Cold Cases You've Never Heard of (U.K. Edition).

The total number of murders in the U.K a year is approximately 600. This figure continues to decrease. Yet 180,000 people go missing in the U.K every year, and this number keeps increasing...

Kevin Dundon (Aged 22).

Kevin Dundon, went missing while employed by shipping company Townsend Thoresen and had been working on the vessel (Viking Viscount) for three days when he disappeared on 21st September 1980.

Witness statements from colleagues said he was working in the plate room at about 18:00 BST. The last confirmed sighting of him was 30 minutes later when he was believed to have been seen exiting the galley through a door which could have taken him to either the toilets or the deck.

"When he wasn't working, all of them would nip into the ship's bar for a drink," said Tom. There were lots of crew and a few passengers in that ship's bar and they were having drinks and laughs. "

Tom, Kevin's brother who he stayed with the night before boarding, said he received a phone call in the early hours of the morning from a priest at Felixstowe who told him that immediately after the ship had docked, a crew member went to talk to him about what had happened on the boat.

"The padre said to me that he couldn't tell me what he said but don't let it drop, bad things had happened on the boat," said Tom. He continues to say it was a "shame" they did not get the information they wanted.

But, he added: "We are absolutely certain that there are local people who know things, we have to got to hope that someone's conscience is playing on them and it's too much to bear."

Suffolk Police previously said there was "growing support" that his disappearance was not accidental.

Tom, now aged 64, and his brothers Jimmy and Danny, 60 and 65, said they always suspected it to be a foul play or murder case.

Police from the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Unsolved Case Team said the witnesses were interviewed by the Cypriot police.

A spokesman said: "The pair confirmed they were on the ship the day Kevin disappeared, but offered no new information to assist the inquiry. The team will continue to act on any credible evidence in relation to Kevin's case and appeal for anyone with information to contact them."

Melanie Hall (25 years old).

Melanie, who was a 25-year-old clerical worker at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday 9 June 1996, at Cadillacs nightclub (now Walcot House) in Walcot Street, Bath, following a night out with friends.

The last believed sighting of Melanie was inside the club at about 1.45 am.

Her remains were found next to the northbound slip road of junction 14 on M5 (Thornbury) by a workman on October 5, 2009.

Melanie’s father Steve Hall has said previously that his family will "forever" grieve for their daughter whose life was "snatched" from her.

Mr Hall said Melanie's mother, Patricia, is left with the "lasting memory" of viewing a "battered skull and a few broken bones in the coroner's office at Portishead".

Almost exactly 11 years after the remains were found Avon and Somerset Police have a renewed focus on their investigation revealed exclusively by Bath Live.

There was an unconfirmed sighting of a woman arguing with a man between 1.45 am and 2 am on Old Orchard (around the corner from the nightclub’s entrance).

Police have "not ruled out" that this is Melanie and have asked anyone who may remember this incident to get in touch.

What's more, police have re-issued an E-fit to identify a man who two witnesses said they saw with a woman, matching Melanie’s description, inside Cadillac's nightclub.

He’s described as being white, 27 years old, 5ft 10ins, of medium build with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, bushy eyebrows and clean-shaven.

He was wearing black trousers, black shoes and a brown silk shirt. It’s possible he had a gold hooped earring in his right ear and wore a flashy gold watch.

“A small or seemingly insignificant piece of information could still be the key to solving this case. We’d ask the public to please consider the appeal points above, as well as the key dates and locations which feature in this case, and call our investigation team if you can help. You may feel able to speak to us now when you couldn’t before.”

Melanie’s father Steve Hall has previously released a powerful and moving statement detailing the impact the murder has had on their lives.

He said last year: “It is now over 23 years since our youngest daughter, Melanie, was murdered, probably on the streets of Bath. Since that time the Avon and Somerset Police have poured endless resources into their attempt to find her killer. Sadly, as yet, this objective remains unfulfilled, although I and my family remain eternally optimistic that, eventually they will be successful. They will take their awful secret to the grave"

He continued to say “In our family, we will forever grieve for, and miss our lovely daughter. A young woman whose life stretched before her until that fateful night in June 1996, when that life was so cruelly snatched from her. She will never fulfil her life’s ambitions, never marry, never have children and my wife and I will never have another grandchild. Her mother’s lasting memory of her youngest daughter is the day she viewed a battered skull and a few broken bones in the coroner’s office at Portishead. We have little hope that Melanie’s murderer will ever be caught as a result of information from a member of the public.

