious about you. She is waiting for you and cries every day.
“Your sisters and your nieces are desperate, they want you home. Give us a sign, let us understand that you are alive and well. Don’t be afraid of anybody, we are here to help and protect you. Please Alessandro, get in touch with us, we really need to hug you again.”
Brendan Taaffe
Brendan Taaffe, from Birkenhead, was 39 years old when he went missing. Brendan was last seen on January 26, 2010, and is described as 6ft 1in, with brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 10-002273
Helen Montgomery
Helen Montgomery was 45 when she went missing from Wirral in August 2008 Helen is originally from South Africa and has family there and in the UK.
She is described as white, 5ft 5ins tall, of a slim build, with shoulder length wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 08-019008.
Lindsay Claro
Claro has been missing from home since June 6, 2008. He was last seen by a neighbour that day on Stillington Road in Toxteth.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 08-013107.
Paul Fahy
Paul Fahy was 33 when he vanished after a hospital visit at the Royal on February 18, 2002. Mum Sandra Howarth has never given up hope that one day her son will pick up the phone to say he is okay.
Speaking to the ECHO in 2015, Sandra said: “It’s the wondering and the waiting that is so very hard.
“You’re in limbo. Every knock on the door could be him. Every time the phone rings, I think it might be Paul.
“Every time I leave the house I am looking for Paul and I worry I might not recognise him.”
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 04-000767
Julie Melton
Julie Melton has been missing from Liverpool for 18 years since July 23, 2004. On the day she disappeared, Julie, then 41, had lunch at her parents home on Somerville Road, in Waterloo.
That night, she phoned them to say she was on her way home but has not been seen since. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 04-001031
Kevin Fasting
Kevin Fasting Snr was 49 when he went missing from his Aigburth home more than 20 years ago. He was last seen by his parents at their home on Aigburth Road on Friday, November 21 2003. Just the week before, Kevin had started a new job in Bootle.
On the morning of his disappearance Kevin, a dad of four and Liverpool FC fan, left the house to go to work. Shortly after, he was seen by his neighbour at a nearby bus stop. The neighbour offered Kevin a lift to work but he declined.
This was the last sighting of Kevin as he did not arrive for work and hasn’t been seen since. At the time of his disappearance, Kevin’s son, Kevin Jr, was away studying at university in Leeds.
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Kevin Jnr said: “I’ve chose to honour his memory as a selfless man. I set up a business named after him and his values: trust, honesty, respect, hard work, loyalty, continue his legacy so to speak.”
At the time of his disappearance, Kevin was described as white, 5’ 10”, of medium build, with blue eyes, and short brown hair. Kevin also has tattoos of a Liverbird and LFC on his lower right arm.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 03-001677
Nicholas Palmer
Nicholas had been living on his own when he went missing from Runcorn on February 26, 2003, and little is known about his disappearance. The 34-year-old didn’t take any luggage with him; just took a khaki canvas holdall, his driving licence, passport and benefits book.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 03-000976
Philip Fudge
Phillip Fudge was 21-years-old when he travelled from Hull to Liverpool for a Christmas party at HMS Eaglet on Sunday, December 10 1995.
He and two friends had planned to stay the night at a friend’s house near the base after the party. But Philip’s mum’s world was tipped upside down the following morning, when the same friends called her to ask if she had heard from him.
Despite having plans to spend the night with them, they had no idea where Philip was. Since he disappeared, his mum Nadine spent 24 years searching for her son until her death in 2019. Phillip’s sister Linda and his family have continued the search.
Philip had lived with his parents and four siblings in a home that his older sister, Linda, described as a “happy household”. Speaking to The Missing podcast, Linda said that she, Philip and their brother and two sisters lived on a large estate in the city, in a house with lots of love and care.
Linda said: “I’d got a phone call from my mother just to say that Philip hadn’t arrived home after his night out in Liverpool and the people who he was with didn’t know where he was and the alarm bells started ringing.
“He would have been back on the Sunday because, one thing I do remember, is he was meant to be driving over to the continent on Monday. The people who were also staying in the house didn’t know where he was and, again, no mobile phones so there was no way of tracking anybody down or making calls.”
Philip would now be 49 years old and Missing People are still asking for any information that could help them to find him. If you have information about the whereabouts of Philip, or information that could help, contact Missing People using reference number 95-001285.
Brian Hesketh
Brian Hesketh was 34 when he told his colleagues he was taking an early lunch on January 4, 1994. He never returned to work and has not been seen since.
Brian, from Gateacre, worked as a civil engineer for the council but had recently been unhappy at work before he went missing. He was described as 6ft 1in, of heavy build, with dark hair and brown eyes at the time of his disappearance
He was last seen wearing a dark suit, with a collar and tie, but might have had an anorak over his suit. On the 10th anniversary of his disappearance, Brian’s brother Peter told the ECHO: “My gut feeling is that he is alive and I never give up hope that we will one day see him again.”
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 94-000065
Mark Garvey
Mark Garvey went missing from his family home in Walton after leaving to visit his girlfriend. The 15-year-old was last seen near a bus stop by the Jolly Miller pub in Queens Drive, West Derby, on March 2 1987.
It later emerged Mark and his girlfriend had argued after he found her with his best friend. The teenager left in tears to catch a bus and has not been seen since that day 36 years ago.
Mark’s sister Rose Garvey, from Norris Green, made the promise to her dad as he lay on his deathbed in hospital in February 2019, that she would never stop looking for Mark, who vanished two years before she was born. Rose told the ECHO at the time: “I know now, why my dad was so protective of me as a child. If I was supposed to be home at 10pm and I came home five minutes late he’d be standing at the gate waiting for me.
“It’s heart breaking. Every birthday, every anniversary, when it came up you would see the sadness in my dad’s eyes. My dad’s always been lost, it was never the same for my dad.”
Police worked extensively on the case in the months following Mark’s disappearance, questioning everyone at his school – De La Salle in Croxteth. Officers also searched Walton Park with tracker dogs and an announcement was made over the loudspeakers at Goodison Park. But no trace was ever found of the teenager and the case still remains unsolved to this day.
Inspector Sandra Capkan, who leads the Missing Persons Team for Merseyside Police, told the ECHO last year: “We conduct six-monthly reviews on all inactive missing from home cases, carrying out checks across various agencies. If any new information came to light in relation to Mark, we would immediately reopen the case.”
Anyone with information on Mark’s whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 93-000064.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
