A £10,000 reward is being offered for information about a father and son who are suspected of being murdered after disappearing in Spain five years ago.
Daniel Poole and Liam Poole, then aged 46 and 22, had travelled to Malaga on 31 March 2019 but have never been heard from since, with their family appealing for an end to the “unbearable uncertainty”.
Sussex Police has been treating the case as a murder probe since 2022, and is offering the cash for leads that result in arrest and a charge of anyone responsible for their disappearance.
The pair from, Burgess Hill, had hired a grey Peugeot 308 with registration plate 0254 KTM when they arrived in Spain, but the car was later found abandoned by Spanish police after they failed to return it to the car hire firm.
Their luggage and passports were found left at the hotel, suggesting it was not a planned disappearance.
Detective chief inspector Simon Dunn said: “Although Danny and Liam went missing in Spain, we believe there are people in the UK who may hold vital information about their disappearance.
“We understand there may be some who have felt unable to come forward before now, but it’s not too late to do the right thing.
“You may not appreciate the importance of the information you have, but it could be the piece of the puzzle we need to build the picture of what happened to Danny and Liam.”
Sussex Police are taking legal steps to take over leading the investigation from Spanish police.
Lauryn Poole, Danny’s daughter and Liam’s sister, said: “Not a day goes by that I don’t wonder what life would be like with my dad and brother in it.
“Every day that goes by sees a thought pop into my head about what truly happened and what their last moments might have been like – these thoughts often keep me awake at night.
“I beg and pray that someone could give me and our family the closure we need to move on from the sleepless nights and that I can give an explanation to my dad and brother’s growing family one day.”
Danny’s mother Jacqui and brother Laurence said: “It has been more than five years since they’ve been gone, and we have no answers as to where they are or why they’ve not come home.
“This week would have been Danny’s 52nd birthday and in three weeks’ time, it would be Liam’s 28th birthday. Our appeal to anyone that has any information is to please come forward – please give us as a mum, grandmother, brother and uncle, the chance to wish them a happy heavenly birthday without the unbearable uncertainty of not knowing what’s happened to them.
“We go to bed at the end of each day not knowing if tomorrow will be the day we get the answers we need. If you know anything, please come forward and help us end this nightmare.”
Anyone with information can call 101 quoting Operation Pheasant or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
