FOREST TOWN: Missing couple ‘central’ to police investigations

On Friday, the Chad exclusively revealed that the old couple has ‘vanished’ in the late 1990s, according to neighbours, after moving into the property in Blenheim Close from the London area a decade earlier.

Detectives from Nottinghamshire Police have now revealed that the couple, named today as William and Patricia Wycherley, have not been seen since 1998 and they are trying to trace their whereabouts.

In an earlier statement, police said that the bodies which were discovered last week, appeared to have been in the ground since around the time that the Wycherleys were last seen.

The bodies have not yet been formally identified, but Det Chief Insp Rob Griffin who is leading the investigation, said ‘it’s not a great leap to imagine’ to assume that the bodies are those of the missing couple.

Records show that the Wycherleys moved into number 2 Blemheim Close in 1987. Neighbours have told detectives that the couple kept to themselves and in 1998 seemed to disappear.

Some neighbours said that they believed the Wycherleys had moved to the Morcambe area, while others said that they thought the pair had emigrated.

Mysteriously, a relative from the Staffordshire area has also claimed that her mother was receiving Christmas cards from the pair as late as 2009.

Det Chief Insp Griffin said: “Neither William nor Patricia were ever reported missing and we can find no evidence of either of them being alive or dead. The discovery in their former garden last week may be the reason why.

“We have yet to formally identify the remains, and so cannot say with 100 per cent certainty who we have found, but it’s not a great leap to imagine it might be the Wycherleys.”

Detectives were led to the house after the force received information about an incident which happened in the late 1990s, a spokesman said.

Over the weekend the incident room has been inundated with calls from people with information about previous residents of the house, including the Wycherleys.

Detectives have also spoken to members of Mr and Mrs Wycherley’s family in a bid to establish if the couple might be linked to the inquiry.

Forensic enquires continue at the rear of the property.

Statements have also been taken from neighbours, as well as the current owner and tenants of the house, who do not feature in the inquiry.

A Home Office post-mortem examination of the remains took place on Friday (11th October 2013) and an anthropological assessment is due to take place tomorrow (Tuesday, 15th October 2013).

Det Chief Insp Griffin added: “While we await the results, I would like to appeal to anyone who knows what happened to William or Patricia, after they disappeared from their home in Forest Town in 1998, to call police.

“William, known to many as ‘Bill’, would have turned 100 last year and Patricia, or ‘Pat’, would be 79. Do you know them? Have you seen or heard from them since 198??

“If you have any information that may help our inquiry, no matter how small, and you have yet to speak to us, please phone us.”

Contact the incident room on 0115 844 5012 or call Crimestoppers anonymously.