Detectives are offering a £20,000 reward in a hunt for the truth after a Manchester man mysteriously disappeared.
Today would have been Martin Joyce’s 48th birthday.
Back in September 1999, when he was 29, he gave his sister, Mary a lift before going to Ancoats for a night out. Little did she know that was the last time she’d ever see him.
Nineteen years later, officers are no closer to finding out exactly what happened to Martin on that fateful night but information received a few years ago leads them to believe he was murdered after being assaulted at the Bank of England Pub.
At the beginning of the murder inquiry in October 2016, specialist teams and sniffer dogs – who are specifically trained to identify key forensic evidence – were deployed to the pub on Pollard Street.
The search and excavation of the pub lasted for two weeks but was called to an end when no trace of Martin could be found.
The murder investigation has spanned two years and has taken officers all over the UK with possible sightings in Scotland, Kent and London but, the last time it can be proved Martin was alive was on that Sunday evening (5 September), almost 20 years ago.
In March of this year, a 64-year-old man was interviewed under caution in connection with the investigation but no further action was taken.
Today a £20,000 is being offered as a reward for information that leads to the body of Martin being found or to the successful conviction of those responsible for his unlawful killing.
Leading the investigation is Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Wilkinson from GMP’s Major Incident Team. Encouraging people to come forward with information, he said: “Throughout this investigation we’ve kept an open mind around the circumstances that led to Martin’s death but how someone can live with themselves knowing exactly what happened to him for almost two decades and not come forward, I will never know.
“The fact of the matter is; someone, somewhere, knows. They may not have been directly involved but they will have information that needs to be passed onto us.
“Twenty years is an extremely long time and, over such a long period, friendships, relationships and allegiances may have changed.
“Whatever you know, whatever you have to tell us, we’ll be waiting for your call.
Martin’s sister, Mary recently told officers about a dream she had of Martin laughing and how she wishes she could see that again. She said: “Martin, I love you, not a day goes by that I don’t think about you. You’re always in my heart, always in my conversation.”
Detective Chief Inspector Wilkinson, added: “Don’t do it for me, for the police or for anyone else but Martin’s family.
“No-one can imagine what they’ve gone through, not knowing what happened to him.
“Twenty-thousand pounds is a life-changing amount of money. Give them the closure and the answers they deserve.”
Any information can be dealt with in the strictest of confidence by calling 0161 856 9908. Calls can be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
