Cops reopen probe into disappearance of Scots teen who "went to bed, then was gone"

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Police have reopened a probe into the disappearance of Kenneth Jones, who went missing in Fife in 1998. Kenneth was last seen, aged 18, around 10.30pm on Monday, November 2, 1998, in the Ancrum Court area of Glenrothes.

His mum Mary Ann Jones previously told the Record that the last time she saw her son was when he went to bed that evening at the family home - but the next morning he was gone. Extensive enquiries have been carried out to try and trace Kenneth, who would now be 44 years old, but there has been no trace of him.

Detectives say that there have "always been unanswered questions" around Kenneth's disappearance and have appealed to anyone who knew the teen and has not previously spoken to police to get in touch.

Mary Ann described how Kenneth took "no clothes and had no money" on the day he went missing 26 years ago. "It was just like he disappeared into thin air," she said.

In the past, a couple of false leads gave the family fleeting hope he might be found but they failed to deliver any trace of him. In 2016, cops produced an aged-up e-fit image of what Kenneth may have looked like at that time.

Detective Inspector Chris Mill said “We regularly review unsolved missing person cases and there have always been unanswered questions around Kenneth’s disappearance. His family have never given up hope of finding him and have worked closely with the charity Missing People.org to try and keep his disappearance in the public eye.

“They produced an image of him a few years ago which gives an artist’s impression of what he may have aged to look like. If anyone recognises Kenneth from this picture, or has any information that can help our enquiries, please contact us.

“I would appeal particularly to anyone who knew him and his social circle well, or any of his friends and relatives that we have not already spoken to, to please get in touch. “It’s essential we find out what happened to Kenneth so we can bring his family some much needed closure after all this time.”

Mary Ann has been left to wonder every day what became of her son and said she couldn’t bear to live in the family home after Kenneth left. Speaking to the Record in 2018, she said: “It was like living with ghosts. The one thing I’ve held on to was his house coat. I’ve never washed it and it’s hanging up in the wardrobe. My friends and family all say, ‘He’s out there somewhere,’ but it’s just hard. Every day is a struggle.”

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Mary Ann also previously stated that she felt like Kenneth had been forgotten, although she knew police had done what they could at the time. Kenneth is described as white, 6ft 2in tall, with short, dark-brown hair. When last seen, he was wearing a black leather zip-up jacket, black jeans, and yellow and green trainers.

If you have any information at all that could help our enquiries, please contact local officers via 101. You can also speak to the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police Scotland works in close partnership with the Missing People Charity - the only charity in the UK which specialises in and is dedicated to bringing missing children and adults back together with their families. They can be contacted via telephone on free phone 116 000 or by visiting the Missing People website.

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