Robert Keetley was thirty-seven years old, and worked at a bakery in Nottingham, England. He was a friendly, outgoing young man, much loved by his friends and family, and was particularly close to his mother, Jacqueline.
On Saturday, April 28th, 2007, Robert, who usually went by Bobby, went out to The New Foresters, a gay bar he frequented on St. Ann’s Street. He often went there on Saturday nights, and would generally walk back to his residence alone through the Nottingham city center, along the River Trent. On this particular night, he was seen doing exactly this on CCTV cameras at around two-forty a.m. on April 29th, but he never made it home.
The following day, which was Sunday, Bobby’s mother became concerned when her son didn’t call her as he always did. She knew Bobby didn’t make a habit of drinking to excess, and she had a feeling that something was wrong. Bobby’s brother Alan, who had actually sustained a serious injury at work on the same day Bobby went out for the last time, was also worried, and reported Bobby’s disappearance to police.
Sadly, it turned out that both Jacqueline and Alan’s instincts were correct. No one heard from Bobby for more than a week, and then, on Tuesday, May 8th, his body was recovered from the Trent.
At first, authorities weren’t certain whether his death had been a suicide, an accident, or a murder. His family was convinced that Bobby would not have taken his own life, and pointed out that he was an excellent swimmer and was therefore unlikely to have drowned accidentally.
However, further investigation demonstrated that several items belonging to Bobby—including a gold pendant with his initial on it, an Armani watch, and a Motorola phone—were all missing, suggesting to detectives that the victim had perhaps been forced or pushed into the river during the course of a robbery.
In February of 2008, three people were arrested in connection with the crime, but all were subsequently released due to lack of evidence.
As of this writing in June of 2024, the case remains open and unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 