Gary Shearer’s disappearance on Lanzarote “makes no sense”

Gary Shearer went missing in the busy tourist resort of Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote on 16th March 2023. Two years on, there is still no sign of him. We met his devastated mother Ann and his niece Darcie last month as they returned to the island to seek answers and, perhaps, closure.

Gary Shearer, a 53-year-old Celtic fan from Renfrew, came to Lanzarote for St. Patrick’s Day in 2023. Described by Ann as “vulnerable” and walking with a distinctive limp, he went out drinking and was later caught on CCTV, unconscious in a doorway. Later, it seems he attempted to call a taxi to take him back to his apartment, and another camera caught him walking near a welldressed, middle-aged man who has never been identified.

This was the last sighting of Gary. Ann says her son would call her most evenings to say “Goodnight, mum”, but when he didn’t and the family tried to report him missing, police told them that they could not open a case until he failed to turn up for his flight a week later (this is untrue – a missing person can be reported at any time in Spain).

A widespread social media campaign followed, but any leads have proved fruitless, and no trace of Gary has ever been found.

This is absolutely not normal. Lanzarote is a small island, and missing people nearly always turn up. Darcie, who has organised the campaign to find Gary, is correct when she says, “It makes no sense.”

Some people have suggested that Gary may have disappeared at sea, but Ann is clear that “He wouldn’t have gone near the water”, pointing out that the last sightings of Gary appeared to show him going in an opposite direction to the beach. Even if this were true, the bodies of drowning victims usually turn up.

With no further leads to investigate, the Guardia Civil closed the case last year, but Ann and Darcie are still hoping desperately for an end to their uncertainty and doubts.

Ann and Darcie were disappointed when council workers removed posters that the police had told them they could display, but they also say they’ve received a lot of support. During their visit, someone noticed their “Find Gary” t-shirts and anonymously paid for their meals.

But the unanswered questions are still hard to live with “We’ve recently had to give up Gary’s flat,” says Ann, and she has also been asked for a death certificate that has not yet been issued due to lack of information.

Gary’s case remains a one-off – there have been no similar cases before or since – but it remains deeply worrying that someone can completely vanish in a popular tourist resort at one of the busiest times of year. And for his family, the distress never ends.

If you think you may know anything at all about Gary’s disappearance, contact Ann on 07864 211601 or contact the Find Gary Shearer page on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091607556766