“Imagine a loved one of yours went missing… would you ever give up hope?” 

That’s the question Pandora Sykes asks in her new “unsolved mystery” podcast, The Missing. The fascinating new series examines the cases of long-term missing people and asks for help from listeners, which is what makes this such an important listen. Compared to so many other popular unsolved mystery and true crime podcasts, this is a series that can actually make a difference to people’s lives. 

The Missing has been created in collaboration with UK charity Missing People and Locate International – a community interest organisation made up of former detectives dedicated to helping families of unsolved missing person cases find their loved ones. 

Each episode explores an unsolved missing person case, featuring interviews with the family and friends closest to the missing individuals. Explaining her reasons for hosting the project, Sykes says: “I am thrilled to be the host on the first season of The Missing. It’s true mystery, with an ethical purpose – to try and find, or at least find out what happened to, the long term missing, of which there are 4,500 cases in the UK alone.”

The first episode investigates the case of Charles Horvath-Allan, a British man who went missing while travelling across Canada in 1989. Charles Hovarth-Allan’s mother Denise discusses her son’s missing person case, giving The Missing insight into the British Columbia backpacking circuit, where her son went missing.

“For more than 30 years I’ve been trying to find out what happened to my son Charles,” Denise says. “As the parent of a missing person I’ve learned to deal with setbacks and false hopes; the feeling of not knowing what happened to him is overwhelming. 

“I’m pleased that this podcast series has chosen to include Charles’ case – as one way to find out what happened to him is to keep the conversation going. I’m so grateful that the case is being featured and that the team at Locate International are re-investigating his disappearance. My hope is that by hearing this story, somebody who knows Charles’ fate comes forward

There are 20 episodes in the first series of The Missing and they will be released on all good podcast platforms every Monday. Listeners can also subscribe on The Missing website. 

You can find more information and help around missing people in the UK by visiting the Missing People and Locate International websites.

Images: The Missing podcast