New Tricks-style team tackles unsolved cases
ACADEMICS and retired detectives have created a New Tricks-style cold case team in a bid to help relatives of people missing presumed dead.
The review unit – just like the hit BBC show – draws on students from a range of backgrounds including criminology, forensic science, forensic computing and law.
The team, who dig into abandoned inquiries as part of their studies, work for the Locate International charity.
Mastermind Dave Grimstead, an expolice inspector, now has experts from Leeds Beckett University, the University of South Wales and University of Central Lancashire on four cases.
Any breakthroughs will be shared with the National Crime Agency.
Dave said: “We will collate and digitalise and archive using the same methodology and protocols as used in murder investigation – this way we are able to engage specialists from around the world to review material.”
Their first case is that of Charles Horvath-Allan who vanished 31 years ago while backpacking in Canada.
His mum Denise, 71, fears she will “go to her grave” not knowing what happened. Three years after he disappeared in 1989 she received an anonymous
The cold-case team from TV drama series New Tricks. Inset, Charles Horvath-Allan, who has been missing since 1989
note saying he had been beaten to death on the campsite where he was staying. But his body was never found and no arrests made.
Denise, who lives in London, said: “Families of missing people will never get closure, you will always have lost a loved one. But if I can get some answers I think it will ease some of the torment I have suffered for the past 31 years. The brain never rests, it is always asking questions. Why?Who stole my son from my life? “Some parents go to their grave never knowing. I always thought if I fought long enough, I would eventually know what happened. But time’s not on my side.”
Charles was on a gap year and mother and son planned to meet in Hong Kong to celebrate his 21st and her 40th birthday. Denise sold her beauty salon and ran up a £4,000 phone bill hunting for clues. Leeds Beckett lecturer Kirsty Bennett said: “Our students provide a service to families of the missing, looking for opportunities to progress the cases that might not otherwise get the focused attention that they need.
“This isn’t a promise we are going to solve the case. It’s to offer families and police the opportunity for other people to have a look at the case in different ways and potentially offer a new line of inquiry.”