Final Moors Murder Victim Search Abandoned

Police have abandoned the search for the last remaining victim of Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

Twelve-year-old Keith Bennett - the third victim of Brady and Hindley - went missing in June 1964 and police have been searching for his body ever since.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the searches based on the words and photographs of the notorious pair, known as the Moors Murderers, had failed to produce results.

A search of Saddleworth Moor in 2008 attempted to match up photos by Brady and Hindley with aerial shots of the moor to try and find him.

The 12-year-old was one of five children believed to have been murdered by the pair between 1963 and 1965 and buried in the moor.

Bennett's body is the only one not found.

Keith's mother, Winnie Johnson, said: "I am 76 in September and I just want Keith found.

"I will never give up as long as I have breath in my body - not just for me but for my family and all of those around me.

"What Brady has done and continues to do is just so cruel."

A GMP spokesman said: "The search for the body of Moors Murders victim Keith Bennett is to enter a dormant phase after Greater Manchester Police exhausted all the avenues currently available."

Det Ch Supt Steve Heywood, head of GMP's serious crime division said although the search was over, the case would never be closed.

He said: "As a force, there is nothing we would have liked more than to draw a close to this dark chapter, and we are very disappointed that we have not located Keith's remains, but we will never close this case and remain open to any new lines of inquiry which may come about as a result of significant scientific advances or credible or actionable information."

Brady, now 71, is currently being held in Ashworth high-security prison in Liverpool, while Hindley died at the age of 60 from a heart attack back in 2002.

(JM/BMcc)