Police will suspend missing Adrian investigation “in the near future”

Monday 08 February 2016

Police have confirmed that more than two months after Adrian Lynch went missing, they are close to suspending the investigation into his disappearance.

They have repeated pleas for information about the missing 20-year-old, who disappeared without a trace on his way home from a night out on 5 December.

The police have been working on the theory that Adrian was disoriented and suffering from hypothermia, and that he tried to take shelter somewhere, but died of exposure.

They say that they are keeping an open mind about whether anyone else was involved, or whether he may have been hit by a car, but have emphasised that there is absolutely no evidence to support that theory.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner said that police still wanted to:

- Trace drivers that were around the Carrefour Selous area where Adrian went missing in the early hours of 5 December – particularly the driver of a dark-coloured high-sided vehicle, and a taxi driver.

- Ask two hitch-hikers who were walking up the road near where he went missing to get in touch with them, and another man who was hitch-hiking alone.

- Encourage Islanders to check outbuildings, sheds, land and garages for any sign of Adrian or his belongings.

Detective Chief Inspector Turner said: “In the absence of any new information we will have to look at winding down the investigation side of things in the near future.

“We will never close the case as long as he remains missing, it will remain ongoing and it will be monitored on an ongoing basis.”

In the last week, specially-trained victim recovery dogs have been taken around areas previously searched – including areas of deep undergrowth – to try find a trace of the missing man.

Detectives have also been speaking to witnesses who have already given them accounts of seeing Adrian in the early hours of 5 December, in case they remember something else that they did not mention the first time around.

They have been reviewing “lower level priority” CCTV footage that they do not think are likely to reveal anything new, just to cover off all possible lines of inquiry.