Some of Merseyside's missing people (clockwise from top left), Philip Fudge, Julie Melton, Mark Garvey and Brian Hesketh

Faces of nine people who vanished from Merseyside without a trace

by · Liverpool Echo

The ECHO has looked back at nine of the most puzzling missing people cases seen in Merseyside in the past 30 years

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Devastated families across Merseyside continue to wake up every morning without knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones. The ECHO has covered a number of heartbreaking cases in the past decades where every day people's loved ones have left and never come back.

Some of the stories are familiar to many, such as the disappearance of teenager Mark Garvey from a Queens Drive bus stop after he had an argument with his girlfriend. Missing since March 1987, his family have spoken to the ECHO about their hopes for Mark's future.

More recently, the disappearance of Carol Mighall - a nan from Birkenhead - has left both her family and investigating detectives stumped as to where she is. Her daughter told the ECHO this year it was "like an alien had zapped her up". But there are also the stories of those who went missing and dropped out of the public spotlight due to the length of their disappearance.

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Liverpool City Council engineer Brian Hesketh told his colleagues he was taking an early lunch break in 1994 and has not been seen since. His family previously told the ECHO 10 years after his disappearance they were convinced he is still alive. Some cases, like Mr Hesketh's, stretch back decades, while others only a matter of months.

The ECHO regularly shares the missing people's stories in the hope that they or someone who has information about their whereabouts can help reunite them with their loved ones. The ECHO has looked back at nine of the most puzzling disappearances seen in Merseyside in the past 30 years.

Charities such as Missing People UK - the only designated organisation working to reunite missing children and adults with their loved ones - has also listed a number of people from Merseyside and the north west. You can read the full list here. The ECHO also publishes missing person appeals on our website here.

  1. Carol Mighall

    Carol Mighall disappeared from her home in Birkenhead on January 4 this year and hasn't been seen since. The mum-of-five was last seen on CCTV in a convenience store on Rodney Street in the Wirral town centre that day.
    Speaking previously to the ECHO, the family said Carol's disappearance is completely out of character and they have been out looking for her daily. Tasha Price, Carol's niece, said at the time: "It feels like she's just fallen off the face of the earth. We've got no leads, we've had no sightings that are confirmed, we have no idea where she is.
    "We're such a big family, we cover the area of Birkenhead. We just want to know she's okay and she's safe. If she doesn't want to come home that's her own choice, she's an adult. We're not angry, she's not in trouble, we just want to know that she's okay."
    Carol is described as a white female, 5ft 4in tall, of slim build and with a pale complexion. She has brown shoulder length hair, often worn in a ponytail.
    Anyone who has seen Carol or knows of her whereabouts is asked to DM @MerPolCC or @missingpeople on 116 000.
    1 of 9(Image: Kayleigh Doyle)

  2. Alessandro Severitano

    Alessandro Severitano went missing from his home in Liverpool on Wednesday, October 22, 2014.
    On the day of his disappearance Alessandro turned 40-years-old and was last seen by friends at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital at around 9pm.
    His relatives released an appeal around a week after he went missing, that said: 'Alessandro, Mother is worried and anxious about you. She is waiting for you and cries every day.
    "Your sisters and your nieces are desperate, they want you home. Give us a sign, let us understand that you are alive and well. Don’t be afraid of anybody, we are here to help and protect you. Please Alessandro, get in touch with us, we really need to hug you again."
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  3. Brendan Taaffe

    Brendan Taaffe, from Birkenhead, was 39-years-old when he went missing. He was last seen at his sister Rachel’s home on Larch Road, Birkenhead, on January 26, 2010.
    His mum Ina Ina, who also has three daughters, previously said: “Every day without Brendan around is painful, but it is even worse on his birthday, Christmas and other family occasions.
    “He is missing out on so much – his sister Diane is getting married later this year and we would all love him to be there. He will be very much missed on his birthday. It doesn’t get easier as time goes on – we have no closure and imagine all kinds of things and go through every emotion from hope to despair. I just want to know he is safe and well, as do his children and sisters.”
    He is described as 6ft 1in, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 10-002273
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  1. Paul Fahy

