Detective Chief Inspector Rob Griffin, who is leading the investigation, said:
Neither William nor Patricia was ever reported missing and we can find no evidence of either of them being alive or dead. The discovery in their former garden last week may be the reason why.
We have yet to formally identify the remains, and so cannot say with 100% certainty who we have found, but it's not a great leap to imagine it might be the Wycherleys.
The bodies of two people found buried in the back garden of a house in a quiet cul-de-sac could be an elderly couple who used to live at the property, police said.
Nottinghamshire Police believe they could be William Wycherley, who would now be 100, and his wife Patricia, 79.
The couple moved in to the semi-detached house in 2 Blenheim Close, Forest Town, Mansfield in 1987.
There has been no trace of the pair since 1998, police said today.
Police say tests to identify the bodies of two people found buried in a back garden in Nottinghamshire could take weeks.
The human remains were discovered at the back of semi-detached house in Forest Town near Mansfield on Thursday.
Detectives say the discoveries were made after they received information about an 'alleged incident' in the 1990s.
Police searching a house where an elderly couple "disappeared" over a decade ago have dug up the remains of two bodies.
The dig began after police were told of an alleged incident that happened there sometime in the 1990s.
Local neighbours say there was an elderly couple living in the house at the time who people thought might have emigrated without telling anybody.
ITV News' Damian Green reports:
Police say they are doing forensic tests to identify the two bodies found in the garden of a house in Mansfield.
They say it may take several weeks or months before they know who the people are.
In a press conference, a police spokesperson said the police believe the bodies were buried in the late 1990s.
The people who currently live in the house had no idea the bodies were there.
Police searched a house in Mansfield after they were told about an alleged incident that happened there sometime in the 1990s.
That is why they arrived yesterday and began digging in the back garden, where they found the remains of two people.
Post-mortems are being carried out today, but local neighbours are saying there was an elderly couple living in the house at the time who mysteriously disappeared.
People thought they might have emigrated without telling anybody. They were last seen in the late 1990s.
The house stood empty for a number of years before being bought by a family.
Police say the family is not involved in this investigation, but there is a mystery and they believe they will be solving it very soon.
Police officers are standing guard outside a home near Mansfield where the remains of two people have been unearthed in the back garden.
Remains of two bodies have been found in the back garden of a house on Blenheim Close, in Forest Town, Mansfield.
Police are still investigating at the scene.
The remains of two people have been found in the back garden of a property in Nottinghamshire, police have confirmed.
Police believe the bodies, which were found at a property near Mansfield, had been there for some time.
Officers were led to the address after information came to light about an "incident" alleged to have taken place in the late 1990s.
The remains have not been formally identified but post-mortem examinations to establish the cause of death are due to take place today.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says it referred a care home in Nottingham to the local authority after receiving calls from a whistleblower:
– care quality commission statementThe anonymous whistleblowing calls prompted a safeguarding referral to the local authority, which is the usual protocol when an individual service user is named.
CQC worked closely with Nottingham City Council last year when concerns were found and residents were moved to alternative accommodation.
