Martin Joyce: £20,000 reward offered for information about man who vanished in 1999

'Whatever you know, whatever you have to tell us, we’ll be waiting for your call,' say police

Martin Joyce went missing in 1999 (Greater Manchester Police)

Detectives are offering a £20,000 reward for information about a man who disappeared 19 years ago.

Martin Joyce, then 29, went missing from Manchester on 5 September 1999, after giving his sister Mary a lift and then heading towards Manchester's Ancoats area for a night out

Greater Manchester Police said that officers do not know exactly what happened to Mr Joyce on the night he vanished but information received a few years ago has led them to believe that he was murdered after being assaulted at a Manchester pub.

Officers opened a murder inquiry in October 2016.

Specialist teams and sniffer dogs, trained to find forensic evidence, began working at the Bank of England pub shortly afterwards.

The search and excavation of the pub lasted for two weeks but came to an end when no trace of Mr Joyce could be found.

Officers have spent two years investigating the murder and have travelled all over the UK to follow leads.

The police force said that possible sightings of Mr Joyce had been investigated in Scotland, Kent and London but that even so, Manchester in September 1999 remains the last place where it can be proved that he was alive.

A man was also interviewed under caution and in connection with the investigation in March 2018 but no further action was taken.

Greater Manchester Police have now announced a reward for information "that leads to the body of Martin being found or to the successful conviction of those responsible for his unlawful killing", according to a statement posted on the force's Facebook page.

“Throughout this investigation we’ve kept an open mind around the circumstances that led to Martin’s death," said Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Wilkinson from Greater Manchester Police's Major Incident Team.

"But how someone can live with themselves knowing exactly what happened to him for almost two decades and not come forward, I will never know."

"The fact of the matter is; someone, somewhere, knows. They may not have been directly involved but they will have information that needs to be passed onto us."

“Martin, I love you, not a day goes by that I don’t think about you," said Mary, Mr Joyce's sister, in a statement.

"You’re always in my heart, always in my conversation.”

Officers urge members of the public who have information to come forward for the sake of Mr Joyce's family.

"Twenty years is an extremely long time and, over such a long period, friendships, relationships and allegiances may have changed," Detective Chief Inspector Wilkinson said.

“Whatever you know, whatever you have to tell us, we’ll be waiting for your call."

Anyone with relevant information is asked to call Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 9908.