10 Stories of Victims Whose Parents Never Relented

The death of a child is every parent’s deepest fear, a devastating tragedy that alters their life forever. These heart-wrenching events become even more unbearable when foul play is suspected or when a child mysteriously disappears, leaving parents with an agonizing void of unanswered questions.

Some parents who endure the unimaginable loss of a child in such dire situations transform their sorrow into an unyielding quest for answers. These searches, which may span years and still not provide closure, highlight the perseverance of these parents who trusted their instincts and refused to give up.

10. Jerry Michael Williams

In December 2000, Jerry Michael “Mike” Williams went duck hunting on Lake Seminole, located on the Florida-Georgia border, and was never seen again. His best friend, Brian Winchester, discovered his boat and car, but Mike’s body was nowhere to be found. Authorities suspected he had drowned and been consumed by alligators.

However, Mike’s mother, Cheryl, felt deep in her heart that the police were mistaken. She recalled visiting the lake and suddenly hearing a voice inside her head, saying, 'Mike is not in Lake Seminole, he did not drown.' Mike’s wife, Denise, however, disagreed, proceeding with a memorial service and collecting $1.7 million in life insurance proceeds.

Cheryl dedicated her life savings to uncovering the truth. She placed billboard ads and stood on crowded streets holding handmade signs seeking assistance. For nine years, she wrote daily letters to the governor of Florida. Her perseverance paid off when experts informed her that alligators do not feed in cold temperatures, leading to a key breakthrough in the case.

Eventually, Denise married Mike’s friend Brian, and Cheryl was forbidden from seeing her granddaughter unless she ceased her search for answers. The couple later divorced, and in 2016, Brian kidnapped Denise at gunpoint. As part of a plea deal, Brian confessed that he had lured Mike to the lake and shot him as part of a scheme with Denise to be together. Denise was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2019. In the same year, Brian revealed the location of Mike’s body, and Cheryl was finally able to bury her son after a 16-year-long campaign.

9. Julie Ward

Photographer Julie Ward vanished from the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya in September 1988. Her father, John, flew out immediately to begin the search. This was the first of over 100 trips he would make in his personal investigation, which would ultimately cost him around £2 million.

John hired spotter planes and soon discovered Julie’s abandoned jeep, with “SOS” written in the dust. Julie’s mutilated and burned remains were found nearby. Authorities suggested that she had either been attacked by animals or had committed suicide. John knew these conclusions were false and grew suspicious of Chief Warden Simon Makallah. Makallah claimed he had discovered Julie’s charred body by following vultures, and accused John of holding a grudge against him.

When police refused to open a murder investigation, John appealed to the British government, which sent Scotland Yard detectives. Two rangers were arrested for the crime, but the case collapsed due to insufficient evidence, and the judge ruled that the investigation had been compromised to protect Kenya’s tourism industry.

John continued to expose the corruption within the Kenyan police force, and in 1999, Makallah stood trial for Julie’s murder but was acquitted, with no possibility of a retrial. In 2004, a UK court ruled that Julie had been unlawfully killed and was neither a suicide victim nor killed by an animal. John later wrote a book titled The Animals are Innocent.

8. Suzy Lamplugh

On July 28, 1986, 25-year-old real estate agent Suzy Lamplugh went to meet a client and was never seen again. Witnesses reported a well-dressed man driving a BMW, carrying a bottle of champagne. He was believed to be the enigmatic 'Mr. Kipper,' a name Suzy had written in her diary. To this day, her disappearance remains one of the UK’s greatest unsolved cases.

By December of 1986, Suzy’s parents, Paul and Diana, established a trust in her memory. The charity operated from an office in their garden, and Diana became a well-known figure across the UK. This case gave her a powerful platform to discuss personal safety, a topic that had not been openly addressed before. They distributed hundreds of personal alarms, known as 'Suzy Alarms,' to students.

The couple campaigned for laws to protect victims of stalking and harassment, eventually being awarded an OBE. In 1994, Suzy was officially declared deceased. Both Paul and Diana have since passed away, but the Suzy Lamplugh Trust continues to carry on their mission.

7. Kendrick Johnson

In January 2013, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was discovered dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. He appeared to have no injuries, and authorities believed he accidentally became trapped while trying to retrieve his shoes. However, Kendrick’s parents are convinced he was murdered. Their fight for justice has included protests outside the court and school, urging that Kendrick be honored on Graduation Day.

The family has filed lawsuits against the school, Lowndes County, and 38 students they believe were involved in the incident. Three autopsies have been conducted, and Kendrick’s body has been exhumed twice at the request of his parents. Two of the autopsies concluded that Kendrick died from blunt force trauma, contradicting the initial finding of an accidental death.

Despite owing nearly $300,000 in legal fees, the family remains determined to continue their fight for justice.

6. Suzanne Lyall

On March 2, 1998, 19-year-old Suzanne Lyall took the bus home from the mall. Witnesses saw her disembark near her campus in Albany, New York, but she was never seen again.

From the very beginning, Suzanne’s parents, Doug and Mary, knew they needed to keep the case in the public eye. Mary remarked, 'If you don’t stay active and keep talking about what’s happening, the case will simply go cold.' In 2003, they established the Center for Hope, a resource for families of missing persons. They also advocated for the passage of 'Suzanne’s Law,' which raised the age limit for reporting a missing person to the National Crime Information Center from 18 to 21.

