A terminally ill mother has issued a heartfelt plea to know where her missing son's body is before she dies.
Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of 24-year-old rock music fan Kyle Vaughan – whose crashed car was found abandoned on a country road in south Wales in 2012 and prompted detectives to launch a murder investigation.
Today, on the third anniversary of his disappearance, his mother Mary has launched an emotional appeal begging for people to come forward with information.
The 53-year-old former hospital worker, who has advanced liver cancer, has been told by doctors she may just have weeks to live – and said she cannot bear the thought of dying without knowing what has happened to her only child.
She said: “The doctors have said they don't know how long I have left. It could be just weeks. If I'm lucky it might be months.
“I should be able to properly say goodbye to him – to give him a funeral. The thought of not ever finding out is too cruel to contemplate.
“I just want to know where my Kyle is. Someone out there must know something. I want to say to them: put yourself in my shoes.”
Factory worker Mr Vaughan, known to his friends as Jabbers, was last seen at his home in Newbridge, Caerphilly, on December 30 2012.
Later that same night, his damaged silver Peugeot 306 was found on the A467 between Risca and Crosskeys.
It was not clear whether Mr Vaughan had been driving the vehicle, but police said they were confident he would have been able to walk away from the collision.
“I knew straight away something was wrong,” said Mrs Vaughan.
“Kyle would always answer his phone no matter what – and even when he went away on holiday with his friends he would still always call me up every morning to let me know he was safe.”
Extensive searches by a team of up to 40 officers followed as well as numerous public appeals for information.
The major investigation has seen detectives sift through a mountain of evidence – including more than 10,000 lines of telecommunications data, 200 plus hours of CCTV footage and around 2,000 separate pieces of property.
But despite all this police work as well as numerous public appeals, the agony for Mr Vaughan's family continues.
“Christmas and New Year should be a happy time, but for us it brings back the bad memories of when Kyle first disappeared,” cried Mrs Vaughan.
“I can't celebrate Christmas any more. The only present I ever want is to get my boy back.
“Being told by police they believe your only child is dead was hard to take, but the uncertainty in not knowing where he is or what has happened has made things worse.
“It's like being constantly in limbo. It makes the grief unbearable.
“I definitely think the stress and the uncertainty has had an effect on my health.
“Someone out there must know what has happened to him or has information which could help the police.
“Please, come forward. You can give information anonymously if needs be. I don't have much time left.”
Anyone with information on Mr Vaughan's disappearance is urged to contact Gwent Police on 01633 838111 or the 101 number. People can also give information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.