An award-winning private investigator who specialises in cold case murders is set to re-examine the tragic case of missing Blackpool teenager Charlene Downes.
The 14-year-old schoolgirl went missing almost 19 years ago, with a high-profile search attracting nationwide attention as detectives visited Oldham, Denton, and even Wolverhampton to try and locate the missing girl in a case which uncovered a child sexual exploitation scandal in Blackpool that still hangs over the seaside town today. By her early teens, Charlene had endured a troubled background and become the victim of abuse before being lured into carrying out sex acts for food in Blackpool back alleys.
Tragically, Charlene is presumed dead, but no body has ever been found and no one has been brought to justice for her disappearance. A botched police investigation saw two men charged in association with her murder, only for the trial, which alleged the schoolgirl had been "cut up and made into kebabs" to collapse amid concerns over evidence. A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of Charlene’s killer.
