The murder of a television star and the shooting death of a banker at his front door, while his children were upstairs sleeping upstairs have all been solved for decades.
These situations have affected not just local communities but whole nations.
Families and friends of the victims have suffered years of pain and suffering, while those who were responsible lived years without being brought to justice.
MailOnline examines 11 notorious murder cases which detectives failed to crack, despite their decade-long investigations.
Suzy Lamplugh, 25, was murdered shortly after leaving her office
Suzy Lamplugh
Suzy Lamplugh’s murder 35 years ago is still one of Britan’s most famous unsolved crimes.
25-year-old estate agent vanished after she left her Fulham office, west London on July 28, 1986.
As she was making her way towards a client, who called himself “Mr Kipper” at the house located in the same vicinity, she met him.
A witness saw Ms. Lamplugh having an argument with Shurrold Road man, before getting into a car together with him.
Later, her car, a Ford Fiesta was found just a half-mile from where she had last been seen.
In 1994, her body was discovered to be presumed murder and she was declared deceased.
John Cannan is the sole suspect in the case.
He was interrogated several times about Ms Lamplugh’s murder and is still a suspect.
Cannan, who was serving a six year sentence for rape, was freed from Wormwood Scrubs prison, west London three days prior to her disappearance.
He was again the center of attention in October 2018, when police searched his former home in Sutton Coldfield for a patio.
A former property owner revealed that six months had passed since a police team searched the patio. The evidence found was not admissible.
Jill Dando
Jill Dando, Crimewatch’s presenter, was killed outside her Fulham flat, West London in 1999
She was shot to the head in front of her home in west London in 1999 by the ex-Crimwatch Presenter.
Her first job was with Television South West in 1987. She then moved to BBC Spotlight the year after.
This shooting was another notorious unsolved crime in Britain that shocked both the capital and the entire population.
Following a head injury, Ms Dando was 37 years old and found slumped in blood against her front doors by neighbors.
Barry George was sentenced to death in prison in July 2001 after a massive investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
He was however granted an appeal hearing and was unanimously cleared by the jury.
Since long, it has been believed that Ms Dando had been shot by an assassin.
CCTV caught a Range Rover in blue illegally parking on Gowan Avenue. The Range Rover was speeding off from this area.
Since George’s conviction, however, the Met have not been in a position to resolve this matter for over ten years.
Recent statements from police said that the Metropolitan Police Service thoroughly investigated the circumstances surrounding Jill Dando’s murder.
Two trials occurred and there was an internal review.
“If there is any further information that we receive, then it will be examined.”
Ms Dando’s family still remain ‘hopeful’ her killer will be brought to justice one day.
Adam’s torso on the Thames
In 2011, a photo purporting to show Adam was published. However, the claim was later withdrawn one year later. An IT consultant found his body in the Thames.
One of our members of the public found the most horrific of findings in September 2001.
Aidan Minter was crossing Tower Bridge, central London to attend a business meeting and he noticed the body of an infant in the River Thames.
The body of the boy was pulled from the waters by police a few minutes later.
According to some, the boy named Adam was smuggled in from Nigeria and then killed by ritualistic murder.
An examination post-mortem revealed that he had suffered trauma to his neck and head. The limbs of the victim have not been found.
The body and stomach tests revealed that he only had been in Britain for just a few days prior to his murder and that he most likely came from Southwest Nigeria near Benin City.
In an effort to find out more about the child, police released a picture of his severed body with red shorts.
His death may have been planned by his family.
The Metropolitan Police launched a new appeal in September to commemorate 20 years since the death of his father.
Even though there have been several arrests for the death of this man, no charges were filed by police.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said, “It’s incredibly sad that Adam’s death remains unsolved.
“This little boy will never be forgotten.” His character was better than that, and we won’t let him down.
Alistair Wilson
Photo of Alistair Wilson, a banker, and Andrew Wilson his son at Culbin woods in Nairn 2004
Alistair Wilson was half-way through his bedtime reading when his little boy was assaulted with a World War Two rifle at his door.
The perfect Sunday was spent by Mr Wilson and his wife Veronica on the blustery Scottish coastline.
He then returned home to Nairn and had dinner with his family before putting his young sons to sleep.
However, a stranger approached the door hours later and asked to speak with the banker of 30-years.
According to reports, the man was shaven and between 35 and 40 years old. He is described as being stocky, wearing a baseball cap with dark blouson jacket, and his hair was unkempt.
After speaking with Mr Wilson for several minutes, he closed the door on him and returned to his wife carrying a blue envelope. This was her last contact with him.
The envelope contained a piece paper with Paul’s initials on it. However, it was gone by Mrs Wilson when she came to inspect her husband.
The bullets were fired twice, once into his head and one in his body.
The replica gun was a WWII-era pistol that was used for the murder of Alistair Wilson.
Although police are still unable to solve this crime, they did reveal more details about the weapon used to murder Alistair in December 2016. After Alistair’s brutal murder, picture of forensic officers from Alistair’s house.
Andrew Wilson was four years old at the time.
“The next thing I see, my dad is lying dead in front of me in the doorway.
