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<v Speaker 1>Hi, and welcome back to The Unseen Podcast, a podcast

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<v Speaker 1>dedicated to missing people, unresolved cases, and UK true crime.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's day four of our twelve days of missing person

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<v Speaker 1>episodes throughout December. Today we're going to be exploring the

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<v Speaker 1>disappearance of James Harmon in London in nineteen ninety eight.

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<v Speaker 1>James's disappearance raised many red flags and means that this

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<v Speaker 1>case has now been treated as a possible murder investigation.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode is about a missing person and so does

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<v Speaker 1>not contain any descriptions of violence, but listen to discretion

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<v Speaker 1>is advised. On Saturday, January the twenty fourth, nineteen ninety eight,

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<v Speaker 1>thirty year old James Harmon, or Jimmy as he liked

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<v Speaker 1>to be called, was at his girlfriend's house in Romford,

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<v Speaker 1>a town in East London. Jimmy lived on Maxie Road

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<v Speaker 1>in Dagenham, which was around four miles from the town

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<v Speaker 1>of Romford, where his girlfriend lived. Jimmy was originally from Belfast,

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<v Speaker 1>however was now living and working in the London area.

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<v Speaker 1>His day job was working as a mechanic and fitter,

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<v Speaker 1>while at night he worked a second job as a

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<v Speaker 1>doorman at the Dagenham's robin Hood Pub in Longbridge Road,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as other East London bars and clubs. On

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<v Speaker 1>that Saturday afternoon, at around three pm, it's known that

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<v Speaker 1>Jimmy got a phone call on his mobile phone. This

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't long after arriving at his girlfriend's house. After he

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<v Speaker 1>got off the phone call, he told his girlfriend that

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<v Speaker 1>he was going to meet a friend called Andy in

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<v Speaker 1>the area of Raynham. Raynham is around six miles away

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<v Speaker 1>from Romford. Jimmy said that he intended on returning by

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<v Speaker 1>around eight pm that evening. This wasn't out of the

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<v Speaker 1>ordinary for Jimmy, and he set off in his silver

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<v Speaker 1>Mercedes one ninety e saloon car. Hours passed and the

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<v Speaker 1>eight pm curfew that Jimmy had given himself came and went.

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<v Speaker 1>He didn't return to his girlfriend's house, and it soon

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<v Speaker 1>became apparent that nobody knew where he was. Those that

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<v Speaker 1>were close to Jimmy were immediately quite worried about his

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<v Speaker 1>sudden disappearance, and they knew that there was something out

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<v Speaker 1>of character for him. Jimmy's girlfriend rang his mum, Jean,

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<v Speaker 1>to let her know that he hadn't returned, and they

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<v Speaker 1>both agreed to get police involved. At this point, a

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<v Speaker 1>missing person investigation was launched. The investigation was based on

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<v Speaker 1>the small piece of information that they had about his disappearance,

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that Jimmy had been to visit a friend

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<v Speaker 1>in Raynham. While investigating and searching the area, the police

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<v Speaker 1>made a discovery which was certainly of interest. Jimmy's car

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<v Speaker 1>with the registration A eight seven to two GBA, was

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<v Speaker 1>found abandoned close to the King George Hospital in the

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<v Speaker 1>area of good Mays. Good Maze is an area which

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<v Speaker 1>is around three miles from Romford, where Jimmy's girlfriend lived,

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<v Speaker 1>and around six point five miles from Raynham, where Jimmy

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<v Speaker 1>had said he was meeting his friend Andy. Jimmy's car

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<v Speaker 1>was identified quickly given that it was distinctive, it had

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<v Speaker 1>a lowered suspension and a loud music system. Upon investigation

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<v Speaker 1>of the car, police came to the conclusion that it

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<v Speaker 1>had probably been there since January the twenty fourth, when

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<v Speaker 1>Jimmy had gone missing. This appears to have come from

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<v Speaker 1>witness statements from people who had seen the car park

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<v Speaker 1>there since around that time. Why it was located there, however,

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<v Speaker 1>was unclear, and so was why Jimmy may have been

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<v Speaker 1>in that particular area after telling his girlfriend he was

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<v Speaker 1>going to Raynham. Despite finding the car, there was no

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<v Speaker 1>sign of Jimmy and police were even more concerned about

