how many missing people do you know of in real life?

[notnowmarmaduke]

Just wondered - we are always saying how common it is, but how many of us know many missing people? Of course you might be closely associated with a missing person and not know it, as people don't necessarily talk about it, or might just not know themselves.

I have only known two people reported as missing, long term. one friends father, who was the classic went out for a pint of milk and was never seen again. ( 30+ years now). One runaway teen never found (15+ years)

Apart from that I have known a few runaway teens who were found, and two people reported as missing who I know went into witness protection

Also, have you ever been reported missing?

I used to use a wedding forum when I was getting married and by 2005, I’d migrated into the chat section. One girl who I got on really well with was in absolute panic that her younger brother had gone missing in Malia, Crete on a lads holiday. He was only 20. He was last seen in a bar asking for directions to his hotel, but walked off in the wrong direction.

His sister and family were desperate to find him, but he seemingly disappeared without trace.

Sadly it was reported in 2017, after 11 and a half years, that the uk Police received confirmation from Greek authorities that his remains had been found In the bottom of a well. Greek workmen had called the police after they discovered the skeleton while cleaning the well.
Really sad end to a devastating story. I really felt for his sister

What utterly heartbreaking stories. So sorry to all those suffering.

One of the members of our book club is an ex Police DC who now has her own Inquiry Agency ( mostly dealing with credit, insurance and credit card fraud ). However I mentioned this thread to her at our last meeting she said how difficult it is to successfully disappear in this country, and the only cases she knew of, the people in question had been planning it for years.

that is interesting

Yes it is interesting. Did she say if it's now so difficult because of social media etc?

I don't think it will be social media. People that want to go missing will avoid it, or not have photos up.

It will be other digital footprints - banks, use of passport, vehicle number plate recognition, CCTV, mobile phone - it's difficult to avoid leaving a trail. Even if you change all of these things, CCTV helps connect the dots.

And ultimately medical care will be the fly in the ointment. Unless you never have an emergency and can afford to pay for everything else privately, which is unlikely if you've truly disappeared even from the authorities because you probably won't have a well paying job. Otherwise you'll show up on someone's radar at some point when you access medical care via NHS.

I'm just throwing this out there because earlier someone asked how to disappear, which may have been idle curiosity in their case, but for anyone reading who wants to disappear from an abusive relationship women's aid can help you regardless of where you live in the UK. It's possible to pitch up in a new town with nothing but the clothes on your back, having got on a train or driven there and they'll help you make a new life. Obviously it's best and a lot more comfortable to leave with more planning/money/possessions than that, I just wanted to let people know.

I have only ever known one (sister of a friend at the time). Bad relationship with mum, left home suddenly. Via I assume the Salvation Army let her sister know she was alive and well a few weeks later, contact of sorts resumed a few years later, did meet mum again before mum died.

That makes sense, thank you. I recently watched a documentary on how so much of the world is covered by CCTV, I was shocked.

CCTV is usually deleted very quickly, so unless police are extremely diligent they won't see it. There is probably no place with more CCTV than Kings Cross station, yet Andrew Gosden disappeared without a trace there.

I know none personally. However I was once in a shopping mall and spotted Madeleine McCann's mum with her twins. I was only a teen at the time but I really wanted to say something to her (don't know what but definitely something positive). She spotted me looking at her and then stopped eye contact and headed for a shop.
I know a few children who were murdered and were on the news a long time ago

Do you think he could be in prison ?

I often wonder pre internet days if people had a big win on the pools and just thought fuck it I'm off . I remember reading in a newspaper about I guy up North that just didn't come home from work one Friday , the police traced him down South and he said he was never coming back . I would have thought to do that you would have to have a far bit of money to start over.

Exactly. Andrew Gosden disappeared in one of the busiest travel hubs in the world, but because nobody asked for CCTV on time, any evidence of where he went next had vanished.

You can apply for a new national insurance number. The police can still trace you but you'd be safe from family/friends/private detectives finding you via employment records

That’s similar with Allan Bryant as well. By the time the police took his disappearance (and likely murder) seriously the CCTV in the area was all gone

A relatives husband went to the shops and never came back, left his wife with 5 children, the eldest being his from a previous relationship.

A friend's brother - there was some concerns about his mental health, cctv showed him placing his phone and wallet down on a bench before locking up his business and driving away. He was missing for about 3 weeks before his car was found submerged in a river just minutes from his business. The road went round a corner and they'll never know if he drove into the river on purpose or lost control.