Police Scotland has never solved this case.
Originally the murder probe focused on Mr Wilson’s career with the Bank of Scotland.
After working in Edinburgh, he moved to Nairn (18 miles) from Inverness where he was employed by small businesses throughout the Highlands and Islands.
The investigation involved 14,000 interviews, 3500 statements and 1000 door-to-door inquires in Nairn.
Ten days later, the gun was discovered in a nearby drain.
Eve Stratford
Tony Priest was Eve Stratford’s boyfriend, and she found Eve Stratford in her throat with his band Onyx lead singer.
Eve Stratford, a glamour model aged 22 who worked at London’s Playboy Club. She was discovered with her throat slit.
Her last sighting was on March 18th 1975 at 4pm, on a snowy, cold day.
Tony Priest (the lead singer of the pop band Onyx), later discovered the body of the bunny-girl in the bedroom of the girl’s home around 5.30pm.
After being raped, she was then slashed up to 12 times. It was an extremely brutal and bloody killing.
Ms. Stratford was found wearing a nylon stocking wrapped around her ankle and a scarf tied behind her neck.
Her body was next to a bloodied bouquet of flowers she’d bought that same day.
However, she was not charged with any crime.
This map shows the three unsolved murders all took place in close proximity – police believe all three were victims of the same killer
Investigators suspect she might have met her murderer and invited him to the apartment she shared with Tony.
Six months later, Eve was murdered, and Lynne, 16, was brutally attacked, and then raped in an alleyway in Hounslow.
After being discovered barely breathing at an electric substation the following day, she died.
Colin Sutton, a former Met Police detective believes Lynda Farrow, who was killed in her own home in 1979 after she was knifed to death four years later was also the victim of this killer.
Eve and Lynne murders were connected in 2007, after DNA matching was detected on their victims. The victims did not know each others.
Tracey Mertens
Tracey Mertens (mother-of-2), was blindfolded, doused in petrol, and then set on fire in Cheshire’s courtyard.
Two days prior to Christmas 1994, her ‘violently and horrendous’ death occurred. Before being discovered barely conscious by any member of the general public, she was left to die.
Tracey gave as much information to detectives about Tracey’s abduction but she passed away in the hospital 12 hours later.
With her two children, she lived in Rochdale in Greater Manchester with Joey Kavanagh, her partner and alleged drug addict. Their relationship was fraught.
According to reports, he left the area shortly after the incident.
The blindfolded woman was taken into the courtyard and was then found with 95 percent burns on her body by a passerby. Investigators discovered a petrol canister close by.
Her clothes still looked warm despite it being winter, and her rescuer said that he originally thought she was wearing an outfit.
Ms Mertens said her attackers were two men of African descent, both around 30 years old. Ms. Mertens said that both men were tall, fat and had Birmingham accents.
Although she was able to give this information, nobody has been charged with the death of her.
Melanie Hall
Melanie Hall was 25, a clerical employee at Royal United Hospital in Bath. Her murder occurred more than 25+ years ago.
Melanie Hall had been out with friends in Bath when her disappearance occurred on June 9, 1996.
After 13 years of unsuccessful attempts to locate the body of the young woman, who was then 25, her remains were dumped in South Gloucestershire’s M5 by an undergrowth worker.
Ms. Hall is a clerical worker in Royal United Hospital, Bath. She was last seen around 1.10am, sitting on a stool at the edge of Walcot Street’s dance floor. ClubXL closed in 2017 and has been renamed ClubXL.
In March 2014, police appealed for information about a White Golf GTI with links to the Pentwn area of Cardiff, which they believed could be of significance to the investigation.
After voluntarily appearing at a Wiltshire police station, a 45-year old man was taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
This was after DNA evidence near the spot where she was discovered led to his release. He was eventually released from jail three months later.
After Melanie’s remains were discovered on the M5 side by side in 2009, police closed the roadway.
Police issued an e-fit as part of their investigation into Melanie Hall’s murder.
He was arrested after Melanie’s parents offered £50,000 of their own money as a reward for information on the 20th anniversary of their daughter’s death.
The investigation by the Avon and Somerset Police was renewed in October 2013 – almost 24 years since Melanie disappeared.
Detectives have released information about the possible sighting of her with another man at Bath club, where she last was seen.
An E-fit was issued by the force to help identify the suspect, which two witnesses claimed they witnessed with Melanie.
While 11 people were arrested during the murder investigation there have never been any charges.
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan, private investigator was shot to death with an axe on the Sydenham carpark of the Golden Lion Pub in Sydenham. This happened in south-east London.
The murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan has been dubbed the ‘most investigated unsolved murder in the history of the Metropolitan Police’.
On March 10, 1987, the father-of-2 was discovered with an axe in his heat in a Sydenham pub car park.
For fingerprint protection, the handle was wrapped with two strips of sticky plaster.
Five police inquiries and an inquiry were conducted, but no one has been charged with the crime in over 30 years.
When he died, the private investigator had been investigating police corruption allegations.
After an inquiry into Daniel Morgan’s death, Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick apologized.
