Without a Trace: The Unsolved Murder of Robert Duff

On the day he disappeared, 12 January 2013, Robert Duff was due to attend a family celebration for his daughter’s 18th birthday.

It was not an event he was likely to miss. The 37-year-old father-of-two was close to his parents and his two daughters and was in contact with them at least once a day.

So when he failed to turn up, his family was so worried she called the police. Officers forced their way into his home in Kilburn, northwest London, but found no sign of the 37 year-old father-of-two.

Robert was formally reported missing and a missing persons investigation began.

Robert Duff
Robert Duff was last seen alive in January 2013

They established that one of the last times he was seen alive was at 11.12am when he was captured on CCTV withdrawing money from a cash machine outside Sainsbury’s in Holloway Road.

Robert also appears to have “pocket-dialled” his daughter Stephanie the same day. The call went to voicemail and the resulting recording captured the voices of two men and a woman shouting at a dog in the background. One of the men had a Scottish accent.

He has not been seen or heard from since despite a series of public appeals and in 2018 the Metropolitan Police launched a murder investigation.

Robert’s family said they were “devastated” by the development.

Robert’s disappearance has always been forefront in our minds, and although we have always suspected that he may have come to some harm, there has always been the hope that he would return to us one day.

Since hearing that this is now a murder investigation, that hope has been taken away from us and as a family, we are devastated. Our only wish now is that Robert is returned to us and so we can grieve together.

Helen Duff, mother of Robert Duff

Two men aged 51 and 70 were arrested on suspicion of murder in Archway, north London, on Monday 14 May 2018, but were released under investigation following questioning. They were later released with no further action.

On the basis of a tip that Robert’s body could be concealed in water, police dive teams began a search of Highgate No 1 pond in Hampstead Heath in November 2020.

However no evidence of Robert was found during the searches.

Robert’s family desperately longs for answers, and we remain committed to finding him.

While current lines of inquiry have been exhausted, the case remains unsolved meaning that any new information received would be acted on and thoroughly investigated.

The search of the No1 pond in Highgate, was conducted over a number of weeks, but sadly failed to provide any results.

Not knowing what has happened to a loved one is a torment that no family should endure; I believe that someone has information about Robert’s whereabouts and why he disappeared so suddenly and it is my sincere hope that someone, who may not have felt able to come forward in 2013, may now be in a position to share with us what they know.

If you have information please do the right thing – get in touch and help us bring Robert’s family the closure they so desperately need.

Detective Inspector Tom Williams, of the Specialist Crime Command, speaking during a further appeal in 2022

The Crimestoppers charity has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Robert’s body or the conviction of those responsible for the murder.

Information can be passed to the police incident room over the phone via 0208 358 0200 or 101, or to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Shot dead on the dancefloor: The unsolved murder of Daniel Ross

In the early morning of 24 September 2006, Daniel Ross was one of nearly 1,000 people enjoying a night out at the Scala nightclub in King’s Cross.

He was walking across the dancefloor to tell his friends he was leaving when a gun was fired by an as-yet-unidentified gunman.

The bullet hit Daniel in the head and he collapsed to the ground as hundreds of people fled the club by the fire exits.

By the time the police arrived, in response to a 999 call at around 3.45am, most of the people there that night – including Daniel’s friends – had left.

One of the few remaining was a female stranger who stayed behind to try and help the victim.

Daniel was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead at 5.22pm the same day. He was 22 years old.

The Metropolitan Police began a murder investigation but soon ran out of leads. To this day the case remains unsolved despite repeated public appeals by Daniel’s family.

On the 14th anniversary of the killing, his mother Jean again urged witnesses to come forward and reveal who was responsible.

We appeal to anyone in our community and beyond who have information about Daniel’s death to examine their conscience, and come forward and tell us what they know. We know that nothing can bring Daniel back but we can bring those responsible for his death to justice. To the sad person(s) who took Daniel’s life, do the honourable thing, and give yourself up.

As a family we continue to mourn Daniel. He is never far from our minds. We have endured an emotional rollercoaster of anger, grief, pity, despair and, disbelief that people around us refuse to share the information they have about our son’s murderer. There are no words that could describe the pain we feel for not having Daniel in our lives.

Fourteen years is too long to wait for justice

Statement from the parents of Daniel Ross

Mrs Ross has said that she does not know why Daniel was killed that night. While he had come to police attention before, he was focusing on being a father to his two young children.

Daniel Ross

He had spent the previous evening with his parents and was in their garden when he received a phone call. Whatever was said, he decided to go to the Heartless Crew music event at Scala nightclub at late notice.

Daniel was wearing a blue ‘AJ’ top when he arrived at the club on his own at 1am. It is not clear what happened over the next three hours, but in 2010 detectives with the (since-disbanded) Trident squad said that they were unlikely to solve the case until his friends come forward with information.

Ten years later a new investigation team issued a further appeal for information that could lead to a “breakthrough” and offered a £10,000 reward.

I hope that after 14 years someone may now feel able to come forward and provide information that may lead to identifying those responsible for this callous murder. No detail is too small. It is not too late to do the right thing.

The Metropolitan Police never closes unsolved murders. We are continually looking for new leads to help charge those responsible for Daniel’s murder and give his family the justice they have been waiting for. We will deal with any information provided to us in the strictest of confidence.

Detective Inspector Will Reynolds

To provide information, contact the incident room on 0208 785 8267 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Year of the Ripper: Michael Rumbold

On Thursday 24 May 1888, two young couples set off for a walk to Regent’s Park. There was Joseph Rumbold, a 21 year-old printer, and his date Elizabeth Lee, her cousin Emily Lee and a colleague of Joseph’s called Alonzo Burns. The entered the park by York Gate, just down…

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‘I need you to find the people who killed him’: The unsolved murder of Calvin Bungisa

Four people were filmed on a taxi dashcam as they stabbed a 22 year-old man to death – but so far police have been unable to identify the killers. The cab driver had just dropped off a fare when he saw a man being chased by a group of people…

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Reluctant witnesses: The unsolved murder of Elyon Poku

Up to 100 people were at a birthday party when the DJ was stabbed to death, but nobody was able to identify the killers. Police believe some of those who saw what happened were ‘warned off’. It all started to go wrong after they cut the cake. Suddenly the lights…

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