FOI 1012/25 Unsolved Murder
Enquiry Reference: 1012-25
Date: 04/11/25
I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request. Below is your request and our response.
A list of all open murder investigations (unsolved murders) within Cleveland Police authority, for murder committed between 1985 and 2000.
Please include the name of the victim, and the location and date of the crime.
- a) Please note the Police, under Home office Counting Rules consider a case to be solved when a subject is charged with a relevant offence. The case then proceeds to the Courts, where the person charged may be acquitted at trial, or subsequently on appeal. Where a further review has been undertaken into that offence, this is included in these figures (e.g. Mrs Simpson) but there are other cases where this may apply.
22/09/1963 Linda COOK. (Age 22 years)
Linda COOK was found on wasteland near to railway lines in Redcar near to Green Lane. Believed she had been dumped from a car (possibly a Cortina), on the evening of 21/09/1963. Death was due to asphyxia from strangulation and choking. As a result of enquiries, a number of males who drove similar cars were interviewed.
19/01/1968 Kimberley JACKSON (Age 5 months)
Kimberley JACKSON was taken in her pram from outside her home address in Norton. Her pram was located nearby and the body found a few hours later lying face down in a pool of water, death was due to drowning. Murder enquiry launched but no persons charged.
31/07/1969 Jean PALAM, (Age 33 years at time of attack)
Jean PALAM was found in a recessed alleyway between Fleetham Street and Church Street, Middlesbrough. She was unconscious and had received severe head injuries from with being hit with a house brick numerous time. She had a fractured skull and broken jaw. PALAM remained unconscious for 14 days. Due to her condition, she was transferred to St. Luke’s hospital where she remained until her death, on 8th May 1983. Police never interviewed PALAM as it was stated she had never been sufficiently coherent since the attack. The law relating to murder at that time required death to be within one year of the assault.
27/02/1988 Kate SIMPSON (Age 94 years)
Kate SIMPSON was found dead at her home address in Stockton having been stabbed. A number of persons were interviewed re the incident. 3 males were given life sentences for the murder but were acquitted by the appeal court in 1992.
16/09/1989 Trevor Roy Metcalfe (Age 25 years)
The body of Trevor Metcalfe was found on recreational ground at Dormanstown, adjacent to the Middlesbrough/Redcar trunk road. A postmortem conducted revealed that he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head which had been caused as a result of an assault. Numerous persons were interviewed, but no evidence to substantiate charges.
03/06/1989 Deceased: Tina Jane Bell (Age 17 years)
Tina Bell went missing on 3rd June 1989 from her home address in Billingham. On 20th April 1990 part of her skeletal remains (Skull) were found on waste ground in Billingham. A murder enquiry was launched but no offender has ever been charged with her murder.
28/12/1992 Steven CLARK (Age 23 years)
Steven Clark, a young man with physical disabilities, was last reported by his mother entering the Toilets at Saltburn Pier, after a walk in her company, following a family argument that day regarding attending a football match with his father. His mother returned home without him and there has been no evidence of his continued life. Two arrests were made in 2020 in relation to his murder. There have been no charges
19/04/1998 Donna Marie KEOUGH (Age 17yrs)
Donna KEOUGH was last seen in the Bow Street area of Middlesbrough in April 1998 and reported missing in May 1998. There is no evidence of her continued life, and the incident is being investigated under Operation PANDECT which includes the Vicky GLASS case.
24/09/2000 Vicky GLASS (Age 21 years)
Vicky GLASS was last sighted on 24th September 2000 in Middlesbrough Town Centre, her remains were found in a field near Danby North Yorkshire on 3rd November 2000. This incident is being investigated under Operation PANDECT
27/06/2003 Darren Norman Manders (Age 31 years)
On 27th June 2003 a report was filed with Cleveland Police from Darren Manders mother. She recorded that the last contact that she had with him was on the telephone on 4th June 2003. Cleveland Police launched a missing from home investigation and on the 27th July 2003 the body of Mr Manders was located within woodland near Nunthorpe in Middlesbrough. A postmortem examination was carried out and the cause of death was identified as being blunt force trauma to the head. The last positive sighting of Mr Manders was on 5th June 2003. Various people were interviewed, but no charges were forthcoming.
03/06/2006 Daniel Terrance Ransom (Age 17 years)
On Saturday 3rd June 2006 Police were called to a disturbance at the junction of Hamilton Road and Londonderry Road Stockton on Tees. On Police arrival there were approximately 20 – 30 people present in the street with a disturbance in progress. Mr Ransom was in the street and seen to be getting back to his feet from the ground. He was offered medical attention and advised to go to hospital (he refused). During the remainder of that day Ransom complained of headaches and was constantly being sick and his speech was slurred. Later that day he was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department where he was admitted into hospital. His condition deteriorated over the next few days and on Thursday 8th June 2006 he died in the intensive care unit. A postmortem examination identified cause of death as complications following blunt force trauma to the head. On Tuesday 18th March 2008 the coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. Numerous people were interviewed, but no charges were forthcoming.
11/05/2011 Scott Anthony FLETCHER (Age 27 years)
Reported as missing by family members on 18th May 2011, the last confirmed sightings of him were in the Durham area on 11th May 2011. There has been no evidence of his continued life from that time. A number of people have been interviewed, but no charges were forthcoming.
30/05/2018 Naheed KHAN (Age 43 years)
Reported as missing by family members on 12th June 2018, KHAN was last sighted in central Middlesbrough over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. There has been no evidence of her continued life from that time. A number of persons have been arrested but no charges were forthcoming.
10/12/2019 Natalie JENKINS (Age 32 years)
Reported missing by family members, JENKINS is last known to have been alive on 10/12/2019 following identification from CCTV coverage. There has been no evidence of her continued life from that time. A number of persons have been arrested but there have been no charges
Having made enquiries within the Force above is all the information we hold.
The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.
If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The Freedom of Information Code of Practice (see below link) states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced. Public authorities are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this date.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-code-of-practice
Yours sincerely
Information Rights Decision Maker