“HELP me bring my dad home.”

That is the plea from the daughter of Michael Schallamach, who vanished from her life 24 years ago.

Detectives believe the grandfather-of-two from Southampton was murdered and yesterday revealed how a recent review of the case has connected it to the killing of an entire family in 2003.

As reported by the Daily Echo, officers leading the inquiry revealed how they suspect two men, Kenneth Regan and William Horncy, who currently serving life in prison for the murder of five members of the Chohan family, were also involved in the killing of Mr Schallamach.

In both of those cases family and friends of the victims were sent letters claiming their loved one had left the country in a bid to conceal their murders.

As part of their appeal for information detectives released a letter that was sent to Mrs Schallamach in the days after her 53-year-old husband’s disappearance, claiming he had run off with another women.

Police hope that someone will recognise the letter and two decades on, be able to provide information as to who wrote it.

Today his daughter Karen has urged anyone with information to come forward to help her and her family finally lay her father to rest.

She said: “After the disappearance of our father in 1992 nothing has been quite the same for my mother, brother and myself.

“In the beginning it was pure shock and disbelief that he could just disappear like that, the unanswered questions and the hopes that have been raised and dashed again and again.

“Whoever was responsible for his disappearance tried to cover up for their crime to create the impression that he has just left us but we knew that wasn’t the case. He would never have done that.”

She described how her children had spent their childhood missing their grandad who “doted on them”.

Karen added: “The effect has been profound and we believe someone must be able to help us achieve closure, no matter how awful it might be, so we can finally move on with our lives.”

“We now know he was murdered. We need to know what happened to him and where he is so if possible we can bring him home and lay him to rest.”

Leading the inquiry Det Ch Sup Ben Snuggs said: “We believe that this letter is the key to unlocking this case.

"We recognise that after this amount of time it would take some courage to finally come forward but we will be here to take that call, and to support that person to help give this family the closure they need.”