Frank McKeever

TWO people have been charged with the murder of a “cheerful and gentle” missing man whose body has never been found.

Frank McKeever vanished “without trace” over a year ago but this week, Surie Suksiri, 30, from Islington, and Juned Sheikh, 47, from Camberwell, were charged with his murder. The pair were arrested in September last year and later released under investigation.

Despite an extensive police search, with officers dredging lakes and canals and investigating buildings and open spaces, Mr McKeever’s body has never been found. The final sighting of him was recorded in August last year, when CCTV captured the 63-year-old walking along Highbury Park near the junction with Highbury Grange.

This summer, police offered anyone with information about Mr McKeever’s whereabouts a £20,000 reward for coming forward. The police said at the time they believed he had “come to serious harm”.

In a statement released by Mr McKeever’s family a year after his disappearance, they described him as a man who “seemed happy and positive about the future”.

Ms Suksiri and Mr Sheikh appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.