Bloodstained cap could hold key clue after teen dad died yards from home after stabbing

Kyle Whitley was just 18 and recently had his first child when he was confronted by three people and stabbed to death inside his flat before dragging himself to a nearby alleyway where he died

A bloodstained cap and the known escape routes of the alleged killers are among the only evidence and could hold key clues after a teen dad was stabbed in his own home.

Kyle Whitley was just 18 when he was confronted by three people and fatally stabbed inside his flat on Vincent Road, Litherland, on the afternoon of April 13 2020. Kyle, who had recently had his first child, managed to drag himself to a nearby alleyway where he then collapsed.

The vulnerable teenager, who had been living independently for around six months in the flat after his recent move out of the care system, died of a single stab wound to the chest in Aintree University Hospital less than an hour after he was stabbed. Six people have been arrested in connection with Kyle's murder, but to this day no one has been charged or convicted.

The ECHO published this week an interview with his mum Lisa Whitley who said the teenager was stabbed after he refused to sell drugs for a local gang involved in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine. After not getting justice for her son for over four years, Ms Whitley appealed to the Litherland community to "be brave enough and strong enough to stand up" to break the cycles of crime. As it stands a number of pieces of evidence are known to the police, but the murder weapon has not been recovered.

One year on from Kyle's death, the police released videos showing the routes they believed two suspects took after he was attacked. The first clip showed the route one suspect took, travelling from Church Road to flats on Vincent Road, Litherland, prior to Kyle being stabbed.

The video then shows the same person leaving the scene along Vincent Road towards Daley Road. The second clip showed a route through gardens along the rear of Moss Lane which is believed was taken by a second person leading onto Moss Lane and towards Church Road, following the stabbing.

Simon Knuckey, Sefton coroner's investigating officer, told Kyle's inquest in December 2023: "Police identified a blood trail running between the flat and the location in the alleyway Kyle was found collapsed. Blood drops were found in the hall of his flat and it was found many, or all, of the drawers and the cupboards in his kitchen were open, suggesting someone had searched the premises."

As well as the trail of blood, a blood-stained cap believed to have been dropped by a suspect spotted climbing over the garden fence was recovered. Mr Knuckey said: "It is suspected the male is a member of an organised crime group, and though he claimed to be friends with Kyle Whitley he was arrested as he tried to destroy his own mobile phone after the incident." The male was later released without charge.

Sefton Senior Coroner Julie Goulding said: "Notwithstanding an extensive police investigation spanning a number of years, and even though police identified a number of suspects, no prosecution has followed Kyle’s tragic death, and the crime remains undetected."

Detectives probing the case have previously indicated that they believed Kyle might have been exploited by an organised crime group at the time of his death. Speaking from her Widnes flat, 45-year-old Ms Whitley told the ECHO that the three suspects who were in his flat on the day, who allegedly were trying to pressure the teenager to sell crack cocaine, had gone to his house two days before his death.

Ms Whitley said Kyle had called her that night to say they were banging at his door and she had told him to turn off the lights and not answer. She said Kyle was new to the area and had always been keen to make friends. She told the ECHO: "I don't blame him for wanting to have friends. I don't believe he knew what he was getting into. I didn't teach him that, I shaded him from that world."

Ms Whitley claimed Merseyside Police has not told her about a lot of their investigation and has instead had to rely on "people on the streets" for information. Urging members of the Litherland community to come forward with the vital information that could crack the case, she told the ECHO: "Kyle deserves justice. It's not about me. It's about a little boy, a sister and a lad that has been taken away from that.

"Speak up. Be brave enough and strong enough to stand up. I am standing up. There is just too much that people know and aren't saying. You can do it privately, who is going to know? I just don't get why people won't come forward. Kyle was in the right place at the right time, he was in his own gaff."

Speaking regarding the continuation of gun and knife crime on Merseyside, she said: "If people don't speak up, the cycle will continue. It already has. How many murders have there been since Kyle? That little girl shot for nothing. Is it really worth it? My heart goes out to the families, but they've had their justice. When is it Kyle's turn?"

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police Serious Crime Review Unit said: "It has been more than four years since Kyle was fatally stabbed, and his family continue to grieve for his loss and want justice. At the time we arrested six people in connection with Kyle’s murder, and a number of lines of enquiry have been investigated.

"Sadly, no suspect has yet been convicted of Kyle’s murder and our investigation to bring the person responsible continues. No murder case is ever closed and it is regularly reviewed and any new lines of enquiry examined. On the day Kyle was murdered the country was in its first national lockdown.

"However, there will have been people who were out and about in the area who may have seen or heard something, and we appeal for them to contact us so we can investigate. This could be a significant detail which could lead to the arrest of his killers."Loyalties and allegiances can change over time and we believe that there are people who know the person responsible for his death. I would urge them to come forward and help us to get closure for his family. Any piece of information could be the key to progressing this investigation, however trivial you think it may be, so we can act upon any information given to us."