Hi, and welcome back to The Unseen Podcast, a podcast dedicated to missing
people, unresolved cases, and UK true crime. You may have noticed that
this episode is not an unusual schedule. However, following the success of our
twelve episodes of missing people in December over the past two years, I want
to publicize more missing person cases throughout the year, so I'm tweaking the schedule
a little bit to give you three episodes in a month rather than two.
There will be three episodes and a week's break, and in each month a
missing person case will be included, so there will be an extra episode every
month. One of the episodes may well be shorter, and that may often
be the missing person case, as there may be less available information in these
cases. This is the first of these episodes, and today we're covering the
nineteen ninety seven disappearance of Annemiring from South Gloucestershire. This is a case with
so many twists and turns and some developments over the years, but her disappearance
is still a mystery and it remains unsolved. This episode is about a missing
person and so does not contain any descriptions of violence, but listener discretion is
always advised. Stoke Gifford is a village located in the south of the county
of Gloucestershire. In two thousand and one, the village had around eleven thousand
residents. However, in twenty years this number has almost doubled. It's around
seven miles from the city of Bristol and therefar as an area where many people
commute to and from on a daily basis. It's a relatively quiet and peaceful
area. However, its proximity to several head offices meant that it was an
area where people would travel to for work. One of these couples who had
made their careers in and around Stoke Gifford was Brian and Anne my Ring.
Brian and Anne were married with two sons, David and Stephen. Brian worked
at the Rolls Royce facility in nearby Filton, Bristol, and Anne worked as
a clerical officer at the computer company Hewlett Packard. The couple met in nineteen
seventy one when they were in their late teens a pub named a New Inn.
They'd hit it off very quickly, and they married and moved to Chevening
close in Stoke Gifford. Together. The pair had their two sons, and
it's reported that Anne put her career on hold to raise her children. Both
Brian and Anne were involved with the local community, and particularly in the cub
and Scout groups in Filton in Bristol. The couple were well liked and Anne
was known as a caring and thoughtful person who was close to her family and
did everything to try and help them. During nineteen ninety seven, Anne and
her family were dealing with a very stressful situation when Anne's mother Gwendolen was diagnosed
with throat cancer. Anne was constantly with her and by her side, getting
her through the treatments. Gwendolen would later describe Anne as her best friend and
not just her daughter. This must have added a great deal of stress to
themiring family. However, Anne continued to look after not only her mother but
her family as well. Her son David later described her as a warm and
caring mum who always showed him affection and love. He said she was really
caring, always there, intelligent as well. She liked doing crosswords and that
a metal detecting she used to find quite a few coins. Stephen, Anne's
other son, also described her in the same way, stating she was a
real mind caring person. I could speak to her about many things, and
she was always there for us. The Myring family appeared to be just like
any other family with teenagers, always busy, but also trying to make plans
for their own futures when their children flew the nest. By nineteen ninety seven,
Anne and Brian were forty four and forty five years old and were enjoying
their lives. This so called normal life that the family were living, however,
was rocked. In July nineteen ninety seven. The Myring family had been
almost ripped apart by an unexpected incident. Anne had left the family home and
hadn't returned, and it had been several weeks since anyone in her family had
seen her. This was so out of character, and everyone who knew Anne
didn't understand where she had gone or what could have happened. She hadn't been
reported miss for a few weeks since she had last been seen, and the
events surrounding that last day were relatively unclear. That day, Anne my Ring
headed to work at Hewlett Packard as she usually did. Her colleagues didn't report
anything different about her that day or anything out of the ordinary that she said
or did. Anne allegedly told them that she was going to head home and
then she was off out for a meal with her husband Brian that night.
