Detectives in Fife are carrying out a reinvestigation into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Kenneth Jones in 1998. 

Kenneth was last seen, aged 18, around 10.30pm on Monday, November 2, 1998 in the Ancrum Court area of Glenrothes. His family discovered he was missing the next morning and have not had any contact from him since then.

Extensive enquiries have been carried out to try and trace Kenneth, who would now be 44-years-old, but so far there have been no confirmed sightings.

He is described as white, 6ft 2, with short, dark-brown hair. When last seen, he was wearing a black leather zip-up jacket, black jeans, and yellow and green trainers. 

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Detective Inspector Chris Mill said “We regularly review unsolved missing person cases and there have always been unanswered questions around Kenneth’s disappearance. 

“His family have never given up hope of finding him and have worked closely with the charity Missing People.org to try and keep his disappearance in the public eye. 

“They produced an image of him a few years ago which gives an artist’s impression of what he may have aged to look like. If anyone recognises Kenneth from this picture, or has any information that can help our enquiries, please contact us.

“I would appeal particularly to anyone who knew him and his social circle well, or any of his friends and relatives that we have not already spoken to, to please get in touch.

“It’s essential we find out what happened to Kenneth so we can bring his family some much needed closure after all this time.” 

If you have any information at all that could help police enquiries, please contact local officers via 101. You can also speak to the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

It was initially assumed Kenneth had stayed at a friend's house when his family had woken up to find his bedroom empty. 

They reported him missing when he failed to return home at all and police launched an investigation into the situation. 

In the early days of Kenneth's disappearance, police had traced a hitchhiker who had been seen in the area but it was ruled out that it was him, and the family shared their belief that he was still alive but had left Fife. 

Other sightings included a shopkeeper reporting seeing a man matching his description sleeping rough in the woods, while a former school friend reported a possible sighting in a pub in Kirkaldy. 

Christmas and birthday appeals continued over the next couple of years but the family still didn't hear anything and there were no news about him. 

The case went cold and then in 2013, 23-year-old Allan Bryant went missing from Glenrothes on the exact same date that Kenneth had. The date is the only known link between the two men. 

The two families made a joint appeal in 2015 and in 2018, on the 20th anniversary of Kenneth's disappearance, his mum Maryanne said: “I have looked for you all over Britain.

“My one wish for you is that you are happy with a family of your own.

"If you want to get in touch please call the Missing People helpline.”

His aunt May, who lived nearby, also spoke at the time and was certain that the disappearance wasn't planned. 

She said: “It was so cold that November, I believe it wasn’t planned, I just so wish he hasn’t suffered, that he is somewhere warm and not going hungry.

“Despite the years we live in hope that he’s still alive. We just want to know he is safe and well, hopefully with a family of his own and not suffering at all.”

In 2020, remains were found at an industrial estate in Glenrothes and it led to speculation that it could be Kenneth. 

A post mortem was carried out on them and police revealed that they didn't belong to either Kenneth or Allan.