The festive season is a traumatic time for those separated from loved ones.
Even more so for those who have no idea where their child, parent, sibling, partner or friend has gone.
As the families of people who have vanished in Greater Manchester face Christmas without them, the Manchester Evening News highlights the cases of those who have been missing for more than three years in a special appeal, featuring details of their disappearances and their ages and appearances at the time.
READ MORE: "How are we going to survive?": The Greater Manchester streets where families dread Christmas
Please contact police or the charity Missing People on 116 000 if you can help.
Jordan Ratcliffe - 16 - missing from Manchester since 31/08/2008
Jordan Ratcliffe disappeared from Manchester on August 31, 2008, when he was 16 years old.
At 4.45pm, he was dropped off by his aunt, Kimberley Pierce, outside a hostel on Tib Street in the city centre.
His auntie told him to call her once he was settled, though he never did.
This is the last confirmed sighting of Jordan.
He is believed to have been carrying a backpack containing a packet of crisps and £5 cash.
At the time of his disappearance, he was was wearing black trainers, black Nike tracksuit bottoms and a grey and black jacket.
Elizabeth Ogungbayibi - five - missing from Manchester since 26/09/2006
Elizabeth was just five years old when she disappeared in Bradford, on a visit to a relative’s home in September 2006.
Adrian Eldred - 43 - missing from Rochdale since 17/05/2003
Adrian Eldred disappeared from his home in Queens Drive in May 2003, six months after separating from his 41-year-old wife Tracey.
His car, found abandoned in a car park in Weymouth, Dorset, a month later, prompted a search that extended to Europe, but police have been unable to trace his whereabouts.
Martin Joyce - 28 - missing from Manchester since 05/09/1999
Young dad Martin Joyce was last seen at the Bank of England pub in Ancoats in 1999.
His is an unsolved case which has left a large family bereft, presenting a number of lines of inquiry.
By 2018 police were treating his case as a murder inquiry, with DCI Stuart Wilkinson, then the lead detective in the case, saying: "[Martin's disappearance] is completely out of character, he's literally disappeared in 1999 without any reason, which again is strange, we have had the information that he's been in a fight, potentially that weekend, we've had information that he's been in a fight and then buried in a pub."
Salim Nakhuda - 26 - missing from Bolton since 26/10/2009
On a cold October afternoon, Salim Nakhuda slipped under bitterly cold water and disappeared from view.
Frantic police officers standing on the embankment above the River Ribble had spent 20 minutes throwing ropes into the water.
They were desperately trying to persuade him to climb back up to safety - but Salim ignored their pleas.
Instead, the 26-year-old swam and walked along sandbanks, in treacherous conditions, as the river raged beneath him.
Worried officers knew that the river contained dangerous whirlpools and feared Salim could be dragged beneath the surface of the freezing cold water.
When his head finally slipped down into the dark murky water, the officers called for backup.
Fearing for their own safety, they did not enter the water. Instead a professional search and rescue team arrived at the area of the river, near Avenham Park, in Preston, to look for Salim.
Sadly, their extensive efforts proved fruitless.
Kadia Diane - 16 - missing from Manchester since 02/10/2012
On the day of her disappearance, Kadia said she was going to the cinema - but never returned.
Ellen Cross - 50 - missing from Manchester since 03/11/1999
Ellen Cross, also lovingly known as Cleo, had been travelling back to her home in Ballyfermot, Dublin via Holyhead having been staying with her sister in Middleton for a couple of months.
The 50-year-old was seen boarding the train at Manchester Piccadilly on November 3, 1999, but never arrived home.
It is thought she had just £20 in her pocket and no passport when she vanished.
Truong Tran - 14 - missing from Bolton since 11/10/2018
Truong, from Vietnam, was last seen in the Harper Green area of Bolton.
He does not speak English and was not familiar with the area at the time.
Sang Ngoc Tran - 18 - missing from Longsight since 08/11/2017
Sang, 18, from Longsight, went missing on November 8, 2017.
Ban Nguyen - 46 - missing from Didsbury since 20/11/2017
Ban Nguyen, 46, has been missing from Didsbury since November 20, 2017.
