Britain witnesses about 700 murders every year and in most cases, the majority result in successful prosecutions. However, there are perplexing unsolved killing cases spanning decades that lack justice because the victims are considered to have been easy prey for the criminals. Dozens of missing men, women, and children are believed to have been murdered, and despite investigations spanning years, the police are still no closer to apprehending these heartless killers. From the disappearance of Julie Finley to the mysterious death of Ann Ballantine, here are some of the most notable unsolved murder cases in Britain.

In July 1984, Marion Hodge disappeared under mysterious circumstances and is believed to have been murdered. The 34 Scottish mother of two was dropped off in the Whitesands area of Dumfries around 7.30 am on Friday, 6 July 1984. Despite extensive efforts and a declaration of her death by the Court of Session in 1992, her body has never been found. Her case was highlighted on Crimewatch Live in 1992, but no further leads or sightings have surfaced, leaving her disappearance unresolved for decades.

Philip Green, an eleven-year-old boy went missing after heading to the Shirehampton golf course to collect lost golf balls on March 31, 1970. His battered body was discovered in a wooded area of the course the following day. Despite a large police investigation involving Scotland Yard, the case remains unsolved.

Nora Tait, a 69-year-old woman was beaten to death in her Doncaster home in October 2005. Nora was last seen at a local takeaway on October 12 and was found dead the next day in her home. Her black leather purse was the only missing item from her house, which has never been recovered. Despite nearly 18 years passing, the person responsible for this crime remains unidentified.

Ann Ballantine was last seen on November 18, 1986, and her body was found in Edinburgh's Union Canal on January 21, 1987. The 20-year-old woman had been raped, bound, and strangled before her body was wrapped in carpet and dumped into the canal. Due to the severe decomposition, she was identified through dental records and a scar on her head. According to the test, Ballantine's body had been in the water for days despite being deceased for several months.

Julie Finley 23 years old, disappeared from Liverpool city centre on August 5, 1994, and was later found dead and naked in a field near the Rainford bypass on August 6, 1994. She was last spotted around 11:05 PM on August 5, 1994, near Pembroke Place, behind the Liverpool Royal University Teaching Hospital, talking to a man believed to be in his 20s or 30s. Unfortunately, nobody has ever been charged or prosecuted in connection with her murder.

On Saturday, February 8, 1997, before 6 am, John Kennedy, a father-of-two, was stabbed in The Railway Arms pub located in Tower Hamlets, London. The night before his death, the 31-year-old man had been out with friends, visiting several pubs before reaching The Railway Arms around 3 am. John got into a conversation that turned into an argument and led to him being attacked and stabbed. After he collapsed, the suspect, who has never been caught, quickly left the pub and drove away.

Michelle Bettles, aged 22, worked as a street prostitute and was last seen in Norwich's red light district during the early hours of March 28 or 29, 2002, on Easter weekend. She had a missed appointment with a regular client near her home and was captured on CCTV walking in the opposite direction from their meeting spot. People who knew her reported seeing Michelle in the red light district, the last sighting being around midnight. Michelle Bettles’ body was later found on March 31, 2002, in woodland near Dereham, about 20 miles from Norwich's red light district. She had been strangled.

Kevin Dundon, 22, went missing on a ferry trip from Belgium to the UK in October 1980. He was last seen washing dishes aboard the Townsend Thoresen ferry around 6:30 pm. Despite suspicions that he might have fallen overboard, his body was never found.

Eve Stratford, a 21-year-old Bunny Girl working at the Playboy Club in Park Lane, was murdered on March 18, 1975. Her boyfriend found her in their flat on Lyndhurst Drive, Leyton, London, with her throat cut multiple times and tied up. Six months after Eve's death Lynne Weedon, a 16-years-old girl was tragically killed and raped in an alleyway near her home in Hounslow. In 2007, the police revealed that they had discovered a link between Eve Stratford's murder and that of the teenage girl, but the killer remains unknown

On 13 December 1991, Police officer DC Jim Morrison was stabbed in Montreal Place, Covent Garden. He was off-duty and was trying to arrest for a suspected bag theft. Earlier that night, the 26-year-old man had visited the Nell Gwynne pub for about an hour before deciding to head home. Although witnesses saw Jim struggling with a man outside the London Transport Museum around 10 pm, the suspect has never been arrested.