This of course, didn't ring any alarm bells and sounded like any usual evening
to her colleagues. Anne left Hewlett Packard at the end of her work day,
and her sons David and Stephen saw her that night. When she got
home. The next day, however, was a different story. They both
later recalled that the next morning their mother wasn't there. When they asked where
she was, their father, Brian told them that Anne had gone away to
a health farm for the rest of that week and the weekend. While this
seemed a little out of the blue, David and Stephen seemed to accept this
explanation until the following morning, when the weekend had ended and their mum had
still not returned. At this point, Brian told his sons that Anne had
actually left him and there had been problems with the relationship. This shocked David
and Stephen, as they hadn't been aware that anything was wrong, especially to
the extent that their mother would have left the family home. David later commented
on how he felt at the time hearing this new piece of information. He
told the Independent newspaper, Me and Steve were really shocked. We didn't think
anything was going wrong with the relationship. Apparently they had been arguing quite a
lot that week and going out on regular drives to chat about it away from
us. I think it was about money. The fact that their parents were
having problems in their marriage wasn't the most shocking part. It was the fact
that Anne had simply left the home and then behind without contacting anyone at all.
This seemed so unlike her and couldn't really be explained. When Anne hadn't
returned, she was officially reported missing to the police. Brian later stated that
he didn't report her missing straight away, as he thought she had left him.
It was only when a family member also noticed her absence that they officially
reported her missing. Brian had contacted the police about her disappearance, However,
this was done informally and an official report had not been made before this point.
The police were able to establish that she had last been seen on the
twenty fifth of June, and they attempted to figure out where she could have
gone next. They had established that Anne had driven her Voxhall Carlton car home
and that the car remained there despite Anne's absence. They also discovered that Anne
had already booked off the next day, Thursday, the twenty sixth of June.
When police looked into her bank account activity, they discovered that Anne had
not accessed her account or used any credit or debit cards, and she had
also not picked up four hundred pounds in wages that she was owed from her
job. If she had vanished of her own volition, then why had she
not told anyone where she was and how was she going to live her life
without contacting them. When her belongings were checked, it appeared that she had
taken some of her belongings, like some clothing. However, there were some
odd features, particularly the fact that she had not taken her makeup, her
jewelry and seemed to have left behind nine single shoes. The police were not
convinced that Anne would have just walked away, and neither were her family.
Anne's younger sister, Jane, spoke to the press at the time that Anne
went missing. She stated, we're all very worried about Anne and just want
to hear from her. It's very stressful. Our mother has had an operation
for cancer and this isn't helping her recovery. We're a very close family and
it's very out of character for Anne not to keep in touch. She was
devoted to her boys. She has never left home like this before. We
have no idea why she has disappeared, and there is nothing obvious that would
make her go, and she's never done it before. We just believe that
she was unhappy. We have no clues as to where she is. The
fact that Anne's mother had had an operation and Anne had not checked in to
see what the results were was also alarming, given how close Anne and her
mum were and how hard she'd been working to look after her after her cancer
diagnosis. Anne's family contacted the Missing Person's Bureau for help in trying to locate
her, and they supported the family by printing hundreds of posters and fliers with
Anne's information. These were distributed in the hope that someone had seen her and
could help her disappearance was so strange and so unlike her that no one understood
what could have happened. Brian made an appeal to the public about his wife,
saying their sons were missing her terribly. He said, I would like
to appeal to Anne to get in touch with their children. We're coping okay,
but the boys are desperate to hear from her. It appeared that Brian
and his children were hoping that Anne would return home and that there would be
some reasonable explanation for why she had disappeared. Over the next several months,
there would continue to be some hope that Anne would return. However, as
the weeks then months passed, this was a harder and harder to believe.
There were no known reasons why Anne would leave, and particularly why she wouldn't
tell her children where she was. Her family and the police were increasingly worried
about her safety. By October nineteen ninety seven, Anne had still not returned,
and it was this month there was a new development in the case.
Regional and national newspapers reported that there had been two arrests made. The articles
described how the arrests had taken place at Chevening Close in Stoke, Gifford.
The arrests had been made at the Myring family home. Brian Myring and a
woman had been arrested in relation to the murder of An my Ring. This
shocking development was unexpected and raised many questions for those that heard about it.
One of the main questions was who was the woman who'd been arrested with him
at his home. This would become clear and the woman's name would be revealed
as Teresa Kempster, who was thirty eight at the time. It would turn
out that Brian and Teresa were having an affair and that they had been for
the previous two years. Was also married, and the pair had met at
the Cubs and Scouts group that the couple were involved with. This relationship was
apparently quite well known to other people who knew the couple, and Anne had
found out about it. However, she seemed to be one of the last
people to know about this affair. It was reported that despite knowing about the
affair, Anne was happy to stay with Brian and wanted to make it work.
