Mystery of missing Midland doctor finally solved 12 years after he vanished

Shayne Colaco, 33, disappeared in Snowdonia in the summer of 2012 and his remains were found by chance in the same spot where another walker’s body was being recovered

The remains of a Staffordshire man, who mysteriously disappeared while trekking solo in Snowdonia, have been discovered 12 years after he went missing.

In an extraordinary twist, his body was found at the exact location where another hiker’s remains were being retrieved by volunteers during a standard training drill.

Shayne Colaco, a psychiatrist whose sudden vanishing act in the summer of 2012 triggered a vast search operation, was just 33 when he disappeared from Ambassador Road, Hanley. Staffordshire Police were alerted, and his case was periodically revisited as a ‘cold case’.

Read more: Family devastated as mum-of-five dies suddenly

Despite extensive efforts, Dr Colaco remained missing until November 2018, when he was officially declared dead by coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones, who described the absence of any trace as “puzzling”. However, on May 10 last year, fate intervened.

While Coastguard helicopter crews were conducting a routine training exercise in the Ogwen Valley four months after another walker, David Brookfield, aged 65 from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, went missing, they stumbled upon his body.

During the recovery operation on Pen yr Ole Wen, volunteers astonishingly also found Dr Colaco’s remains in the same area.

Dr Colaco, from Stoke-on-Trent, had set out on a walk in the Carneddau range over a decade ago, providing details of his planned route but never returning to his vehicle. It is suspected that his descent from the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen ended in tragedy, mirroring the fatal path taken by David, reports Stoke on Trent Live.

Sergeant Terry from the North Wales Police Drone Unit, involved in the recovery of two men, shared: “This story and these circumstances really are quite exceptional, and my thoughts and feelings are very much with both David and Shayne’s families as we tell the public about this story.

“While we were carrying out the investigation process into David’s death, a mountain rescue team member found a jacket about five metres further down the gully. The jacket didn’t seem to fit with the picture of what we were investigating. It was an older jacket, one that seemed to have been there for some time and inside the pocket was a car key.

“Deep in the memory of this rescue team was Shayne Colaco, who had gone missing in the same area 12 years earlier.”

Sergeant Terry began piecing together clues about what Shayne had been wearing and the car he drove when he disappeared.

He continued: “I was quite amazed to find that the jacket was very similar to the one Shayne Colaco was wearing on the day he went missing, and following further investigations, we managed to confirm the key in the pocket was the key to Shayne’s car, a Fiat Seicento. Suddenly, we realised we may have a clue as to where he may have been all this time.”

Following the discovery of Shayne’s belongings, a specialist mountain rescue drone operator conducted further searches on Pen yr Ole Wen to aid in locating his body. Sgt Terry recounted: “As the drone pilot was stood in the spot we had recovered David, something quite incredible happened.

“He noticed a piece of fabric under some brush and the detritus that had washed down the gully – and quite incredibly, realised that he has also discovered the remains of Shayne Colaco. What’s really so amazing about this story is that so many of the people involved in searching for David had also been involved in the searches 12 years before for Shayne.

“One of the winchmen who located David from the helicopter was also part of RAF 22 Squadron looking for Shayne 12 years earlier. This brings so many people together around two really sad stories, but it shows the amazing willingness and determination of volunteers and the emergency services to find both these men.”

Sgt Terry highlighted the risks associated with hiking in Eryri, noting that both men were seasoned walkers who were well-equipped. “It’s always possible that something will go wrong,” he cautioned.

“Eryri is an incredible place, it’s beautiful, and on a good day, the mountains seem achievable and accessible. But it’s crucial to understand the magnitude of these hills and the effect of weather – and how swiftly it can change.

“In both these cases, David and Shayne ended up in ground which really is very dangerous, which might have seemed inviting from the summit, but as it got steeper and more broken, it became harder. And so, I have a very simple safety message – be prepared.”