Age: 53
Sex: male
Date: 1 Apr 1992
Place: Sunningdale Gardens, Bitterne, Southampton
Michael Schallamach vanished in April 1992.
In 2016 two men were named as suspects in his murder. At the time they were in prison after having been convicted of the murders of five family members in 2003 for which they were given whole life terms.
Michael Schallamach went missing as he was about to go on holiday with his wife. He had lived in Sunningdale Gardens in Bitterne, Southampton.
It was claimed by associates of his that he had run away to live with another woman in either Europe or Nigeria.
Michael Schallamach's wife later received a letter from France that purported to be from a woman called Helen saying that she and Michael Schallamach had run off together. The letter was handwritten but the police said that it was a smokescreen to cover the fact that he had been murdered.
The letter read:
'You don't know me, I wrote to you recently but I inadvertently wrongly addressed the envelope.
The situation is thus:
Michael and I are in Europe enjoying ourselves he has told me a great deal about you over the last 12 months of our relationship.
My previous letter will explain in more detail.
You will find your car in Paris if you want it.
Michael will not be returning to you as he loves me more than he ever did you. In my previous letter I have enclosed a cheque from Michael for £500.
Helen'.
After the letter was received, the police appealed for whoever wrote it to come forward.
One of the men in prison who was identified as a suspect in his murder in 2016 admitted that he was the last person to see Michael Schallamach alive.
The murders of the family that the two men suspected of Michael Schallamach's murder were convicted for involved luring them to a remote location, killing them, and then dumping their remains at sea, and it was thought possible that they had used the same technique to dispose of Michael Schallamach. The men had murdered the family of five for which they were convicted in order to take over their freight company so that they could use it as a front to smuggle drugs into the country.
