Hampshire Police have announced they are ending a major investigation into the disappearance of a young Royal Navy sailor nearly four decades ago, a case long linked to the notorious 'Frankenstein Killer'.
A Sailor Vanishes in Gibraltar
Simon Parkes, an 18-year-old radio operator, vanished on the night of 12 December 1986 while serving on the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. He had gone ashore in Gibraltar but never returned to his ship, leaving a mystery that has haunted his family for almost 40 years.
The investigation into his disappearance has consistently focused on Allan Grimson, a former petty officer serving on the same vessel. Grimson, later nicknamed the 'Frankenstein Killer' due to his imposing 6ft 2in frame and large forehead, was jailed for life in 2001 for the murders of two other young men.
The Shadow of a Serial Killer
Grimson's murderous pattern has kept detectives interested. He killed 18-year-old sailor Nicholas Wright on 12 December 1997, and barman Sion Jenkins, 20, exactly one year later on 12 December 1998. Simon Parkes disappeared on the same calendar date in 1986.
Despite this chilling coincidence and a psychologist's conclusion that Grimson had killed before, he has always denied any involvement in Simon's case. Following a guilty plea, the judge at his 2001 trial told him: "You are a serial killer in nature, if not in number."
Exhaustive Searches and a Family's Anguish
In recent years, Hampshire Police's cold case team pursued new lines of enquiry. Specialist officers were deployed to Gibraltar in 2019 and again in 2023 and 2024, conducting searches at the Town Range car park and a local cemetery.
However, after reviewing the evidence with the Crown Prosecution Service, the force has now decided to draw the investigation to a close. Detective Superintendent Adam Edwards stated: "Officers have worked tirelessly to investigate the disappearance of Simon Parkes and to find answers for his devastated family."
He confirmed the case would lie on file unless new information emerges. Simon's mother, Margaret Parkes, 78, from Kingswood near Bristol, remains adamant about Grimson's guilt. Speaking last year when Grimson was denied parole, she said: "He is a psychopath... He is a danger to society." The family say they are "100 per cent certain" Grimson was responsible.
Police continue to appeal for information from anyone who was on HMS Illustrious in 1986, lived in Gibraltar, or was holidaying there on the night of Simon's disappearance. "Any small piece of information could really help our investigation," Det Supt Edwards urged.