Sarah Benford, a 14-year-old girl, disappeared in April 2000 and it is believed that she was murdered, although her body has never been found. Police began a murder inquiry after she disappeared. Described as a troubled teenager, Sarah ran away from Welford House children's home in Northampton on April 4. She was last seen visiting her mother in Kettering on April 6, and there were other sightings of her in Kettering that day. In 2003, several people were arrested but the investigation didn't move forward.

On 24 August 1996, Caroline Glachan was found dead in the River Leven near the Black Bridge in Bonhill. She had been brutally beaten, although there was no evidence of sexual assault or robbery. Caroline was abandoned on the riverbank, partially in the freezing water, and the post-mortem revealed she had still been alive when she was dumped into the river. In 2008, two men were interviewed regarding her murder but there was no further progress.

A motorcycle enthusiast Alan Rosser was found collapsed outside his garage, Imperial Engineering, in Blackpool on November 12, 1999. The 34-year-old man was found with a serious head injury from a gunshot at around 6.30 pm and unfortunately passed away the following day. After Alan was shot, witnesses saw a man in a dark bomber jacket and a woolly hat fleeing from Egerton Road to Carshalton Road, heading towards Sherbourne Road, but he disappeared. Drawings of the man were circulated to find him, yet his identity remains a mystery.

Alistair Wilson, a Scottish banker, was fatally shot on his doorstep in Nairn back in 2004. Around 7 pm on Sunday, November 28, a man arrived at his home asking for Alistair. After a brief conversation and receiving a blue envelope labelled 'Paul,' Alistair was shot when he returned to the door. No one has been caught for the murder.

Yvonne Fitt, who worked as a prostitute in the Manningham area of Bradford, was stabbed to death on September 12, 1992. The single mother went missing on January 16, 1992, and was last spotted in Bradford. Her body was found in Lindley Wood, near Otley, South Yorkshire, on September 12, 1992. Despite ongoing investigations by detectives, including a TV reconstruction on BBC's Crimewatch in 1992, no one has been brought to justice for her death.

Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, was shot and killed outside Collins House on Armitage Road in Greenwich on the evening of October 22, 2018. Just before his death, he had a confrontation with a group of men on Woolwich Road. In October 2020, the police made a new appeal for information and offered a £20,000 reward for details leading to the conviction of those responsible for Ethan's murder. The family still seeks justice for their son, who was tragically killed five years ago.

On July 28, 1986, Suzy Lamplugh disappeared after leaving her office in Fulham, West London. The 25-year-old estate agent was heading to meet a client known as 'Mr Kipper' at a nearby house. Her murder, which occurred over 35 years ago, remains one of Britain's most famous unsolved cases.

One of the most infamous murder cases in Britain involves the tragic shooting death of Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando outside her West London home in 1999. The 37-year-old host left the home of her fiancé, Dr. Alan Farthing, and returned to her house in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, West London on the morning of 26 April 1999. At around 11:30 am, as she was reaching her front door, Jill Dando was shot in the head. A friend named Helen Doble found her shortly after and took her to Charing Cross Hospital, where she was declared dead at 1:03 pm. After an extensive investigation, the police arrested Barry George, who had a prior conviction for a sex offense, in connection with her murder. However, he was later unanimously acquitted by a jury in August 2008.

A British baby, Madeleine Beth McCann, disappeared at the age of 3 from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Lagos, Portugal, on the evening of May 3, 2007. Three months after her disappearance, she was declared dead, but the authorities in Portugal have not formally revealed the suspect's name. The McCann family commemorates the 16th anniversary of her disappearance this year, but the world remains unaware of what happened to the little girl.