Mother's plea to find killed son's body 15 years on

The body of father-of-three Jesse Richards has not been recovered since he died on 31 July, 2009

A grieving mother has made a plea to find her son's body 15 years after he was killed.

Jesse Richards was targeted over a drugs debt and died in Worcestershire on 31 July 2009 and police believe his body was taken to Warwickshire and hidden.

Five men were jailed in 2012 over his death in Evesham, but a £10,000 reward remains for information about where the father-of-three's body is.

Mr Richard's mother Lucy said: “I have appealed for 15 years for the return of my Jesse and every year I hope for a positive result, but so far have been bitterly disappointed."

She pleaded for anyone with information to come forward, if not for her family then for the reward.

'Think about me'

“Every time I see on the news an unidentified body has been discovered, I am put through the torture of wondering and waiting to see if it might be him, it doesn’t get any easier as the time passes but I live in hope and will keep doing so," said Ms Richards.

“If anyone knows anything no matter how small it may seem, think about me, think about the rest of his family, think how you would feel if you were me and please, get in touch with the police."

West Mercia Police investigators say they remain committed to finding Mr Richards' body to give his family closure.

“Despite any involvement in crime Jesse had at the time of his death, his family did not and his family have been left to cruelly suffer for 15 years without the opportunity to lay their loved one to rest," Det Insp Gareth Evans said.

"Put yourself in the family’s shoes and do the decent thing while Jesse’s mother can still put her son to rest."