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<v Speaker 1>his whereabouts, knowing that he now had no transport. The scene,

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<v Speaker 1>while it didn't give any indication that anything was wrong,

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<v Speaker 1>also did not seem right either, and police issued a

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<v Speaker 1>description of Jimmy to the public to try and drum

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<v Speaker 1>up some attention for his missing person case. Jimmy was

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<v Speaker 1>described as white, five foot seven inches and stocky with

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<v Speaker 1>sharp crops brown hair. He was last seen wearing a

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<v Speaker 1>blue Budweiser T shirt, tracksuit, bottoms and trainers. An extensive

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<v Speaker 1>investigation was carried out by police into his disappearance and

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<v Speaker 1>many avenues were looked into. One of these lines of

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<v Speaker 1>inquiry was the fact that they believed that Jimmy was

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<v Speaker 1>part of what was described as a criminal fraternity in

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<v Speaker 1>East London. Police stated that through investigation they knew that

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<v Speaker 1>he took part in criminal activity and this may have

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<v Speaker 1>been due to his job as a dorman at several

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<v Speaker 1>different clubs and bars in East London and this may

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<v Speaker 1>have been how he got involved. This line of inquiry

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<v Speaker 1>also led police to believe that there was foul play

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<v Speaker 1>involved in Jimmy's disappearance, and that as a result, Jimmy

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<v Speaker 1>was murdered shortly after he vanished. Just ten months after

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<v Speaker 1>he disappeared, the case was passed on to the Homicide

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<v Speaker 1>and Serious Crime Command. Years began to pass, and in

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand and one it was reported that police were

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<v Speaker 1>again doing another search to try and find Jimmy. Detective

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<v Speaker 1>Chief Inspector Michael O'Keeffe from the Serious Crime Group said,

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<v Speaker 1>James Harmon has been missing for over three and a

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<v Speaker 1>half years and in this time nobody has seen or

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<v Speaker 1>heard from him. He was a man with a verve

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<v Speaker 1>for life and was extremely fun of his children and family.

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<v Speaker 1>It's vital that we hear from anyone who may have

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<v Speaker 1>information on what may have happened to James, so that

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<v Speaker 1>we can relieve his family of the anguish that they

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<v Speaker 1>suffered during his absence. In two thousand and three, appeals

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<v Speaker 1>were again made about Jimmy's disappearance, this time led by

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<v Speaker 1>Jimmy's mum, Jean. She had been completely heartbroken by the

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<v Speaker 1>disappearance of her eldest son, who she had been very

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<v Speaker 1>close to after moving from Belfast to Manchester with her

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<v Speaker 1>family in the nineteen seventies after the death of Jimmy's father,

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<v Speaker 1>He had taken over the role as a father figure

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<v Speaker 1>and was a responsible person. He had then moved to

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<v Speaker 1>Essex to be closer to his girlfriend. Jane. Explained that

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<v Speaker 1>she had found out from her that he had not

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<v Speaker 1>returned when he said he was going to, and Jean

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<v Speaker 1>had been immediately worried. In two thousand and three, along

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<v Speaker 1>with the Missing Person's Helpline, they launched an appeal with

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<v Speaker 1>the supermarket Iceland and to put Jimmy's face on every

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<v Speaker 1>two liter carton of milk. She said it was so

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<v Speaker 1>unlike James to just go missing and not get in

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<v Speaker 1>contact with anyone. I've waited for five years just for

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<v Speaker 1>a little snippet of information, and I'm hoping this will

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<v Speaker 1>prick someone's conscience and they will tell me something about him.

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<v Speaker 1>My son was a kickboxing champion and he was a

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<v Speaker 1>strong man. If someone wanted to harm him, it would

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<v Speaker 1>have taken more than one person to do it. James

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<v Speaker 1>was a very jolly person and had no reason to

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<v Speaker 1>leave out of the blue like that. It's totally out

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<v Speaker 1>of character because he would know we would all be

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<v Speaker 1>very worried about him. Gene also made a heartbreaking confession

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<v Speaker 1>that she was trying to sell her gold wedding band

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<v Speaker 1>to raise money for a reward. This is such a

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<v Speaker 1>tragic part of this case and shows how love Jimmy

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<v Speaker 1>was and how desperate his mum was for answers. Despite

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<v Speaker 1>these appeals from police and Jimmy's family, the case seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to go called for another few years before there was

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<v Speaker 1>any meaningful progress being reported on. In July of two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand eight, it was reported that a forty five year

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<v Speaker 1>old who lived in Dagenham was arrested for perverting the

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<v Speaker 1>course of justice and for being involved in Jimmy's disappearance.

