Woman arrested in connection with the mysterious disappearance of man from Chester

A woman has been arrested in connection with the mystery disappearance of a man who has been missing for nearly three months after he "just vanished".

Fears are growing for the safety of Huw Williams, 25, who was last seen in Nottingham on May 6 after moving to the area from Chester.

Since then there has been no contact from Huw with anyone at all - either with his family or friends.

Huw, who has autism, is described as being a "loving and caring person", who usually dotes on his family and always keeps in contact.

But relatives have not seen him since Christmas or heard from him since May when he told them about a new job at a coffee shop.

Detectives say they have found his mobile phone smashed at his previous address and he hasn't used his bank account since he went missing.

A 34-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and officers have searched a property in connection with the "unusual case".

His devastated family have now spoken of their heartache and fears that he may have been exploited.

Dad Steve said: "This is just not like Huw at all.

"He's always made a special effort to talk to us but in the last 12 weeks we have not heard a thing from him. No one has.

"He has missed his siblings' birthdays and that has never happened before.

"He's always been there, or at least rung if he couldn't be there, but to not even try and send a message is just totally unlike him."

Nottinghamshire Police investigating say he vanished without taking his mobile phone or any of his belongings.

It does not appear he had any money on him when he went missing and his bank account has remained untouched.

Despite numerous appeals there has been no actual sightings of him by anyone since May 6.

Steve added: "You fear the worst, thinking that something may have happened to him, or that he has had a mental health episode and is in need of help.

"I want to appeal to find him. I am hoping he will read this or be made aware we are all desperate to find him.

"I would like to say to Huw  - no matter what you are thinking, or how difficult you think the situation is, we just want you to make contact.

"You don't need to come home we just want to know you are safe and well. Please make contact with someone.

"We are all devastated not having heard from you. We love you no matter what and always will."

He described Huw as being "a warm hearted really engaging person who goes out of his way to help people and finds it easy to make friends, even with complete strangers."

But he added: "Huw has high functioning autism, which can make him vulnerable, and our biggest worry is that someone may have exploited this in him."

Huw moved to Nottingham just after Christmas to stay with a woman who he had recently met via a friend.

His parents say this was unusual as Huw did not discuss this with them and left at short notice.

After moving he still kept in contact regularly, but by the time of his birthday in mid-April he appeared to be more distant and did not want to speak to his family on his birthday.

By the beginning of May any communication with his family and friends had stopped altogether.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Waldram, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is an unusual case.

"Huw appears to have just vanished and we can find no signs of anything which may indicate where he is.

"He didn't take his mobile phone with him, as we found this smashed at the address he was living at, and he doesn't appear to have any money on him or finances to support himself.

"We are appealing for Huw himself to come forward and let us or his family or friends know he is alright.

"Or if anyone has seen him or knows where he is to please get in contact. His family are clearly beside themselves over his disappearance and we need to find him."

The arrested woman has since been bailed while cops search an address in Danethorpe Vale, in the Sherwood area, where he last resided.

Huw was last seen in the Sherwood area of Nottingham on May 6, and has not been seen since.

He is described as 6 foot 2 inches tall, of slim build, with bushy brown hair and a full beard.

He has two tattoos on his arms, one is of a fish on his right forearm and one is of a black and white skull on his left bicep.

He was last seen wearing a chequered shirt, dark blue trousers and trainers with reflective silver stripes. He may also have a green waterproof jacket with him.

Huw, or anyone who has seen him or who may have any information, is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 urgently quoting incident number 70 of 6 May 2021.