Glasgow's Unsolved Murders Haunt Families Decades Later in New Podcast
A powerful new podcast series is delving into the tragic and unsolved murders of several women involved in prostitution in Glasgow during the 1990s and early 2000s. The series, titled Beware Book, gives voice to grieving families who continue to suffer decades after their loved ones were brutally killed.
"You Never Heal": A Sister's Enduring Grief
Bernadette McCash was just 12 years old when her 21-year-old sister, Tracey Wylde, was choked to death in her Barmulloch flat in November 1997. It took over 20 years for her killer, Zhi Min Chen, to be brought to justice. McCash recalls the moment police arrived at her door with the devastating news.
"I was 12 but it never hit me," she told the podcast. "The school kept me inside because the paparazzi were trying to pull me out of school. All my friends rallied around me and they were asking if that was my sister in the paper and on TV."
Reflecting on the lasting pain, McCash added: "You never heal, it's your sister and you never heal. Twenty odd years down the line, you just learn to cope but the heartache is still there."
An Unsolved Brutal Murder
The podcast also features Alice Wilson, whose daughter Jacqueline Gallagher was brutally murdered in June 1996. The 26-year-old was last seen alive at the corner of Bothwell Street and Blythswood Street in Glasgow's red light district. Her body was discovered the next day in a layby in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, wrapped in a homemade curtain.
Despite DNA evidence linking a man to traces found on Gallagher's clothing, a jury returned a not proven verdict in 2004, leaving the murder unsolved. Wilson described her daughter's final moments with anguish.
"I think her last words would have been mammy, I do," she said. "I think she would have cried out mammy and it was more than 100 blows she took. Can you imagine that? A wee lassie. Then he bit her, he bit her as well. I don't know. Disgusting. An animal."
Wilson remembered her daughter fondly: "She was born with jet black hair, it was coal black. She had a twinkle in her eyes and was always bubbly. I fair miss her, so I do." She expressed the torment of knowing her daughter's killer remains free: "I'm even looking myself at people walking by me. I'm really hurt. I've lost my daughter in these circumstances, and I just wish to God that that bandit was put away for a long time."
Advice for Families Seeking Justice
After waiting two decades for her sister's murderer to be convicted, McCash offered words of encouragement to other families still awaiting justice.
"Keep your hope, don't give up," she advised. "You might wait 10 or 50 years, but as long as your family know that this could happen one day. We honestly gave up hope thinking that this would never happen. He wasn't in the system and then he got caught with a stupid crime."
She emphasized the importance of remembrance: "The pain won't go away but talk about your loved person. Look at pictures and look at parties. If you don't talk, you hurt harder."
Podcast Context and Police Response
The Beware Book podcast takes its name from a journal used by women involved in prostitution to warn each other about potentially dangerous clients. Its release follows the recent conviction of Iain Packer, who was brought to justice almost two decades after murdering Emma Caldwell in 2005.
Relatives of the victims say they have not been contacted by Police Scotland regarding these cases. In addition to Jacqueline Gallagher, the deaths of Karen McGregor, Leona McGovern, and Diane McInally remain unsolved.
A Police Scotland spokesperson stated: "All unresolved and unsolved homicides remain under review which means they're never closed. When new information, new evidence, comes to light, we do act upon it."
This podcast series sheds light on the enduring pain of families and the ongoing quest for justice in these cold cases, highlighting the human cost of unsolved crimes in Glasgow's history.
