John Ward, a hotelier from Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom, devoted the final 35 years of his life trying to solve the murder of his daughter, Julie Ward, who passed away in Kenya in 1988.
According to a report by Daily Mail, John spent a fortune on the quest - pouring over Ksh350 million and making 200 trips to Kenya pursuing justice for his slain daughter.
Julie's father was hellbent on pursuing the case to its conclusion and accused the Kenyan government as well as its United Kingdom counterpart of covering up the alleged murder.
Throughout his trips, he learnt about forensic science and presented himself in courts - where he underwent cross-examinations on multiple occasions.
In search of expertise to aid him in his quest, John travelled to the United States, Denmark, France, Belgium, Uganda and Tanzania.
John also paid for five aircraft to conduct a grid search along the Maasai Mara to trace his daughter's body. She was eventually found in bushes in bad shape. At the time, John was convinced that powerful forces within the government were involved in Julie's murder.
His search, however, was futile after the post-mortem results showed that she was attacked by animals. Preliminary results initially indicated that she was murdered.
35 years after the incident, John and his wife, Jan Ward, died before justice could be served. According to Julie's brother, Robert Ward, their parents died weeks apart after 65 years of marriage.
Jan passed away on May 25, 2023, while John died on June 7.
"After 65 years of marriage, John died within two weeks of his beloved wife Jan. They were born two weeks apart and died two weeks apart."
"Both have sadly missed the celebrations the family had planned to commemorate their 90th birthdays later this month. They will be sadly missed," Robert stated.
Robert indicated that his parents would be missed for showing resilience against the authorities over the conviction that their daughter was murdered.
Julie died under unclear circumstances in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve - a day before she was scheduled to fly to the UK.
The 28-year-old had been on a six-month adventure after quitting her job with a publishing company in Bury St Edmunds to take up photography in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
