Family of Renfrew man missing in Lanzarote slam Spanish police as case closed

The family of a Lanarkshire man, who disappeared while on holiday in Lanzarote, has been told by Spanish police that the case has now been closed.

Gary Shearer vanished just hours after he arrived in the country alone to celebrate St Patrick's Day on March 16, 2023. Those close to the Renfrew man still don't know what happened to the 53-year-old.

His sister, Debbie, say the family have been left in "disbelief" after police told the missing man's parents that they had "exhausted all leads", reports the Record.

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The 49-year-old said: "We are in disbelief. We are angry and we feel let down by the police. We just don't know how they can do this."

Footage released by Spanish cops last year showed Gary with an unknown man, walking outside a Spar shop on the island. Yet officers have not been able to identify the stranger.

Debbie continued: "We do not believe they have exhausted all leads because they have not found the man that they released footage of - who was the last known person seen with Gary.

"We've been told he had no interaction with Gary but there must have been something that prompted the police to release that footage in the first place. They were the ones that wanted to speak to that man. Why?

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"This is why we remain confused. It's just been the same story throughout the full investigation, just no answers to questions. It's a nightmare."

Gary checked into his hotel in Puerto del Carmen before heading to Bar 67, just a few minutes away. He was later picked up on CCTV lying unconscious in a doorway near the bar at 1.30am the following morning.

Debbie added: "It's tough and it's not getting any easier because we've lost hope.

"You think that you might find ways to cope in time, but the longer it goes on the harder it is. We start to realise we are never going to get him home.

"We've still never managed to go to his flat. I think we won't be able to bear it when we get in there and have to face that he isn't here.

"We will do everything in our power to keep Gary’s name out there and never let him or his story be forgotten, but it's hard knowing we will have no help from the police in this.

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"We will continue to keep the missing person posters up, in the hope that someone will come forward and help us understand."

The family has continued to criticise the Spanish over the lack of an investigation to find Gary. Police didn't open a missing person case until a week after the he disappeared and it took officers until June 2023 to organise their first official search for Gary.

His loved ones also say they have been impacted by the news this week of missing teenager Jay Slater, who has gone missing in the Canary Islands.

Debbie said: "The news of Jay Slater has brought all our raw emotions to the surface again. The past few days have been particularly hard for us hearing it all and we know only too well what his family is going through. We just hope they get the answers they need."

A foreign office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The Record has contacted the Spanish police for comment.