Anne's mother stated that Anne idolized Brian. The shocking news that Brian had
been arrested and that he was also having a long term affair during his marriage
to Anne was sensational and articles began to come out about the evidence that the
police had against Brian and even possibly Theresa Kempster. Police soon let Theresa go
without any charges, but they did formally charge Brian Myering with the murder of
his wife. Many people speculated about what the evidence exactly was to charge Brian,
and the fact they hadn't yet found Anne was something else concerning about the
case. If Brian had murdered her, where was her body nobody. Murder
trials are particularly difficult to take to trial due to the lack of evidence to
prove anything either way. The police, however, had decided to take this
case to trial, and it would turn out that the evidence was entirely circumstantial.
Brian Myering's trial did not end up taking place until November of nineteen ninety
nine, and in the time in between, Anne's family were trying to get
to grips with the news that police believe that Anne had been murdered and most
importantly, they didn't know where her body was. In December of nineteen ninety
seven, Anne's family and the Avon and Somerset police spoke to the press.
Anne's sister Jane told the grief that they were feeling at not being able to
put her to rest or knowing what happened. She said on Christmas Day,
it will be six months since her disappearance. The family have accepted that she's
no longer alive and that the police are searching for her body. At this
most difficult time of year, we're looking for any news that will locate Anne's
body. It will help us greatly if she's brought home to her family so
that she can be properly laid to rest. We can't grieve as we have
nothing to grieve over. Yet this feeling of limbo must have been even more
excruciating given that they believe that Anne had been murdered. Avon and Somerset Police
spokesperson said at this time of year, families come together and it's common practice
for them to go out on walks in the countryside or beauty spots. We're
asking people while they do this to keep an eye out for clothing scattered about
in beauty spots or possibly an abandoned suitcase. By this point, Brian Myern
could been released on bail pending his trial for her murder, and police were
hopeful, but by the time that that came around, they may have located
Anne's body. During the summer of nineteen ninety eight, police searched several areas
to find her. They knew that she was a keen rambler and that she
enjoyed the countryside, and so they began to focus their attention on these kinds
of areas. They searched the area of tog Hill, which is a picnic
spot around fifteen miles away from Anne's home. They searched the area for around
four days before moving the search to Woodland in the area of Wick, less
than two miles from tog Hill. Many of her favorite walking areas were checked,
and at the end of July it was confirmed that an area close to
the Gloucestershire Force Area was going to be searched. Shortly after this announcement of
further searches, Brian Myering was in court at a hearing he pleaded not guilty
to the charges of murder. His trial eventually took place in nineteen ninety nine,
and the prosecution set a case out where Brian Myering intentionally set out to
murder his wife due to his obsessive affair with Teresa Kempster. They alleged that
he wanted to get Anne out of the way so he could pursue this relationship,
and this was a substantial motive to murder her. The defense stated that
they had no evidence that Brian had killed his wife or that she was even
deceased. More insight into Anna and Brian's relationship was gained at the trial,
with Brian stating that Anne had been siphoning money out of their joint account before
she went missing, and that they had been arguing about this. Brian stated
that Anna had taken around fifteen thousand pounds out of their account and that she
had made a withdrawal of around nine hundred and twenty pounds before she went missing.
The prosecution, however, led by Paul Chad QC, said this was
untrue and actually CCTV footage showed that this transaction was made by Brian Myering himself.
Paul Chad explained it became clear to the police that the only person to
benefit from her disappearance was her husband. This was a carefully schemed murder of
his wife. He also stated that Myering had got to the end of his
tether when it appeared that Anne was not just leaving him. Brian stated that
they had gone for a drive on the evening of the twenty fifth of January,
and they argued out of earshot of their youngest son. He said that
the argument had not been resolved and that Anne told him that she was leaving
him. During the trial, the jury also heard that Brian had been in
possession of Anne's bank card. Teresa Kempster took to the stand to give some
insight into their relationship. She said that her husband had found out about the
affair and had attacked Brian, and when he saw them in the car together.