Furthermore, he said, "The lives of the person responsible and those others who know what happened that night are governed by a totally different set of rules and moral responsibilities from the rest of us. We are sure that, after all these years they will happily take their awful secret to the grave as we will do the same with our grief. For the sake of all those in the Avon and Somerset Police, I hope they are successful in bringing someone to justice, for they have really put up a maximum effort to find Melanie’s killer."

He concludes "Unfortunately, should they be successful, this will not bring closure, as only the return of Melanie alive will achieve that, and that is gone forever.”

Charlene Downes (14 years old).

Charlene was 14 years old when she was reported missing from her home in Blackpool on 3 November 2003.

Around 6.45 pm, November 1st 2003, they walked up to Church Street where their mother was handing out leaflets and they went to say hello to her. The three chatted before Charlene’s sister decided to go home. Charlene called some friends in the phone box on Leopold Grove and met up with them before saying goodbye to her mother. The girls went off together. Charlene stayed with them for a short while before leaving in the direction of Caunce Street. It is not known what Charlene did for the next hour or so, but she did meet up with another friend.

CCTV footage shows Charlene with her sister Rebecca on Bank Hey Street in Blackpool town centre at 3.25 pm on the afternoon of Saturday, November 1st 2003. The pair are walking towards the Coral Island amusement arcade.

Shortly after these images were captured Charlene returned home but then went back out into Blackpool town centre later that evening and from there she disappeared. The clothes she is wearing in this footage are the same as when she vanished. Around 9.30 pm Charlene and her friend went to the Carousel bar on the North pier. They didn’t stay long and headed back into the town centre before parting company near Talbot Road/Abingdon Street around 11 pm.

In 2007, a takeaway owner Iyad Albattikhi was accused of murdering her while co-owner Mohammed Reveshi was alleged to have helped to dispose of her body. The trial heard that her body was "chopped up and put in kebabs" at Funny Boyz fast food shop in Blackpool. But charges against both of them were withdrawn after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

There is evidence that Charlene was a victim of Child Sexual Exploitation prior to her death. We continue to investigate the wider issue of child sexual exploitation in Blackpool for which we have now secured a number of successful convictions against men who have abused vulnerable teenage girls. If you have been a victim of abuse, please speak to the police. We will listen to you, support you and bring offenders to justice.

The man leading the investigation into Charlene Downes’ death is Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Webster, Lancashire Constabulary’s Head of Investigations. His message is clear in the hunt for Charlene’s killer(s).

He said: “We remain committed to finding Charlene’s killer(s) and her body despite it being more than 15 years since she went missing. A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or recovery of her body. We will continue to not only focus on her disappearance and murder but also on the wider issue of child sexual exploitation in Blackpool, for which we have now secured a number of successful convictions.

He continues “I would encourage anyone who knows anything about Charlene’s disappearance and death to come forward and speak to us. Similarly, if you have been a victim of abuse, please speak to the police. We will listen to you, support you and bring offenders to justice.”

A man was arrested on suspicion of Charlene’s murder in August 2017 and remains under investigation. There is still a £100,000 reward on offer for information leading to the conviction of Charlene Downes’ killer(s) or the recovery of her body. The money has been sanctioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw.

Philip Green (11 years old).

The body of 11-year-old Philip Green was discovered by a police tracker dog spread out on a bed of beeches leaves. The boy had been strangled and bludgeoned to death in a crime which has not been solved. The youngster was thought to be killed as he collected lost golf balls on Tuesday, March 31, 1970.

But it was at noon on April 1, 1970, that the child's body was found. Philip was described as a popular and quiet boy - with so much life to look forward to. No one could understand what kind of twisted killer would have brought an end to a young life.

