Remains of missing doctor who vanished while walking alone found 12 years on

The remains of an experienced walker who went missing while trekking alone in Snowdonia were found 12 years on by a search and rescue team who were trying to locate a separate missing walker.

Shayne Colaco disappeared in the summer of 2012 while walking alone in the Carneddau mountain range in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, North Wales. The psychiatrist, from Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, never returned to his car and he was reported missing to Staffordshire Police.

While the desperate search for the 33-year-old was subject to ‘cold case’ reviews, Dr Colaco's body remained unfound and he was pronounced deceased in November 2018. At the time coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones described the circumstances as "puzzling" but all that changed in May last year, reports StokeonTrent Live.

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David Brookfield, 65, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire went missing while hiking in the Carneddau range on January 9, 2024 but his body was not found until four months later, with coastguard helicopter crews making the discovery during a routine training exercise. It was during this recovery that Mr Colaco's body was found by complete chance.

Sergeant Paul Terry, of the North Wales Police drone unit, assisted in the recovery of the two men and has shared details of exactly what happened. “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," he said.

"While we were carrying out the investigation process into David’s death, a mountain rescue team member found a jacket about five meters 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 investigated what Mr Colaco had been wearing when he disappeared and also looked into what car he was driving at the time.

“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," he said.

A specialist mountain rescue drone operator carried out further investigation on Pen yr Ole Wen and this led to his body's discovery. Sgt Terry added: “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 described both men as experienced walkers and insisted their deaths highlighted the dangers of walking in Eryri. "It's always possible that something will go wrong,” he warned. "Eryri is an incredible place, it's beautiful, and on a good day, the mountains look achievable and accessible. But it’s important to understand the scale of these hills and the impact of weather – and how quickly 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."