March 2026

Cleveland Police detectives investigating the disappearance and suspected murder of 17-year-old Donna Keogh have returned to the Leeds area, where fresh lines of enquiry are being revisited almost three decades after she vanished.  

Donna went missing from Middlesbrough in April 1998.

Despite an extensive and lengthy investigation, Donna’s body has never been found and it is strongly suspected she was murdered shortly after she disappeared.

Officers know that Donna was last seen in central Middlesbrough on Tuesday 28th April 1998 and have confirmed she was being exploited at the time and travelled to Leeds during 1998.

Detectives are now making a renewed appeal to the public – particularly to anyone in the Chapeltown area of Leeds in 1998. Anyone who may have information regarding Donna’s movements around the time, or may have seen or spoken to her, is asked to get in touch on 101 or go to: www.mipp.police.uk to pass on information.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Steven Chatterton, said: “Our investigation has taken us back to the Leeds area, particularly Chapeltown, where we are revisiting a number of important lines of enquiry. 

“We’re asking anyone who may have seen Donna, spoken to her, or knows anything about her movements in Leeds in 1998 to come forward. Even the smallest detail could be the missing link. Donna’s family have lived with unbearable uncertainty for nearly 30 years. We remain in close contact with them, and we are determined to find out what happened to Donna for them.

“Tragically, Donna’s father, Brian, recently passed away without ever learning what happened to his daughter — something which has caused profound distress to the family. Somebody out there knows the truth. If you have information, please tell us. You can contact us directly or report anonymously.”

A £20,000 reward from Crimestoppers remains in place in connection with the murder of Donna. Contact Crimestoppers anonymously online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or call 0800 555 111.

More information on the ongoing Donna Keogh case can be found here: https://www.cleveland.police.uk/police-forces/cleveland-police/areas/cleveland-police/campaigns/op-… 

September 2025

Enquiries conducted by the current investigation team suggest that Donna may have attended the Leeds area in the time period leading up to her disappearance. Numerous sightings have been providing indicating Donna may have been in the Chapeltown area of Leeds.

18/06/2018 

An area of waste ground in Middlesbrough is being excavated as part of attempts to solve a 20-year-old murder case. (leave map in) 

Police and a specialist search team started work at a former allotment site near to Troon Close, Middlesbrough today (Monday 18th June 2018) as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Donna Keogh from Middlesbrough in 1998, when she was just 17 years old. 

 During the course of the excavation a fragment of human jawbone was recovered, however, forensic testing (including DNA testing and radiocarbon dating) has confirmed that it is not related to the murder investigation and dates back to the early-medieval period. 

11/05/2018

A fresh campaign asking for the public’s help to solve the disappearance 20-years-ago of a missing Middlesbrough girl has received a major boost. Three weeks on from the launch of the re-investigation of the disappearance of Donna Keogh from Middlesbrough in 1998 when she was just 17, a dedicated #FindDonna website has been visited by several thousand people and a number of calls have come into police with information about the case.

Detective Superintendent Michael Hunt, leading the investigation, said: “More than 4,000 people have visited the #FindDonna website and many thousands more have shared our appeals on social media. 20-years on from her disappearance, the response from the people of Middlesbrough to our renewed investigation has been magnificent.

“As well as public interest we’ve also received a number of telephone calls, passing information on to officers about Donna’s disappearance. It is too early to say more, but we will fully investigate any information we receive and will act with the aim of finally understanding what happened to Donna.”

Donna has never been found and what began as a missing person enquiry in 1998 is now being conducted as a murder investigation.

The disappearance of Donna, as well the deaths of two other young women, now forms part of Cleveland Police’s Historic Investigations Unit (HIU), which was recently established by a special grant from the Home Office.

To support the investigation, visit www.finddonna.co.uk to view details about Donna’s life, her disappearance and the police’s ongoing investigation.

16/04/2018

Twenty years ago a girl disappeared from Middlesbrough, traumatising her family and friends and tormenting them with questions which remain unanswered to this day. Donna Keogh was just 17-years-old when she disappeared from her home in Middlesbrough in 1998. Despite a number of investigations into her disappearance over the years, she has never been found, and what began as a missing person enquiry is now being conducted as a murder investigation.

The disappearance of Donna, as well the deaths of two other young women, now forms part of Cleveland Police’s Historic Investigations Unit, recently established by a special grant from the Home Office.

The strategic operational advisor Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Green said: “Donna was born in November 1980, the middle of three children. She enjoyed a happy childhood and was close to her family including cousins her own age. She had many friends both from school and her local estates and while at school she had dreams of following a family tradition in joining the military, showing a particular interest in the Navy.”

