Family’s fears for Scarborough man missing after Moors hike

Kieran Chapman’s family believe he set out for a long day hiking trip starting at Harwood Dale Forest but failed to return. His car was found on December 2 but he is thought to have started his walk a few days before this.

From the location of the car, it is thought that Mr Chapman, a keen walker, may possibly have gone hiking on the Moors, but no sightings of him have yet been reported.

North Yorkshire Police called in Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue to assist officers in the search for Mr Chapman on December 3, but the search was stood down after three days.

In a fresh appeal issued this weekend, North Yorkshire Police said they were “continuing their enquiries with family and friends of Mr Chapman, in an effort to discover his movements and his possible location”.

Kieran’s brother, Steven, said in a statement: “Kieran’s family believe that he set out for a long day hiking trip starting at Harwood Dale Forest from which he has failed to return.

“We think he may have set off on his walk a few days before his car was found on 2 December.

“Kieran is a lovely, intelligent and adventurous young man who is a very experienced and passionate hiker and hill-walker. His disappearance is totally out of character and we are extremely anxious about his failure to contact his family.

“If anybody saw Kieran on the days leading up to, or following, 2 December when his car was found, please contact North Yorkshire Police immediately.

“If you are a hiker who goes walking in the moors and think you might have seen Kieran, or have any information that could assist us in finding him, then please report it to the police”.

Inspector Matthew Millington of North Yorkshire Police said: “We are trying to establish when Mr Chapman was last seen, and we are appealing for the public to help.

“We believe he may have parked his car, a red Volkswagen Polo, at Harwood Dale sometime in the last few days of November or very early December.

“If anyone remembers seeing a man in this car around this time, and can give any information about what he was wearing or which direction he was heading, we would like to hear from them.

“At this point we do not know for certain that Mr Chapman has come to any harm, and we very much hope that he may still be found safe and well. However it has been a number of days since he has been seen, and his family are obviously increasingly concerned.

“If he is out there, we would urge him to contact the police and let us know he is safe. Meanwhile, if anyone has any information that could be helpful to us, or any information about his whereabouts, please call us on 101.”

If you have information that could help the police to track Kieran Chapman, call North Yorkshire Police on 101.