Philip's adoptive parents, Gladys and Ivor, who had taken care of him since he was a baby, were left devastated. Detectives immediately sprang into action and discovered Philip's movements on that dreadful day.

That morning he had dropped in on his friends Philip Walsh, Christine Bennett and her brother, John. The group wandered down to the fields below Coombe Dingle to look at horses.

Then after lunch, the entrepreneurial youngster headed down to Shirehampton golf course, where he would often hunt for lost golf balls and sell them back to golfers.

Before teatime, he returned home, with two shillings he had earned, and then told his mum he was going out again. He left before 7 pm and was never seen again.

Nobody knows what happened next; where he went, what he was doing, or who he saw or spoke to between leaving the house and being found lying not far from the 12th green on Shirehampton golf course. But the chilling discovery sent shock waves throughout Bristol and investigators were determined to find the child killer.

Detective Chief Superintendent Arthur Hardy led the investigation and during his determination to solve it, he even hijacked the public address system at Bristol Rovers' Eastville Stadium at half-time in a match against Stockport County. Up to 17,500 spectators listened as Hardy pleaded for witnesses to come forward. Over the investigation though one witness did come forward and described seeing a scruffy looking man climbing over the wall between Shirehampton Road and the golf course at 8.15 pm. He was said to be about 5'7" with black, greased-back hair. He wore a light coloured baggy trench coat that reached down to his calves but was never identified.

The police operating centre at Kingsweston police station became so busy that it was known as "the sardine factory". By the end of the year, a colossal 14,000 statements had been taken from some 12,000 people. Officers were without witnesses and resorted to quizzing as many people as possible - including hundreds of golfers and people living near the course.

In Sea Mills three housewives collected signatures and pledges from people wanting the killer caught and they raised a whopping £1,000 reward - a huge amount of money at a time.

The case remains open in 2017 and police have not given up on finding out who did kill Philip. Anyone with information about the inquiry can contact Detective Sergeant Pete Frake in the Major Crime Review Team on 101.

Tracey Mertens (31 years old).

Police say the mother-of-two was kidnapped from her old Cattells Grove home on December 23 and bundled into a yellow Ford Escort. Tracey was only briefly visiting her former Birmingham address, having then moved to Rochdale, to collect a benefits book from the property. Her kidnappers later doused the blindfolded 31-year-old in petrol, before brutally setting her alight and leaving her to die on the steps of a church.

The former dinner lady's screams of terror were heard by a passer-by who rushed to her aid. Her clothes, despite freezing temperatures, were still piping hot from the petrol the burns, so horrifying, her aid thought Tracey was wearing a costume. Tracey lived for several hours following the harrowing attack, fighting for her life in hospital where she was able to give detectives some information about her abduction.

Sadly, however, she lost her battle for life on Christmas Eve, 1994. Doctors were unable to save the mum who had burns on over 95 per cent of her body. Cheshire Police say Tracey described her killers as two black men, around 30-years-old, 'big and fat' with 'Jamaican accents'.Tracey told police she heard the pair speak in a foreign language before the terrible crime. Despite best efforts, and thousands of interviews, detectives have never been able to charge anyone with Tracey's murder. A £30,000 reward for information leading to a conviction currently sits on ice.

Leading the case, Detective Inspector Kate Tomlinson said: "Tracey met a violent and horrific death at the hands of her killers.

She continues "She was so brave and told detectives as much as she could before she died. That information was vital for the investigation team at the time, and numerous lines of enquiry were pursued. Over the years we have renewed our appeal and a number of people have come forward with information - I would like to thank them for their assistance. However, despite extensive enquiries, nobody has ever been charged with Tracey’s murder.

“Therefore, as Tracey’s family prepares to spend another Christmas Day without her, I would personally appeal to anyone who has any information about Tracey’s death to get in touch – even the smallest amount of information can be crucial when piecing together a case. I appreciate that it is a long time ago but I am sure that if you witnessed something you would still remember this now. I would urge anyone with any information to come forward and help us with our investigation."

Anyone with information should contact Cheshire Police's Operation Eaton investigation team by calling 101. Alternatively, information can be passed on anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.