Family issue plea for Brit, 24, who vanished while travelling in Spain as his van found abandoned after driving from UK
THE parents of a missing Brit say they have had "no contact" from Spanish police since a land, sea and air search was called off last week.
Matthew Chapman, 24, from Doncaster, vanished near the popular resort of Tossa de Mar in Catalonia.
Alarm bells rang when Matthew failed to pick up his brother-in-law to take him to work.
The 24-year-old was reported missing on April 30.
Matthew left the UK in a van, which was found abandoned and empty at a viewpoint, near Tossa de Mar, 60 miles north of Barcelona.
Police and firefighters launched a two-day search involving a helicopter and drones last week before calling the operation off late on Thursday.
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His worried parents, Jane and Andrew Chapman, said they have not had any contact from local investigators.
They also said South Yorkshire police, who have been supporting them since early May, did not inform them of Spanish authorities' search.
Jane said: “We thought he was sleeping in his van, so that’s caused more angst.
"We were in the hope that he was just touring Europe and that when he ran out of money he’d be a bit sheepish and get back in touch with his tail between his legs. That’s what we were hoping for.”
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She added: “I haven’t had any correspondence from the Spanish police at all. I hope they won’t leave any stone unturned.”
Catalan news outlet El Caso reported on Sunday night that investigators said the Brit travelled to France via the Eurotunnel on May 1 and spent time in Portugal and Spain before his mobile phone lost signal near Tossa de Mar.
A spokesperson for the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, said a two-day search had been carried out: “It was a land, sea and air search which took place on Wednesday and Thursday."
Local Spanish media have speculated that Matthew, who has run a car valet business since the age of 18, might have been struggling financially.
But his parents said it seemed “he was doing alright” and “always seemed to be busy”.
Andrew said: “This hadn’t been planned, because he had people booked in.”
Jane said: “I just don’t understand it,” explaining her son had given “no indication” that anything was wrong before his disappearance.
She continued: “He’s never been in trouble, he’s always had a positive outlook on things.
"Even if he didn’t feel he could come to us with any of his troubles, there were so many other people he could have reached out to.
“We’ve had so many of his customers either directly or indirectly get in contact saying they are concerned about him.
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"He’s a likeable lad, he’s very polite. Even within this little estate, the older ladies treat him like a surrogate grandson - that’s how he’s always been.
“I’m hoping he does [make contact]. But it gets harder to say, ‘I need help’, the longer things go on.”
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