Police in Blackpool have reissued an appeal for information in the 20-year-old investigation into the disappearance of Charlene Downes, a case that remains the force's longest unsolved murder investigation. A reward of £100,000 is being offered for information that leads to the prosecution of those responsible or the recovery of her body.
Charlene, then 14, was last seen on November 1, 2003, at the end of an alleyway on Abingdon Street after meeting a friend. Despite extensive investigations, including thousands of statements and recorded evidence, no trace of her has ever been found. The case has been linked to a kebab shop, allegations of a paeodphile ring, and the criminal underworld.
Two local takeaway workers were tried for her murder in 2007. Prosecutors suggested her body had been disposed of by being minced into kebabs and her bones crushed into tile grout. The charges were eventually dropped when a jury could not reach a verdict, and a retrial was canceled after the police investigation was deemed to have been handled unprofessionally.
Lancashire Police stated that their efforts to determine what happened to Charlene have not ceased. Detectives believe she was sexually exploited and murdered, and that she may have been a victim of a network exploiting vulnerable young girls. The investigation was upgraded from a missing person case to a murder inquiry in 2006.
Over the past two decades, the inquiry has generated more than 16,000 police actions, nearly 7,000 statements, and over 7,500 exhibits. Despite this, no convictions have been secured. A previous reward of £100,000 was offered in December 2014.
In 2009, the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigated Lancashire Police's handling of the case, concluding that evidence gathering methods contributed to the collapse of the retrial.
The disappearance has been the subject of documentaries, a "Justice for Charlene" campaign, private investigator inquiries, and a podcast titled "Charlene: Somebody Knows Something." On the 20th anniversary of her disappearance in 2023, Charlene's mother, Karen Downes, made an emotional appeal for information, expressing hope that her daughter is alive and safe. Charlene's father, Bob, has spoken of facing hostility after it emerged a convicted sex offender was staying at their home when Charlene vanished.
Police urge anyone with any information, no matter how small, to contact them on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers.org.