Ames Glover infant born in the United Kingdom mysteriously vanishes without a trace after his father temporarily leaves him alone in the backseat of his car in a city in London, England. On his return he discovered that Ames was missing. And despite the passage of so much time, his case has still not received any answer.
Case
On Monday, February 5, 1990, Paul Glover made the decision to take a cash out and bring back takeout while tending to his five-month-old son Ames. At the intersection of South Road and Hamilton Road in Southhall, he left Ames in the backseat of his blue Ford Sierra and made sure to lock the car before leaving. Paul next withdrew some money from a Lloyd’s Bank ATM before purchasing some food at a “Kwality” takeout curry restaurant. Paul reported that his car was still locked when he came back twenty minutes later even though his son had vanished.
An investigation started after Paul, who was alarmed, hurried over to the nearby Hamilton Estate to call the police.
The case received significant local coverage and appeals early on, but all of it died down soon after; however, while the reasons for this remain unknown, it’s worth noting that Ames’s parents were estranged at the time, and he was on a “at-risk register.”
In their investigation, the police interviewed over 2,000 people, including Paul and Shanika. However, no one was charged, not even Paul, who was arrested and then released at one point, and no solid leads emerged as a result of the investigation. In his son’s case, Paul has never been charged. To this day, the boy’s father denies any wrongdoing in his son’s disappearance. He has also consistently claimed that he locked his car before leaving. Investigators examined the Ford Sierra and discovered no evidence of tampering, which would have indicated a break-in. It’s also worth noting that no evidence has been found to back up Paul’s story.
Shanika had allowed Paul to look after their son for a short time before he vanished. The original plan had been for Paul to return their son to her before that fateful Monday. However, the plan was altered when Paul requested that Shanika look after him for a little longer, to which Shanika reluctantly agreed.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of evidence, leads, and progress, Ames’ case was eventually closed.
Since Ames’ disappearance, the media and police have been chastised for their handling of his case.
Ames’ case was reopened in 2002, about twelve years after he vanished without a trace, thanks to Shanika’s pressure, and is now under the control of Scotland Yard’s Racial and Violent Crimes Taskforce. Authorities travelled to Ghana in West Africa in 2003 after receiving a tip. Despite offering a reward for additional information, no additional information was obtained. DNA tests on two young Ghanaian men yielded negative results as well. Since then, authorities have continued to rely on the public for new information, albeit with limited success.
Ames’ case is still open in 2022. Ames would be 33 years old today if he were still alive. He was last seen wearing a blue and yellow coat, a light green one-piece baby grow, a blue and yellow hat, and a pair of blue booties.