Anne had also found out after seeing them meet at a service station.
Reportedly, Brian had denied having an affair when approached by police initially, then
admitted to it later on. The prosecution set out that they had checked on
hospitals and solicitors and all lines of inquirer exhausted when trying to locate her,
suggesting that it was obvious that she was no longer alive. They also explained
that Anne had left too many of her belongings behind, including a treasured family
heirloom, and that she had booked a holiday and a hair appointment, implying
that she hadn't planned to leave. On his part, Brian Myrene denied all
the allegations against him. He explained that he had noticed that Anne was taking
money out of the account, and he had confronted her about it on the
car journey, saying he believed she'd taken it out. When asked by Anthony
Arledge, QC, defending did you kill your wife in the course of that
journey or at any other time, Brian replied no. When he was questioned
about why he'd delayed in telling authorities that she was missing, he said that
he didn't want to worry her mom about her disappearance, as she was having
an operation and he was convinced that she had just left him. Towards the
end of the trial, the prosecution made some admissions to the defense, saying
that Brian Myering had cooperated fully with analysis of his bank accounts and forensic examination
of his clothing and vehicles. They also stated that four of Anne's bank cards
had never been found and searches had found no trace of Anne. There was
no forensic link to Brian, and Anne had not been recovered, and so
there was no concrete evidence that she was dead. The case against Brian was
circumstantial and it was unclear how it was going to conclude. The jury took
the case and within just two and a half hours they were back with a
verdict. They found Brian Myering not guilty of the murder of his wife.
Brian was visibly relieved at the news and was pleased with the result. Outside
court, Detective Chief Inspector Jeff Anderson said the case was still open. He
said, this has been a difficult investigation and unusual circumstances, and as far
as we're concerned, Anne my Ring is dead, we would welcome any information
which might lead to the whereabouts of her body so that her family might finalize
their grieving process. The outcome of the trial was disappointing for the police,
who had taken this as far as they could with the circumstantial evidence that they
had. It must have also been very distressing and confusing for Anne's family.
Ann's brother Mark told the press in the days after the acquittal, listening to
the evidence has been hell At times has been too much to bear. They're
not guilty. Verdict means the story is not closed. He also stated that
the family had known for a while that Anne was dead, but that they
now needed to find her body to find closure. Anne's sons must have also
been going through the worst time of their lives, given that their mother was
missing and their father could have gone to prison for her murder. David and
Stephen, as well as their father, spoke to the Independent newspaper in two
thousand, three years after Anne's disappearance and a year after Brian was acquitted.
Brian gave the paper a statement which read, I was very surprised I was
arrested as there was no forensic evidence at all, no history of violence,
and there had been several sightings of Anne around the country, with three in
an area that Anne knew, although myself, David or Stephen had not been
told of any sighting. I suppose the worst thing is the two years I
spent away from my family on bail. David was only fifteen, going into
his final year at school, and for some four months I was not allowed
to see or talk to him. This initial period was very traumatic for myself
and for David. David and Stephen stated that they do not believe that their
father had anything to do with their mother's death, and described Brian saying,
we couldn't imagine anyone like him ever doing something like that. He's never hit
us, never shown any violence towards anybody. Really, He's really nice.
I just don't think it's feasible. Stephen is equally adamant. I'm the best
person at winding anybody up, and Dad has never ever raised a hand.
He's quite mellow. Actually, he's got a good sense of humor as well.
It never, ever, not once entered my mind at all. David,
Stephen, and Brian explained that they believe that Anne is still alive and
don't accept that she has died. They hoped that they would see her again
and that she would get in contact. David stated, we're all encouraging each
other to try and do as much as we can to try and find her.
I'm not bothered about her reasons. I'm more concerned about her making contact.
If she came back, I wouldn't even ask where she'd been. I
would just be crying. I'd be so happy. I would rather take the
positive approach. There is lack of evidence both ways, but I'd rather be
more positive. I'm always going to believe that she's alive. There has never
been any significant evidence as far as I'm concerned to say that she's dead.
