Joseph Connelly: Glasgow family fear brother was murdered after vanishing 20 years ago

Joseph Connelly, from Calder street in Glasgow, disappeared in April 2002 without a trace, leaving his ‘distraught’ family in the dark ever since.

Heartbroken sister Caroline Connelly, 63, has vowed to never give up her desperate hunt for answers but has been left fearing the worst.

Joseph went missing in April 2002

It comes after the 50-year-old dad-of-one began acting strangely while attending a family wedding in Letterkenny, Ireland.

Joseph, who was normally the life and soul of the party, seemed very anxious and took himself to bed early but was then never to be seen again.

Worried Caroline launched a missing person appeal with Police Scotland but was stunned when their investigations began to consider the possibility that he had been murdered.

Joseph is from Glasgow

Now two decades later she still has no answers as to what happened to her ‘brilliant’ and ‘loving’ big brother as she begs for closure.

Caroline said: “At the wedding I should have realised something was wrong, but you just don’t think it will ever be the last time you see your brother.

“We were told he may have been murdered, the police never found any answers to prove if this was true but we think it is possible.

“I don’t know what my brother was caught up in, at this point that isn’t what is important, I just want to know what happened. My family needs closure.

“We haven't declared him dead and I won’t do it until I know for sure, otherwise it would feel like we gave up on him.

“It is just so cruel that we have had to go on never knowing if he is okay, we haven’t been able to properly grieve him.

“What is important is that someone tells me where his body is if he isn’t alive anymore, it has to be somewhere.

“It is hard to believe he is alive after all this time, but still there is a tiny part of you that always thinks ‘what if’.

“I love my brother, he has the most gentle soul, if I could say something to him it would be to come home, we miss you terribly, our family is broken without you.”

Caroline wants answers

Detectives investigating Joseph’s missing case allegedly took items from his flat on Calder street including private journals, photographs, and other clues to help find answers.

But after seven years of dead ends Caroline begged for these personal items back, but claims officers told her they were accidentally destroyed in police custody.

She was left ‘distraught’ at losing another part of her beloved brother, especially as his journals detailed his life since he was a young boy.

In emails, seen by the Glasgow Times, Caroline begged Police Scotland for answers to why the sentimental items were destroyed.

Missing posters for 50-year-old Joseph

Caroline said: “I was distraught, it was all I had left of him and now was gone as well.

“I had asked for them back so many times and now found out they were lost forever.

“His journals and photos meant so much to me and could have let me keep a piece of him.

“Police Scotland should be ashamed of themselves, they messed me around for years and even now 20 years on I have no answers.”

Caroline is hoping to confirm where her brother is soon as the ‘consuming’ search has been draining her for 20 years.

She fears she may die without getting answers like her other siblings, but refuses to give up hope.

Caroline hopes she will find out the truth

Caroline added: “It is just the strangest feeling in the world not having him here anymore, some days it just consumes me and other days I need to put it to the back of my mind.

“We have had so many potential sightings of him but they never came to be anything, that is really frustrating.”

“It has taken a lot of energy to keep searching and looking for answers, my older sister died never knowing what happened. I don’t want that to happen to me.”

Joseph would be 70-years-old now and is 5ft 10. He was last described as slim with brown hair which he wore in a ponytail with a sallow complexion.

He has a daughter in Berlin and was very close with his family, but has not been heard from since 2002.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Joseph Connelly was reported as a missing person by his family in April 2002.

“His case remains live and any new information or lines of enquiry reported to police will be thoroughly investigated.”