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<v Speaker 1>The suspect was taken into custody but was later bailed.

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<v Speaker 1>It's unclear the grounds on which this suspect was arrested, However,

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<v Speaker 1>this was clearly in some way connected to leeds that

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<v Speaker 1>they had found in their investigation. After this development, police

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<v Speaker 1>appealed once again for anyone with information to come forward.

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<v Speaker 1>Five years later, in two thousand thirteen, another development was reported.

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<v Speaker 1>Police announced that they were offering a twenty thousand pound

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<v Speaker 1>reward for any information which led to the identification, arrest

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<v Speaker 1>and prosecution of those responsible for Jimmy's murder. Detective Chief

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<v Speaker 1>Inspector Neil Baldock said Jimmy was well known as a

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<v Speaker 1>doorman at a number of East London clubs and pubs.

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<v Speaker 1>I know he was involved in criminal activity in East

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<v Speaker 1>London and I believe the key to this investigation is

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<v Speaker 1>likely to come from within that criminal fraternity or their associates.

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<v Speaker 1>In the intervening years, loyalties and allegiances may have changed,

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<v Speaker 1>and I would appeal to anyone with new information to

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<v Speaker 1>come forward and speak to us. It was hoped with

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<v Speaker 1>the passage of time, someone may now feel more comfortable

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<v Speaker 1>coming forward and telling the police what they knew, especially

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<v Speaker 1>now with the new reward. If it was someone from

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<v Speaker 1>a criminal group, they may now be leading a very

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<v Speaker 1>different life than before and may be able to help.

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<v Speaker 1>This must have been welcome news for Jimmy's family and friends,

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<v Speaker 1>and especially his mum Jean, who had been appealing for

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<v Speaker 1>information about her son for years at that point. In

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<v Speaker 1>twenty fourteen, Jean spoke to the BBC about her son

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<v Speaker 1>and explained that she had spent her widow's pension and

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<v Speaker 1>had left herself penniless looking for Jimmy. She explained that

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<v Speaker 1>she had got her hopes up several times when people

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<v Speaker 1>rang up with tips or possible sightings, but that she

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<v Speaker 1>had had her hopes cruelly dashed. She said some people

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<v Speaker 1>rang up about four to six months ago to say

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<v Speaker 1>they thought they'd seen him, but when the police checked

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<v Speaker 1>into it, it wasn't him. You can't go forward. All

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<v Speaker 1>you can do is keep looking back to see if

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<v Speaker 1>there's anything that you've missed. Since then, however, there has

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<v Speaker 1>been little reported about James Jimmy Harmon's disappearance, and it

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<v Speaker 1>has been a decade since the last reporting that I

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<v Speaker 1>could find. It's tragic that it's been twenty six years

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<v Speaker 1>since Jimmy's disappearance and his family and friends have no

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<v Speaker 1>answers as to what happened to him. Someone out there

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<v Speaker 1>knows what happened to Jimmy, who was involved, and where

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<v Speaker 1>he is, and that person or people need to come

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<v Speaker 1>forward with what they know. Jimmy deserves justice and he

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<v Speaker 1>needs to be found. If you know anything about his disappearance,

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<v Speaker 1>please contact Crimestoppers on eight hundred five five five one

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<v Speaker 1>one one, or visit Missing People using the link in

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<v Speaker 1>the show notes to report information. Thank you for listening

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<v Speaker 1>to today's episode. Listening in a few days to day five,

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<v Speaker 1>where we will cover another missing or unidentified person case.

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<v Speaker 1>If you'd like to support the podcast further, then you

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<v Speaker 1>can on Patreon and contribute to exclusive polls to get

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<v Speaker 1>the link in the show notes to visit Patreon and

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<v Speaker 1>see what we offer. You can also support us by

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<v Speaker 1>reviewing the podcast wherever you listen, including Spotify, and also

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<v Speaker 1>just share the episodes. You can subscribe on YouTube and

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<v Speaker 1>follow us on social media as our ways. I'm Caprice

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<v Speaker 1>and this has been on scene the