Brian also said I would like to say to Anne, come back. I
know it means facing up to a lot but the boys miss you a lot.
Although we shall never be together, the first twenty years of marriage was
very good, and i'd like to know that you're all right. Stephen explain
Lane that he's gutted by his mother's disappearance and that he still wears her gold
necklace, and since she disappeared, he had had a daughter and he'd given
her the middle name of Anne. He said, with my job, I'm
out on the road on my own, driving about, and you've got to
think about something. Unfortunately, it always seems to be about my mum and
where she can be. I do still cry about it. There's no doubt
that Anne's disappearance had an incomprehensible effect on her son's and her whole family.
But when Anne's mother, Gwendolen was spoken to for the same article, she
had a different outlook on her daughter's disappearance. She believed that Anne had been
murdered and that she was not just going to walk back through the door.
She stated, David was the apple of her eye. She would never have
walked out on those boys. Ever. She'll never come back. She's dead
and that's all there is to it. I had cancer five and a half
years ago. There's no way my daughter would not have looked after me.
We were like that. She was my best friend, not just a daughter.
She would come and take me out once a week, sometimes twice.
She idolized her husband. I'm not very happy about them wanting their mother to
come home when it's absolutely impossible. I think it's very sad. She was
my daughter. She was my flesh and blood. Gwendoline by this point in
two thousand, had lost her voice box due to the spread of cancer and
had to use a voice in hancer. She was described as being visibly angry
about the situation, and it's stated in the article that the two sides of
the family now no longer speak. This is such a sad story and the
fact that Anne's close family has been ripped apart by not only her disappearance,
but also by the trial and then acquittal of Brian. In the years following
the trial, David and Stephen continue trying to locate their mother, with a
poster campaign in areas where Anne had links to and a feature in Big Issue
magazine to appeal for her return. At the time, Detective Chief Inspector Jeff
Anderson from Avon and Somerset Police, who was leading the investigation, stated that
they believe that Anne was dead. He told the Independent newspaper does a woman
leave home leaving nine single shoes, all her makeup, her jewelry and all
her money. Her mother was ill with cancer and she was very supportive of
that. She was very supportive of her children. There was a huge amount
of circumstantial evidence that suggests this woman had not left that home on her own
volition, carrying two suitcases with all her belongings. Police have remained convinced that
Anne is dead and that they were looking for her remains. However, these
have never been located. It would appear that her bank accounts remained untouched.
However, seven years after she disappeared, a sighting of someone fitting her description
in Leeds was reported David and Stephen Ups the poster campaign in the area.
However, this did not locate Anne or figure out if this sighting was her.
While doing the podcast, all of the cases are tinged with sadness as
they're all unsolved, but sometimes some cases really affect me. This is one
of them, and I think it's because of the damage that has been done
to Anne's family as a result of her disappearance, Brian's trial and later acquittal.
Her family seems to have been broken beyond repair by it, and while
there hasn't been many updates and articles since two thousand, it's clear that the
opinions and thoughts of all the family members are very different. David and Stephen
want to remain hopeful that their mother did just walk away and was alive.
However, police and Anne side of the family believe that she is no longer
alive. The questions that remain are numerous. What happened to Anne that night?
Where did she go, Why did she not take any useful belongings with
her, Why has she not touched her bank accounts? And why did she
leave her car? All of this is unclear, and I completely understand her
son's desire to remain hopeful. The facts we do know, though, is
that Brian Myering has been acquitted of all charges, and that police still maintain
that Anne is dead and that they are on the recovery for her remains.
Since her disappearance, nothing has been found to pinpoint where she is or what
happened to her. Anne is still missing, and her disappearance and potential murder
is still unsolved. Without her body, there does appear to be little chance
of any progress being made. Are without any more sightings, her location will
be tricky to figure out. I really do hope that her family can finally
get some closure and that soon there will be some information or evidence forthcoming.
They deserve answers, and David and Stephen deserve to know what happened to their
mom. If you know anything about the disappearance of annem Ring in nineteen ninety
seven, then please contact Avon and Somerset Police at one oh one. Thank
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show notes, as always, I'm Caprice and this has been unseen