Holidaymakers are being urged to help as the 11 year anniversary of the disappearance of a young Cheshire man in Crete approaches.
Steven Cook – who was 20 at the time of his disappearance – went missing on September 1, 2005 during a holiday to Malia.
At a time of year when many Brits are jetting abroad, holidaymakers are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for any potential sightings of Steven – or any information, which could assist in the search for him.
Steven, who lived in Sandbach, had travelled to the Greek island with friends and was last seen outside a pub in the resort asking for directions to his hotel. He was en-route back to his hotel - the Hotel Frixos - when he went missing.
Detective Inspector Gary McIntyre said: “Despite numerous enquiries by the Greek authorities at the time of his disappearance, Steven’s whereabouts has never been established. Someone out there must have some information in relation to Steven’s disappearance, his whereabouts or his movements since 2005 – and I would urge them to come forward.
“At this time of year many people are jetting off on holiday and I am appealing to them to keep their eyes and ears open and to let us know of any potential sightings of Steven – or any information, which could help.”
A file on Steven’s disappearance is maintained by the force and will not be closed until information is received which confirms what has happened to him.
Cheshire Constabulary remains in contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to promote effective liaison between the Greek and British authorities.
DI McIntyre added: “I maintain regular contact with the Cook family and support them in their quest to find their son. This has been a long and difficult period and I hope that someone will come forward on the back of any publicity and help generate some new information.
“Anyone who has any information relevant to Steven’s disappearance or who could in any way assist the Greek Police to ascertain what happened to Steven should contact Cheshire Police on 101.”
In a statement Steven’s family said: “Although it has been 11 years since Steven went missing, our belief that he’s out there, our strength to fight and find him and desire to bring him back home to us is stronger than ever. During the past 11 years we have had wonderful support from the public which has sustained our hope and belief that it’s just a matter of time until we find him and bring him home.
“As always, we would like to thank everyone for doing so much for us, and Steve, over the years. We have always believed that all it takes is one sighting, one photograph, one person to spot him, and we can be complete as a family once again and get Steve back where he belongs.
“We urge anybody that has gone out to Crete to check photographs or videos as perhaps Steve may be in the background and anybody that may be travelling there to keep an eye out, and record details of any potential sighting.
“Eleven years may seem a long time, but we believe that we’re always just a day away from bringing our beloved son, brother and uncle home again.”
A reward of 7,000 euros is also being offered by Steven’s family for any information that leads to finding him.
