Crimewatch File looks behind the scenes at a major police investigation and how a murder was solved with help from the public. Home Office records show that it is extremely rare for somebody to be convicted of murder if the victim's body has not been found. In October 1987, Shirley Banks disappeared in Bristol. Three weeks later, her Mini was discovered in the garage of a Bristol businessman, John Cannan. Police believed they had a murderer in their cells. But they had no real evidence, and no body.

Crimewatch File reconstructs the inside story of a police investigation. A gold bracelet and an old-fashioned hunch led to Greater Manchester Police's biggest manhunt for a rapist whose identity was unknown for nearly seven years. The trail spanned the entire country and ended in a dramatic shooting.