"Just give him back", says mum of man killed in Worcestershire 16 years ago whose body has never been found
Jesse Richards was killed in Cleeve Prior, Evesham, on 31st July 2009 in what police believe was an attack over a drugs debt
"Every year I’m alive, if I live until I’m one hundred, I will still look for Jesse," says Lucy Richards, the mum of Jesse Richards who was killed in Worcestershire 16 years ago.
Jesse, originally from Gloucester, was killed in Cleeve Prior, Evesham, on 31st July 2009 in what West Mercia Police believe was an attack over a drugs debt.
His body has never been found, with detectives thinking the body could've been taken to Warwickshire where it was hidden.
Jesse's mother 83-year-old Lucy says she just wants to be able to give him a proper goodbye and is pleading for anyone who has any information of her son's whereabouts to come forward.
"Time is ticking out for me, so the only one thing in this world that I want now is my Jesse back," she said.
"Every day, every morning and every night, Jesse is always in my heart and in my mind, I never ever wake up in the morning without thinking of Jesse.
"It would be a very big thing for me to have my child back, to know where he is, because I don’t know where Jesse is and neither do the police, they’ve hunted and they’ve looked."
Thanking the police for all their effort over the years, Lucy says she believes someone must know something and she will never stop her fight to find her son.
"Every year I’m alive, if I live until I’m one hundred, I will still look for Jesse," she said.
"For 16 years I’ve been waiting for somebody to say something, there is people out there that know where Jesse is.
"Just give him back, so that I can have peace and so that when I die I know where my Jesse is."
Police remain "committed" in search
In 2012, five men were jailed in connection with his death and were collectively sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.
They've since been released, with West Mercia Police releasing their renewed appeal for information last week on what would've been the 16th anniversary since Jesse's death.
It added detectives are "still as committed today as they were 16 years ago" to finding his body.
Detective Inspector Gareth Evans said: ”Despite the time that has passed, the desire to assist in the recovery of Jesse Richards remains strong because it’s the right thing to do.
"It’s said that a parent should not outlive their child but to have them taken with no further trace is a living nightmare Lucy Richards must live with every day.
"All those convicted of involvement in Jesse’s death have since been released from their custodial sentences, Jesse’s family still live with their loss and inability to put him to rest.
“While circumstances have changed for them, they could also have changed for others involved or perhaps for their families, yet nothing changes for Lucy Richards. Someone knows what happened to Jesse and where he is.
"By not coming forward, you are depriving a family of the closure they so need and desire.”
The force is urging anyone with any information that could help the searches to contact them.