Police have announced a £50,000 reward for information on the fifth anniversary of the murder of Craig Wilcox.
The 28-year-old father-of-one was last seen on Monday 6 January 2014, at the home of his parents on Norfolk Crescent in Failsworth.
Later that month , his body was recovered 10 miles away – from Dovestone Reservoir in Saddleworth.
Five years on, those responsible for Craig’s death have still not been identified, leaving his parents with years of unanswered questions.
Detectives have a good understanding of Craig’s movements on the night of 6 January 2014. It’s known that he left Newton Heath, close to where he lived at around 9.45pm.
He then travelled towards Oldham town centre and arrived in the Dovestone area at around 10.10pm.
Craig had no reason to be in Saddleworth that evening and had never visited the reservoir before. He did not drive or have any way of travelling to the area and there was also no car left at the scene where his body was found.
Police learned after his disappearance that Craig had confided in a friend that he feared for his safety.
A post-mortem examination was carried out, but the result was unascertained.
Today, Sunday 24 February 2019 – five years after Craig’s body was found – Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Terry Crompton announced a £50,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for Craig’s death.
He said: “It is now five years since Craig’s body was found and his parents continue to endure the agony of not knowing how he came to die.
“While the post-mortem examination didn’t give us clear answers, we sadly believe there is someone out there responsible for his death.
“We are committed to finding his family the answers they deserve and hope, with the life-changing £50,000, we’ll get information leading to the conviction of those responsible for his death.
“We believe there are people out there who know what happened to Craig, or have important information that may help us pursue a prosecution.
“I’d like to appeal to people who know what happened to Craig or have important information that may help us pursue a prosecution: we are ready to listen to whatever information you have, and are prepared to offer a significant quantity of money if that information leads us to catch Craig’s killer.
“We realise that five years is a long time, but I’d ask that people cast their minds back to that January night in 2014.
“Did you see Craig, or see something that seemed out of place or unusual – either in Newton Heath or Dovestone?
“If you believe that you know something that can help us then please get in touch.”