    Paul Fahy was 33 when he vanished after a hospital visit at the Royal on February 18, 2002. Paul had a history of mental health problems and was on medication to treat bipolar disorder.
    Mum Sandra Howarth has never given up hope that one day her son will pick up the phone to say he is okay.
    Speaking to the ECHO in 2015, Sandra said: “It’s the wondering and the waiting that is so very hard. You’re in limbo. Every knock on the door could be him. Every time the phone rings, I think it might be Paul.
    “Every time I leave the house I am looking for Paul and I worry I might not recognise him.”
    Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 04-000767
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  2. Julie Melton

    Julie Melton has been missing from Liverpool for 17 years since July 23, 2004.
    On the day she disappeared, Julie, then 41, had lunch at her parents home on Somerville Road, in Waterloo. That night, she phoned them to say she was on her way home but has not been seen since.
    When last seen, she was wearing silver earrings, a black t-shirt and black trousers with a floral design on the right leg. Julie is described as 5ft 4ins, of slim build, with short brown hair, and speaks with a Liverpool accent.
    Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 04-001031
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  3. Kevin Fasting

    Kevin Fasting has not been seen in over 20 years since he left his parents' home in Aigburth on November 21, 2003, to go to work. The 49-year-old Liverpool fan, who has tattoos of LFC and a Liver Bird on his right forearm, has not made contact with his devastated family since.
    Speaking to the ECHO in 2019, his son Kevin Jr who was 21 when his dad disappeared, said: "You just assume you’re going to find a body after all this time. He never said he was going to kill himself, he just said we would be better off without him.”
    Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 03-001677
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  1. Mark Garvey

    Mark Garvey was 15 when he went missing from West Derby in 1987 after an argument with his girlfriend. He has never been seen since that day over 30 years ago, but his family haven't given up hope of finding him.
    Rose Garvey, from Norris Green, made the promise to her dad as he lay on his deathbed in hospital in February 2019, that she would never stop looking for Mark, who vanished two years before she was born.
    Rose told the ECHO at the time: “I know now, why my dad was so protective of me as a child. If I was supposed to be home at 10pm and I came home five minutes late he'd be standing at the gate waiting for me.
    “It's heart breaking. Every birthday, every anniversary, when it came up you would see the sadness in my dad's eyes. My dad's always been lost, it was never the same for my dad.”
    Anyone with information on Mark's whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 93-000064.
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  2. Philip Fudge

    Philip Fudge was 21 when he went missing after a Christmas party in Liverpool in 1995.
    Philip, a qualified baker and chef who was working as a lorry driver, was a member of the Territorial Army. He had driven to Liverpool from his home in Hull for a party at HMS Eaglet, the Royal Naval Reserves unit near the city centre, on December 10. He was seen leaving in a taxi with two girls, and has never been heard from since.
    Recalling her last conversation with Philip, mum Linda said: "I don't remember the last time I saw him, I remember the last time I spoke to him. I used to go down to my mum's on a Tuesday evening and I'd spoken to Philip, because me and my mother were going to the shopping centre Meadowhall on the Monday to do some Christmas shopping and I'd asked him what he wanted for Christmas.
    "It was decided I was just going to buy him a nice shirt to go out in, and just the usual conversation of 'go careful I'll speak to you soon' and that was the last conversation I had with him. So, that was the Tuesday, he went missing on the Saturday."
    Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 95-001285
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  3. Brian Hesketh

    Brian Hesketh was 34 when he told colleagues he was taking an early lunch on January 4, 1994. He never returned and has not been seen since.
    Brian, from Gateacre, worked as a civil engineer for the council but had recently been unhappy at work before he went missing.
    Speaking in 2004, his brother said: "In my heart of hearts, I really believe that Brian is alive. I do not believe he disappeared to take his own life. He said he was unhappy at work but we weren't aware of any other problems.
    "Obviously 10 years has passed and although I do not believe he took his own life a great deal can happen in 10 years, such as an illness or an accident.
    "But my gut feeling is that he is alive and I never give up hope that we will one day see him again."
    Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Missing People by call or text for free on 116000, using the reference 94-000065
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