24 Hours in Police Custody: How missing person report led Bedfordshire Police to the "Butcher of Suburbia"

A search for missing 74-year-old Annette Smith threw up so many questions and inconsistencies that police soon realised there was much more to the case, and uncovered the brutal murder of the Fairfield landlady.

And the investigation resulted in lodger Scott Paterson being jailed for life after killing Annette, dismembering her body and hiding the remains in public bins and a storage unit in Letchworth. He will serve a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

Featured in the documentary series 24 Hours in Police Custody over the weekend, ‘The Butcher of Suburbia’ featured the police work uncovered Paterson’s vile crimes.

But what raised the alarm in the first place, and how does the Missing Persons team balance a right to privacy with concerns for someone’s safety and well-being?

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Eaton of Bedfordshire Police’s Public Protection Unit explained: “The first thing is that people have a right to a private life, they have their human rights, and sometimes they don’t want to communicate with family.

“So there is a whole lot of consideration about the risk. Are they competent to make these decisions, even if they appear to be poor decisions?”

In the case of Annette Smith, it quickly became apparent that the line given by Paterson – that she’d left with a friend – was completely out of character, as were the messages that he had sent pretending to be Annette. So the case was escalated.

If a case is identified and agreed as a missing person, initial considerations will revolve around the degree of risk. It’s about looking at the context,” says DCI Eaton.

“You’ll look at the circumstances of them leaving. If it’s freezing cold and they don’t have money to pay for a hotel or anywhere to stay, that would become high risk.

“We will also look at the known history of the missing individual and the circumstances of their leaving.

“We will think about whether we need to get in specialists. If someone has gone missing by a river, for instance, we look to work alongside a search team.”

The team is essentially looking for proof of life: “Phones, financial dealings, social media. They will all be checked very quickly. There may be a media appeal if we think a member of the public might see this person.

“There is a process, but it is also about setting those actions against the individual circumstances. It’s not a tickbox. You think through the steps of an inquiry and ask if it is relevant – how can we try and identify where this person is?”

The experience of the officers involved will also be crucial, says Mr Eaton.

“Our team is made up of really experienced officers in the field. Many of them have worked here for years.

“You make decisions based on that experience. Something doesn’t feel right. You can be wrong, but generally, the more you’ve seen it happen, the more you understand these things.

“And there is a variety of skill sets within the team: financial intelligence officers, people trained in online research, search experts.

“Context is everything in a missing case,” concludes DCI Eaton. “Does the story you’ve been told fit with what is known?”

Visit the website to find out more if you’re concerned about a missing person.