Age: 44
Sex: female
Date: 5 Dec 2019
Place: Empress Road, Southampton, Hampshire
Jo Sheen went missing on 5 December 2019. She was reported missing by her family on 22 February 2020.
She was last known to have travelled with a friend from Southampton from Fareham on 5 December 2019.
She had also been seen by a police officer on Saturday 30 November 2019 in Newtown Nicholstown, Southampton.
However, it was noted that there had been other unconfirmed sightings of her before Christmas 2019 in the Southampton area.
The police launched a public appeal to find her on 17 April 2020. A murder investigation was opened on 2 November 2020, however, they also said that they were, 'keeping an open mind'.
In December 2023 the police searched a house in Parsonage Road, Southampton for clues.
The investigation into her disappearance was called Operation Blackboard.
Jo Sheen was said to have been involved in sex work and to have worked in the Empress Road area, and it was said that at the time it was not out of character for her to occasionally not make contact with her friends or family for some weeks at a time.
She was described as:
At the time of her disappearance she had not had a permanent place of address, or a car or bank account.
She was known by her family and friends as JoJo or Little Jo.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder in 2020 but they were all released with no further action.
They were (as of 18 November 2020):
They were all later released with no further action by August 2022.
During their investigation into her disappearance the police conducted a detailed search of the Empress Road in Southampton's Bevois Valley, which they said was an area that they knew Jo Sheen spent a lot of her time. The Mount Pleasant Road area was also searched. It was reported in August 2020 that the police found a car of interest in that area, although the police said, 'At this time, there is no information to suggest the items seized are linked to Joanne going missing'.
During a search of the pier at Mayflower Park and the Mayflower Park area in 2022 the police found a number of items including trainers and a handbag which were being examined, but it was not known whether they were connected with Jo Sheen.
A search of a stretch of the River Itchen was also carried out.
The police said that they had spoken to 100s of people during their investigation.
Jo Sheen had three children, including two daughters.
