It’s one of the scariest moments any one can imagine. A loved one, gone. There one day and then missing.
For over 20 thousand families in Manchester, this is their experience every year. While 96% of these people are found, 4% are not. A small percentage, but this is 837 people. 837 families left without answers. Day after day.
When hours turn to days, days to weeks, and weeks to years – the question lingers, who is still looking for my person? Police cases pile up, cold cases lose priority while people are not found.
One of the organisations responsible for these numbers in the National Crime Agency. A spokesperson explained the process that happens behind the scenes when a missing person is reported and not found after a continuous search.
“Well, it really depends on the circumstances of the person. Some people want to go missing, which is not a crime or illegal therefore we tend to prioritise the individual circumstances.”
“For cases such as a child we class them as a high priority case which is led by the police force”.
“As a unit we need to decide the factors relating to a risk assessment and that’s when the police contact us (The National Crime Agency) where we will carry out further enquiries and forensic evidence on behalf of local forces.”
Nearly 16 years on no one is any closer to finding Jordan Ratcliffe. Jordan was 16 when he went missing on the 31st August 2008. Jordan was dropped off in Manchester by his auntie Kimberley Pierce. Kimberely noticed Jordan went missing a few days later after not receiving a call back from him, it was then she reported it to the police. The investigation has now hit a standstill despite a £20,000 reward to help with his disappearance.
In 2017, when the case was passed onto Greater Manchester’s police murder squad where there have been numerous checks carried out over the years to try and trace Jordan. Unfortunately, Jordan is still a missing person.
“In the 15 years since being reported missing there have been extensive enquiries to try and locate Jordan with searches being conducted in local areas and potential leads followed throughout other areas of the UK. Despite a £20k reward being issued the answers to Jordans disappearance have not yet been found. Every piece of information and every sighting has been followed up” says GMP.
Jordans auntie states how “It’s been so hard not having him here,” she said. “It never gets any easier. It just sits at the back of your mind. The hardest part is not knowing and nobody else knowing. I’ve stayed in the same house as it’s the only place he knows to go back to.”
The National Crime Agency may also get expert help from the National Crime Agency’s Major Crime Investigative Support (MCIS) which will continue to give specialist advice and support on missing people and manage the forensic database of DNA profiles for missing people investigations. Jordans case is still an open missing person case with GMP and will remain so until the answers relating to his disappearance are found.