Mystery of doctor missing in Eryri for 12 years finally solved

Psychiatrist Shayne Eves Colaco was about to start a new job when he vanished while walking alone. Andrew Forgrave reports

- 

THE MYSTERIOUS disappearance of a doctor who vanished without trace after setting off for a walk in Eryri (Snowdonia) has finally been unravelled.

Psychiatrist Shayne Eves Colaco, 33, was about to start a new job when he vanished while walking alone in the summer of 2012.

After driving from the Stoke-on-Trent area, Shayne parked near Ogwen Cottage and began walking towards 3,209ft Pen yr Ole Wen.

He left information about his intended route, but he never returned to his car and was never seen again. Staffordshire Police conducted periodic “cold case” reviews but it appeared he had simply vanished into thin air.

Six years after he went missing he was declared dead, but despite a massive search operation his body was never found.

The mystery would only be resolved by a series of remarkable coincidences following another tragedy 12 years later.

On January 9, 2024, David Brookfield, 65, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, also went missing while walking alone in the Carneddau mountains.

He'd sent a WhatsApp message to his wife from the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn.

After that, no further contact was received. Again, another huge search operation was launched involving mountain rescue teams, a coastguard helicopter, drones and dogs. For a while, this too drew a blank.

Four months later, on May 10, 2024, a coastguard helicopter crew spotted a blue jacket in the Ogwen Valley. The discovery was a stroke of luck - they'd been carrying out a routine training exercise.