The Lyalls have used innovative methods to bring attention to cold cases. They created a deck of playing cards featuring missing people and even distributed flyers alongside tax forms. Doug passed away in 2015, but Mary continues to work with the Cold Case Analysis Center at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, seeking answers for her family and others who are still searching for their missing loved ones.

5. Keith Bennett

Twelve-year-old Keith Bennett was heading to his grandmother’s home in Manchester, UK, when he was lured into a van by Myra Hindley. She drove him to Saddleworth Moor, where her partner, Ian Brady, awaited. Keith was murdered and buried in the vast, isolated moorland. In 1966, Brady and Hindley were convicted for the deaths of five children. All the bodies of the victims were found on the moor—except for Keith’s.

Winnie, Keith’s mother, embarked on a lifelong quest to find his grave. The family made countless trips to the moor, often enlisting the help of sniffer dogs and psychics. Winnie even sent DVDs and letters directly to the killers, pleading for any information that might lead to her son's burial site.

In 1991, Brady informed Keith’s brother, Alan, that he had written a letter to be opened after his death, containing the exact location of Keith’s body. Brady passed away in 2017, leaving behind two locked briefcases with his solicitor. Despite a police request to open them, the courts denied the warrant.

Winnie passed away in 2012 without ever locating her son. The Bennett family continues to search for Keith.

4. The Hillsborough 96

On April 15, 1989, 53,000 football fans gathered at Hillsborough in Sheffield, UK, for a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Supporters were divided into two standing sections. Liverpool fans were directed to the Leppings Lane terrace, which had just seven turnstiles for 10,000 people to pass through. With no system in place to monitor the crowd size, the numbers kept growing.

Police chief David Duckenfield gave the order to begin the match, even though some fans were trapped at the entrances. The barriers gave way, and people were crushed due to overcrowding. In the end, 96 lives were lost. In the aftermath, the police altered witness statements and blamed the fans. Newspapers published false reports claiming that fans had stolen from dying victims and obstructed paramedics.

An inquest concluded that the deaths were deemed 'accidental.' Furious family members, who had gathered at the court, formed a protest movement to challenge the verdict. The Hillsborough Justice Campaign gathered support and filed a private prosecution against Duckenfield. A manslaughter trial began in June 2000, but the jury could not reach a decision.

In April 2016, a new inquest lasting 267 days determined that the 96 had been unlawfully killed. David Duckenfield is set to be retried in October 2019 for gross negligence manslaughter. The families' fight for justice has now endured for three decades.

3. Ron Goldman

On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered outside her home. Nicole’s ex-husband, O.J. Simpson, was arrested. Millions watched the trial as Simpson was acquitted, with the Goldman family left stunned and in disbelief.

Fred, the father of Ron Goldman, filed a wrongful death suit. Simpson took the witness stand for the first time during the trial, and was found liable, with a court order for him to pay the Goldman family $3 million.

Simpson failed to pay the required amount, and when he published a book titled If I Did It, Fred seized control of the copyright, as well as the media and movie rights. After the original publishers backed out, Fred took matters into his own hands and published the book under the new title If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, believing it was an important confession. The Goldmans contributed part of the earnings to their charity, the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice.

2. Helen McCourt

In 1988, 22-year-old Helen McCourt disappeared while walking home on a rainy evening. Hundreds of locals from Billinge, UK, joined the search for her. Police questioned pub landlord Ian Simms, whose suspicious behavior prompted further investigation. Upon searching his car, they discovered Helen’s earring and traces of her blood. Although her body has never been found, Simms was convicted of her murder in 1989 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Helen’s mother Marie, alongside her family, has dedicated every weekend to searching for Helen in fields, sewers, and ditches. They have drained ponds and even ventured into mine shafts. Marie has tirelessly campaigned for “Helen’s Law,” which mandates that murderers must disclose the location of their victim’s body before being eligible for parole. This law was passed in July 2019.

Simms was recently photographed shopping during a day release from prison. He has never made any public statements regarding the murder.

1. Su Taraskiewicz

At 27, Susan 'Su' Taraskiewicz became the first female ramp supervisor at Northwestern Airlines. Her tenure in the male-dominated industry was challenging, as some employees suspected Su of being a police informant after being involved in a credit card fraud ring at Boston’s Logan International Airport. She faced constant intimidation and harassment. Disturbing graffiti started to appear around the airport, including a drawing of a coffin with her name on it.

On the night of September 12, 1992, Su left work at 1:00 AM to pick up sandwiches for her team. When she didn’t return, no one immediately raised the alarm. It wasn’t until 36 hours later that her body was discovered in the trunk of her car. It was confirmed that Su had been murdered, but despite this, no arrests were made, and police also clarified that Su was not an informant.

A year after Su's death, her mother, Marlene, found the strength to go through her daughter's room. There, she discovered a diary that detailed the abuse Su had endured. Using this crucial evidence, Marlene successfully filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the airline, winning $75,000. In addition, the airline offered a $250,000 reward for information related to the case.

On the 25th anniversary of Su’s tragic death, Marlene organized a vigil at Logan Airport. The district attorney committed to keeping the case open, and Marlene made it clear: 'I am a very healthy woman and I am not going away.'