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Original poster

Missing 9-y-o child, Dunbar, Scotland

86 replies

NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 15:30

Posting this because it's not getting much media attention but it's a very worrying situation. Austin is only 9 and has now been missing for 20 hours and street to street searches haven't found him yet. Dunbar is a smallish town in East Lothian but it's on the A1 and East Coast Mainline and bus routes to Edinburgh and Berwick so I'm sharing in case he has travelled elsewhere. www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2022/september/missing-boy-dunbar/

OP posts:
Fluffruff · 10/09/2022 15:32

I’ve seen the posts on the local Facebook groups. Hope he is found safe and well soon.

Ducksurprise · 10/09/2022 15:32

Thank you for sharing, I hadn't seen anything on the news. Whilst I far away I shall keep bumping this for those that are closer.

Please post when he is found, and I pray he is found very quickly and that he is safe.

User287264 · 10/09/2022 15:34

I hadn't heard this story at all. How worrying. I hope he's found okay.

Do you thunk he's just been bumped off the news pages? I don't even see it on BBC Scotland.

Come home safe Austin

Mammma91 · 10/09/2022 15:35

How worrying. We’re just on the outskirts of Edinburgh and haven’t seen this article at all.
I really hope he’s found safe as well.

maranella · 10/09/2022 15:35

His family must be frantic Sad

I do hope he's found safe and well. I hadn't heard he was missing.

Original poster
NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 15:36

I think there'd be more attention on him if the news wasn't so preoccupied today. Dunbar is a wee place really and half the town are out looking for him. Staff from his primary school are searching on their day off. 😢

OP posts:
Original poster
NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 15:38

It was chilly overnight too. Best case scenario is he was up all night, eventually found an outbuilding to shelter in and has been sleeping ever since unaware of the drama but it's obviously very worrying as the time goes by.

OP posts:
Ducksurprise · 10/09/2022 15:46

I had hoped that maybe they knew who had taken him (as in custody dispute so worried but not as worrying iyswim) but if everyone one is out searching that is incredibly worrying.

I hope he is sleeping unaware of the worry, is it quite a remote place?

Violashift · 10/09/2022 15:48

I hope he is found.

This is what annoys me. Surely there is space for other news. We don't need 24 hour coverage.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 10/09/2022 15:49

I haven't seen this story at all, I'm NE England and often travel up that way. Hoping he is found safe.

Original poster
NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 15:49

Dunbar isn't remote, it's on the A1 dual carriageway and 10 miles from its nearest towns in each direction, but it's surrounded by countryside and coast and has woods within the town as well as the John Muir Country Park outside it so there's lots of different areas to check. There are quite a few big housing estates in the town too so lots of nooks and gardens he could be hiding in. Please God he's only hiding 🙏

OP posts:
Original poster
NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 15:51

Plausibly if he'd headed inland for whatever reason and managed to cross the dual carriageway he could be lost in farmland. It's just hard to imagine a wee boy voluntarily staying out so long.

OP posts:
Original poster
NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 15:54

Trying to upload an image to show what the area is like - rural and coastal but also a lot of streets.

Missing 9-y-o child, Dunbar, Scotland
OP posts:
Notatallanamechange · 10/09/2022 15:56

Was just coming to post about this. The lack of media coverage is disgraceful.

Freedomfighters · 10/09/2022 15:56

I hope he's found soon.

Gingerkittykat · 10/09/2022 15:58

I've just checked BBC Scotland and the story is still not on there.

I have friends who live in East Lothian so have shared it on FB and Twitter.

20 hours is a long time for a child to be missing, I also hope he is found safe and well.

Kittycaz · 10/09/2022 16:01

I don't live near there but bumping to make it be seen by more people. Hope he is found soon x

ReelTears · 10/09/2022 16:06

I hope he's found safe and well very soon.

Bump

CallMeLinda · 10/09/2022 16:06

Oh, the poor boy and family. I hope he is found safe.

CatNights · 10/09/2022 16:09

Bump

Redglitter · 10/09/2022 16:12

The lack of coverage is shocking. The fact the Police are having the public help in a search indicates as pp said its not a custody issue & he's genuinely missing.

Ffs he's 9 years old. This should be properly covered especially in the Scottish media. I only saw it because I follow several Police Scotland FB pages

Original poster
NSPCCEnquiry · 10/09/2022 16:28

It seems really odd that it's not on the BBC yet. FFS he's a wee P4 boy not seen for 21 hours.

OP posts:
weebarra · 10/09/2022 16:41

My SIL lives there and we're not far away. Poor lad, I hope he's found soon.

Afterfire · 10/09/2022 16:44

How awful. Hope he is found soon. Bumping.

HebeSunshine · 10/09/2022 16:46

How awful.
I thought he'd maybe just run away but the police say it's 'completely out of character', so that's not good.
Hopefully he's just gone a bit further than usual and got lost.

Praying for his safe return 🙏