On August 18th, 2003, sixty-six-year-old Frank Bayley was found dead at his off-license (liquor store) on Hartshill Road in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. His body was discovered by police who forced entry into the premises after concerned neighbors reported not having seen him. A post-mortem examination determined that Frank had died from asphyxiation.
Frank, who was unmarried and had no immediate family, was a well-known local figure in both the Hartshill area and nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme, where he lived. In addition to running the off-license, he operated a check-cashing business from the same premises, which may have made him a target.
Neighbors grew worried when they hadn’t seen Frank, prompting police to check on him. Officers broke into the shop and found his body behind the premises. Early reports indicated that a white van had been seen in the area on the day of the murder, with a man and a woman observed unloading items from it. Police believed the van might have returned later. Appeals were made for these individuals to come forward, and posters were put up near the shop, with a mobile police station established opposite the scene.
Detective Chief Inspector Carl Brookes led the investigation, noting that over 700 statements had been taken and 1,600 people spoken to in the months following the killing. Robbery could not be ruled out, as a full inventory of the shop had not been completed, but police also considered the possibility of a personal attack.
In March 2004, several individuals were arrested in connection with the murder. Colin Paul McDonald, then thirty-two, of High Street, Newchapel, Stoke-on-Trent, was charged with murder and conspiracy to rob. Two men from Birmingham (aged forty-two and forty-four) faced the same charges, and additional arrests followed, including a fifth suspect. A woman from Birmingham was also mentioned in reports. The suspects appeared in magistrates’ courts in the Stoke area, with some remanded in custody.
Three men were ultimately tried in connection with the case for alleged complicity in the murder. However, all three were acquitted. As a result, the murder of Frank Bayley remains unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 