Christopher Chawner - 30 - missing from Manchester since 15/05/2017
Christopher Chawner, 30, has been missing from Manchester since May 15, 2017.
Geoffrey Ralph - 74 - missing from Droylsden since 24/07/2017
Geoffrey Ralph, 74, left his home on Arbroath Street, in Droylsden, in 2017 and has not been seen since.
A team of detectives, volunteers and neighbours have scoured the surrounding area and Geoffrey’s favourite walking spots of Hartshead Pike, Debdale Park and the canal between Clayton Vale and Daisy Nook.
The mountain rescue team and National Police Aviation Service also joined the search, but Geoffrey is yet to be found.
Majid Heidari - 15 - missing from Trafford since 21/10/2016
Majid Heidari was last seen at Kingsway Park in Urmston about 2.45pm on Friday, 21 October 2016.
Monalisa Zodetsa - 36 - missing from Salford since 18/03/2015
Monalisa Zodetsa, 37, was was last seen on Ramsgate Street, in Salford, on March 18.
Monalisa, who is originally from Zimbabwe, is black, about 5ft 3ins tall and slim.
When last seen she had her hair in braids and was wearing a black furry coat, blue and yellow jeans, beige trainers and an orange rucksack.
Monalisa is known to attend African church groups in the Salford area.
Jack Stewart - 68 - missing from Rochdale since 08/02/2016
Jack Stewart, 69, was last seen at his home on Ings Lane, Spotland, Rochdale, at about 8am on Monday, February 8, 2016.
Police say his disappearance is ‘extremely out of character’ because Mr Stewart ‘liked routine in his life’.
Aminate Cisse - 27 - missing from Manchester since 07/31/2013
Aminate Cisse, 27, has been missing from Manchester since July 31, 2013.
Ethan Graham - 18 - missing from Urmston since 06/02/2012
Ethan Graham, 18, disappeared after withdrawing a large amount of money from his bank account, which had been left him by his grandmother.
He had been living with his uncle in Manchester for a number of years after the death of his mother when he went missing.
He was last seen after taking a taxi to Piccadilly Station on February 6, 2012 - but then disappeared.
In the days before going missing he had changed his appearance, including cutting his previously long hair very short.
James McEwan - 67 - missing from Manchester since 29/11/2011
James vanished after leaving his home in Crumpsall on Saturday, October 29, 2011, leaving behind his key and pet Staffordshire bull terrier Bruce behind.
Jimmy, as he was sometimes known, had been discharged from hospital three days earlier after suffering from with a chest infection. He is white, 5ft 9in, slim and usually unshaven.
Ciaron Nuttall - 19 - missing from Oldham since 05/03/2011
Ciaron, who grew up in Castleton, Rochdale, stormed out of his house in Royton, after a family row.
He was last seen, aged 18, on Cardigan Street, on March 5, 2011.
His phone, bank account and social media accounts have not been used since and despite numerous appeals no information has come to light.
He is described as 5ft 9ins tall, of slim build, with short brown hair and has a tattoo on his right hand.
Anyone with information about Ciaron is asked to call Missing People on 116 000.
Steven Durand - 31 - missing from Salford since 19/10/2018
Steven Durand was reported missing on October 28, 2018.
He was last seen at Bargain Booze on Bolton Road in Swinton at 7am on October 20 and then around four hours later at the Premier Store on Agecroft Road in Pendlebury.
The 31-year-old, of Preston, Lancs, is described as 5ft 10in tall, of stocky build with cropped dark hair.
He is mixed-race and walks with a noticeable limp.
On October 19, 2018, Steven’s card was used at cash machine in Chorley town centre at 2pm.
It is believed Steven travelled by train from Chorley to Manchester later that afternoon.
Despite extensive police enquiries, Steven remains missing.
Alex Batty - 11 - missing from Oldham since 08/10/2017
When Alex Batty disappeared he was just 11 years old after being taken to Spain.
Alex, from Oldham, went missing on a trip with his mum Melanie Batty - who does not have custody of him - and grandad David Batty.
They were due to fly home on October 8, 2017, but never returned.
