The family of a Celtic fan who went missing while on holiday in Lanzarote almost two years ago have urged people to stop tormenting them with cruel comments around his disappearance.
Gary Shearer, from Renfrew, vanished just hours after he arrived in the country alone to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on March 16, 2023. The 53-year-old’s loved ones still have no idea what happened to him.
Following another Christmas without him, his family has hit out saying they are being tortured with upsetting remarks on posts created for the ‘Find Gary Shearer’ Facebook page.
A new post on the page, run by Gary’s niece Darcie Deeney, said: “I can’t even believe I have to write this but we are constantly still getting comments on our posts regularly saying things along the lines of, ‘obviously Gary doesn’t want to be found‘.
“We know for a fact Gary would never put us through any of this and also that combined with the other information we have and the fact that all of his belongings were left in his hotel room clearly means that Gary being missing was not out of his own choice!
“Thank you & thanks again for everyone’s continued support.
“Sorry to rant it is just upsetting to see comments like this, remember when you are commenting on things of this nature that there is always a family who is constantly reading comments, constantly refreshing these posts hoping for some information. These comments do not help anyone.”
Gary arrived on March 16 at the Oasis Apartments in the Puerto Del Carmen resort and sent a picture to his family as he sat by the poolside. He put some items into the safe in his hotel room and took €70 from his spending money with him.
He texted his mum, Ann McMurray, at 5:30pm to say he was on his way out for the night and headed to Bar 67. He was wearing his Celtic top, white shorts, white trainers with blue and yellow trim and a black man bag.
He was later picked up on CCTV lying unconscious in a doorway near the bar at 1.30am the following morning.
Police found his passport, bank card and travel money in his hotel after worried family reported him missing. Medication for his diabetes was also found. He never turned up for his return flight home to Scotland.
Gary’s phone has never been found and records show it has not been used since that night.
In the months after his disappearance, Spanish cops released footage of Gary with an unknown man, walking outside a Spar shop on the island. The stranger has never been identified.
Devastatingly, police closed the case in June, 2023, after telling the Shearer family they had “exhausted all leads”.
The family has been critical of the Spanish authorities over the lack of an investigation to find Gary. Police didn’t open a missing person case until a week after he disappeared and it took officers until June 2023 to organise their first official search for Gary.
Sister Debvie told the Record at the time: “We are in disbelief. We are angry and we feel let down by the police. It’s just been the same story throughout the full investigation, just no answers to questions.”
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