In June, a damning investigation concluded that the force was ‘institutionally corrupt’.
It added that the force had been more interested in protecting its reputation than solving the murder.
The more than 1,200-page report also said the Met’s handling of the murder scene in 1987 was ‘totally inadequate’ as it was not secured and was left unguarded.
It added that officers who took bungs in brown envelopes, ‘moonlighted’ in other jobs and sold lucrative information to criminals, may have scuppered the probe into Mr Morgan’s murder.
Met Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick said that it was a matter of regret that Mr Morgan has not been prosecuted.
Kate Bushell
Kate Bushell (14 years old) had her throat cut in a field 300 meters from her Devon home, in Exwick, Devon on November 15, 1997.
Kate Bushell was a schoolgirl who had her throat severed in a field 300 yards from her house.
At 4.45 pm on November 15, 1997, the 14-year old was out walking her dog in Exeter (Devon) when she was attacked.
Suzanne and Kerry, her parents were concerned when she didn’t return home. They set out to find their daughter.
Kate’s father was a former local government officer and found her with the dog near 7.30pm.
An inquiry into her death, its biggest ever murder investigation, cost Devon and Cornwall Police more than £1 million.
Kate Bushell’s body was discovered by her father in Exeter just yards away from their home (pictured).
In 2018, the Force issued a new appeal for information, generating more leads.
There were 204 messages and calls from officers identifying new lines of inquiry, as well as the identities of possible suspects.
The appeal also included pictures of the type of kitchen knife used in the murder and news of a forensic breakthrough.
The murder of the schoolgirl has not been investigated or arrested.
Billie-Jo Jenkins
Billie-Jo Jenkins had just turned 13 years old when her body was discovered in Hastings in East Sussex in 1997.
Billie-Jo Jenkins had just turned 13 years old when she was battered with an 18-inch tent peg.
On February 15, 1997, she was discovered in the pool of blood at Sion Jenkins, her foster father, in Hastings.
In 1998, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife. However, he was released after two more trials.
The full cost of the investigation, taking into account the trials and subsequent appeals, stands at around £10m.
Billie Jo was battered at least 10 times on the head with an 18-inch tent peg when she painted patio doors.
Billie Jo’s family had previously requested that police investigate Antoni Imiela, a convicted M25 rapist over Billie Jo’s death.
Deborah Barnett was the mother of the school girl and demanded that the case be reopened by police on the 20th anniversary.
Sussex Police responded that unresolved cases in major crimes are reviewed every two years by the police to determine if there is any new evidence or to evaluate the effectiveness of investigative methods to reopen the case.
Penny Bell
Greenford detectives are investigating Penny Bell’s murder (30 years ago) and have discovered that one witness claimed they saw a man wearing his underwear the day of her death.
Penny Bell, mother of two was attacked more than 50 times at a leisure centre in Ealing in west London.
Although the 43-year old was declared dead June 6, 1991 by her family, no charges have been filed against anyone for her death over three decades.
In the weeks leading to her fatal stabbing, she had done extensive construction work at her Buckinghamshire home, Denham. She lived there with Alistair, their two children.
Penny was said to have kept a meticulous record of the spending on the building work.
Three days prior to her death, Mrs Bell went to a bank in Kilburn High Road and withdrew £8,500 in cash from her joint personal account.
The money was paid to Mrs Bell in used £50 notes and handed to her wrapped in a brown manila envelope.
Bell is said to have not mentioned the cash withdrawal, regardless of its magnitude, to any one, and she did not refer to it in her financial records.
The reason the money was withheld is unknown.
Bell was in greater hurry on the day she died and also told one builder that she had an important appointment.
At 9.40 AM, she was seen driving away in her Jaguar XJS pale blue.
Last seen at home in her Jaguar XJS, she was back there around 9.40am (pictured). Police were dispatched to Gurnell Grove Swimming pool at midday after receiving reports that a woman was lying in her driver’s chair, bloodied, in her Jaguar XJS.
Lauren Bell said Lauren, the daughter of Mrs Bell, that she lives with Penny’s memory and encouraged Penny’s murderer to confess. Pictured are Husband Alistair, Matthew and Penny at Penny’s funeral
She was later found covered in blood in the seat in front of her.
Officers believe that a sample of wallpaper was found under Bell’s corpse, at the center console. It had apparently been open as though Bell were viewing it or showing it off to another person before the attack.
The victim had sustained more than 50 stabbing wounds, according to a post-mortem exam.
A witness who saw Penny in her underwear on January 20, 2019, reported to the police that he had witnessed him walking over the footbridge crossing Greenford’s A40 Western Avenue.
According to the witness who saw the man around 10.50am-10.55am, the man looked wet as though he just had his hair washed.
Lauren, Lauren’s daughter said on the 30th Anniversary of Lauren’s murder that it had been 30 years ago.
She added: ”Now I have a message for mum’s killer – if you have any conscience, this must be torturing you too and I’m asking you to confess to put my family out of our misery.’
“I cannot bring Mum back, but I can make it end to our misery and confess so that mum is at peace. My family will be free from the purgatory.”