We all share the desperate anguish and heartache of the family of architect Joanna Yeates who vanished on 17 December after buying a pizza from Tesco in Bristol.   Police yesterday found the body of a woman near a golf course in Bristol and the circumstances of her death are suspicious.

This case is a tragic reminder about the countless families around the world who still have no answers about missing loved ones. How must they feel when their case runs cold, when police stop searching, and they never learn what happened to a child or relative who seemed well and without worries one moment, and then suddenly vanishes without trace.

It’s crucial that families know the outcome – however devastating – so they can grieve and say ‘goodbye’. Joanna’s heartbroken father, father David Yeates, explained why:

“In truth we feel like we hope … we would be relieved if it was her. We don’t want to go to our graves wondering where she is and not being given the chance to say goodbye to her. We assume that she’s dead so we’d like to say goodbye … our lives have gone.”

Never knowing the fate of a missing loved one is an unbelievably hard cross to bear, never having a body recovered if the worst has indeed happened.  We all know about dear little Madeleine McCann who was snatched while on holiday in Portugal in May 2007; despite world wide media coverage and extensive police searches, nobody knows for sure what happened to her – except the wicked perpetrator.

Another baffling missing person case I have highlighted is that of a glamorous British ex-pat living in Hong Kong, Carole Day, the widow of a judge, who vanished three-and-a-half months ago while on a business trip in Manila. A further sinister twist has developed with the murder of a man who was reportedly involved in the same furniture business as Carole. You can read the comments on this post to learn more.

The disappearance of Joanna Yeates highlighted the importance of the vital specialist expertise of the National Policing Improvement Agency which helps find missing people, but is being axed due to government cutbacks.

In memory of those who are still missing.