Missing Investigative Support
About
Dr Kirsty Bennett
Kirsty is a Senior Lecturer in Policing at Leeds Trinity University, teaching criminology and policing to undergraduates and police trainees. She earned her doctorate in 2023, focusing on cold case investigations in the UK. Kirsty actively researches cold cases and missing persons and is currently involved in two projects: supporting families of long-term missing persons and cold cases, and collaborating with police forces to reduce repeat missing children cases.
Details of her publications can be found here
About
Kirsty is a Senior Lecturer in Policing at Leeds Trinity University, teaching criminology and policing to undergraduates and police trainees. She earned her doctorate in 2023, focusing on cold case investigations in the UK. Kirsty actively researches cold cases and missing persons and is currently involved in two projects: supporting families of long-term missing persons and cold cases, and collaborating with police forces to reduce repeat missing children cases.
Details of her publications can be found here
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Several current students and recent graduates from the unit have shared their experiences here.
In August 2020, Kirsty began supporting families of missing and murdered loved ones through Locate International, starting with the Charles Horvath-Allen case. She now works independently, supporting 16 families in the UK and abroad, free of charge. Her work is assisted by student review teams at Leeds Trinity University.
Students volunteer their time to review cases, working collaboratively in weekly meetings. They receive guidance from family members and experts in policing, criminology, and psychology.
Amelia Bell, Co-director
Amelia is a Visiting Lecturer in Criminology at Leeds Trinity University, teaching criminology to undergraduate students and has recently graduated with a Master of Science degree in Counter Terrorism. She has worked alongside Kirsty on cold missing person and suspected no-body murder cases since the Unit’s formation in 2020 and has worked on over 16 cases across the UK, Canada, Germany and Spain. Amelia now serves as a Managing Director of the Unit at Leeds Trinity University, guiding the student review teams in their investigation efforts and providing Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) training.
Our work does not seek to criticize or undermine police efforts but recognizes the limitations of their resources. As police cannot review cases indefinitely, we aim to complement their work and provide ongoing support to families. When possible, we collaborate with police forces and share information.
Students volunteer their time to review cases, working collaboratively in weekly meetings. They receive guidance from family members and experts in policing, criminology, and psychology.
