The death of a Basildon woman remains a mystery more than two decades after her disappearance, leaving the family without answers.

This week marks the 23rd anniversarty of the death of Nicola Ray, a mum-of-two, disappeared without trace following a night out with friends in the early hours of May 2, 2000.

Essex Police has issued an update on the case and insists "no case is ever closed."

She has never been seen since, and her case became one of Basildon’s most well-known and saddest unsolved cases.

Her children Joedy and Stevie were aged 11 and eight at the time of her disappearance.

In 2010, Timothy Barnes, 47, was told he would  face no further action in relation to the death of his former fiancee Nicola Ray.

Mr Barnes was arrested in April 2010 on suspicion of murdering 30-year-old Nicola, but after spending seven months on bail being quizzed by detectives he was released.

Mr Barnes of Voysey Gardens, Basildon, was originally arrested in connection with the mother-of-two’s murder in February 2001.

She had been due to get married to Mr Barnes at the time she went missing.

This week an Essex Police spokesman said: "The death of Nicola Ray on 2 May 2000 is being treated as an unsolved murder which is subject to routine review.

"It is not currently a live investigation. However no case is ever closed and should any new evidence come to light, we will not hesitate to act upon it."

Nicola’s family thought police were finally making a breakthrough in the case on April 13 this year when Mr Barnes was rearrested and his home was searched.

But speaking to the Echo in April 2010, Nicola’s mum Janet Judd, 59, was upset the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance had not been resolved.

She said: “It is disappointing we still haven’t got an answer about what happened, or any closure. I’m pleased the police did what they did. At least they were trying to help.

“I was holding out hope we might get some sort of answer after all this time.”

Following his arrest in April, officers also began an extensive dig of Barnes’ home, which he still lives in, but had previously shared with his former fiancee.

During three days, Voysey Gardens was brought to a standstill while forensic archaeologists and police scanned and examined the garden and garage of the property before carrying out the dig.