“At the time she went missing, which is believed to be sometime in mid-April 1998, Donna was living with her cousins at King House in Middlesbrough. A missing person enquiry was launched but the case has remained unresolved and is now being treated as a homicide. Donna’s body has never been found and we are appealing directly to anybody who knows where Donna is or knows what happened to her to help us now. We want to help give Donna’s family the answers and closure they so desperately seek.”

“Three generations of Donna’s family, from her parents to nieces and nephews who she never had the chance to meet still grieve her loss and 2018, the 20th anniversary of her disappearance, is a sad reminder for the family of the life that Donna could have had, but has devastatingly missed out on. We are appealing to the public to help end the nightmare which Donna’s friends and family continue to live with every day. We are appealing for help to find Donna.”

To support the investigation, a new Find Donna website has been launched at www.finddonna.co.uk with details about Donna’s life, her disappearance and the police’s ongoing investigation.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Green continued: “Someone knows what happened to Donna. Many more people will have vital information about her which could help her family and friends reach some sort of closure. It has been too long, 20 years is too long for a family to live like this, please help us find Donna.”

09/04/2018

Funding has been secured to establish a specialist team to investigate several unsolved crimes on Teesside.

In 2017 Cleveland Police and Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner applied for a special grant from the Home Office to fund the investigation of three separate historic cases. The cases involve the disappearance of three young women in Middlesbrough between 1998 and 2002. Two of the victims are known to have been murdered, while the third has never been found; this enquiry has also been declared a murder investigation.

Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger said: “In such longstanding unsolved cases as these my thoughts are always with the family and friends who grieve each day for the unexplained disappearance of their loved ones. It's very important that no stone is left unturned in our efforts to discover what happened to these three young women and in seeking justice for them.

“For that reason I am delighted we have been successful in a bid for £3.77m from the Home Office to fund an Historic Investigation Unit (HIU) which will focus on a range of specific cases which have been investigated before but remain unsolved. The central grant we have received means we will not need to divert funds from day-to-day policing or use money from the local precept, to pay for this important work.

“I set out in my Police and Crime Plan that I would work with Cleveland Police to secure the future of our communities, which are made stronger not just through current neighbourhood policing and partnership working but also through specialist teams such as this HIU. Although often not as visible to the public, such teams play a vital role and I welcome the Force’s determination and commitment to investigate these cases further.

“It may be there are people out there who have knowledge about these cases and have not yet come forward. Whatever the reason for that, I would urge them now to take the step of contacting the police, however trivial the information may seem it may be vital in building up the picture of what happened to these young women.”

Assistant Chief Constable Jason Harwin said: “The HIU will look into the deaths of Vicky Glass in 2000, Rachel Wilson in 2002 and the disappearance of Donna Keogh in 1998.

“There is commonality between the cases through the sex and ages of the victims and all being linked geographically to Middlesbrough. It is too early in the re-investigations to say if there are any other links.

“In our funding bid to the Home Office we made it clear that these are complex investigations that will require meticulous investigation over a number of years to complete. We will continue to work closely with the families of the three victims to keep them informed of developments and will also seek the ongoing support the public, and the media, as the investigations progress.”

The Investigation

At the time of her disappearance in April 1998 Donna Marie Keogh was 17 years of age, living with her cousins in a block of flats called King House, Central Mews, Middlesbrough. The flat was located in the town centre and Donna spent a lot of time frequenting this area with friends.

Donna was known to keep in regular contact with her family and friends, which ceased in mid-April 1998. This resulted in her concerned family reporting her missing. The last confirmed sighting of Donna was at King House on Tuesday 28th April 1998. 

In May 1998 Cleveland Police launched a missing from home inquiry.

King House, Central Mews, Middlesbrough

Missing from home poster

Donna was never found and it is strongly suspected that she was murdered sometime close to the time she went missing.

On the 17th October 2016 following an independent review of Donnas' case, Cleveland Police launched Operation Resolute, a homicide investigation into the circumstances around her disappearance and subsequent murder.

The review has identified that around the time of Donnas' disappearance in mid-April 1998, she was seen in the Hartington Road, Aske Road and Bow Street areas of Middlesbrough.

The investigation will be revisiting these sightings to establish when Donna was last seen and what happened to her after that time.

A dedicated investigation team has been set up to examine all historical material linked to the previous missing from home case and to identify any new lines of inquiry. Headed by Detective Superintendent Mick Hunt, the team are focused on locating Donna's remains and finding out exactly what happened to her in 1998.