{"id":700,"date":"2025-03-10T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=700"},"modified":"2025-03-11T23:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T23:08:26","slug":"ill-always-regret-not-answering-the-phone-the-day-my-brother-disappeared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/10\/ill-always-regret-not-answering-the-phone-the-day-my-brother-disappeared\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019ll always regret not answering the phone the day my brother disappeared\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shaune\u2019s photograph will be shown on Govia Thameslink services as part of a new campaign (Picture: Suzi Maltwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Suzi Maltwood was having a busy day at work<\/a> when she saw her brother Shaune\u2019s name flash up on her phone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead of picking it up, she let it ring out, vowing in her mind to call him later. But, by then, it would be too late.<\/p>\n

\u2018The last time I heard from Shaune, he\u2019d been very reliant on me,\u2019 Suzi tells Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2018He hadn\u2019t been well with his mental health<\/a>, so we\u2019d been speaking almost daily. But that day I was making up hours at work after taking time off to support him. Now I live with an unbearable amount of guilt.<\/p>\n

\u2018Every day I wonder if I\u2019d just answered the call, \u201cwould Shaune have never gone missing<\/a>?\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

There have been no clues over the last seven years since his disappearance on June 21 2017, as to what happened to him. There are no bank records, GP appointments, or work records.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shaune hasn\u2019t used his driving licence or passport, and Interpole confirmed to his family that he hasn\u2019t appeared to have left the country. Police investigations into his disappearance have yielded on results.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Suzi (right) says she\u2019ll never give up hope of finding her brother, Shaune (Picture: Suzi Maltwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite his mental health struggles Shaune had been positive about his future. Then 45, he was busy as manager of several London-based businesses \u2013 including a cleaning company.<\/p>\n

He lived in Eltham, but the father-of-five loved to visit the Isle of Sheppey \u2013 an island off the northern coast of Kent \u2013 with his two dogs or for holidays with his family.<\/p>\n

The last sighting of Shaune before his disappearance that summer\u2019s day was at a caravan park in the village of Eastchurch on the island, where he\u2019d travelled to sell a van.<\/p>\n

Sign up to Metro\u2019s Lifeline challenge in support of Missing People<\/a><\/h2>\n

\u2018He was always a happy-go-lucky type of person and absolutely loved his children and granddaughter. He had a passion for flashy cars,\u2019 remembers Suzi, 42.<\/p>\n

\u2018Many years ago, I would have been sick of hearing about his cars, but now I would do anything to talk to him about the latest BMW Sport.\u2019<\/p>\n

For the first few days of Shaune\u2019s disappearance, it didn\u2019t quite feel real for his family.<\/p>\n

\u2018I remember thinking \u201cwhat if he isn\u2019t going to come home?\u201d but I would just brush it off,\u2019 remembers Suzi. \u2018It wasn\u2019t until a week or so into Shaune\u2019s disappearance that the panic really set in.<\/p>\n

\u2018I find it hard to describe exactly how it felt because it was like having your life turned upside down, but amongst all of the panic and worry, I\u2019ve always had hope that one day he will come home.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Shaune was last seen at the Shurland Dale Holiday Park on the Isle of Sheppey (Picture: Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following his disappearance, Shaune\u2019s family searched homeless shelters, had his face printed in the Big Issue and frequently shared missing poster on social media. Suzi still posts his picture on Isle of Sheppey Facebook pages in case she can jog someone\u2019s memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tSign up to this year’s Metro Lifeline challenge\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK.\u00a0That means life is lonely, scary and uncertain for 170,000 families every year.\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n

Missing People <\/a>is the only UK charity dedicated to reconnecting them and their loved ones and that’s why this year Metro <\/strong>is proudly supporting them for our 2025 Lifeline campaign.<\/p>\n

To help raise vital funds for the charity we would love you to join us on on 3 May for a 25km, 53km or 106km hike on the beautiful Isle of Wight.<\/p>\n

Registration starts at just \u00a315 with a\u00a0fundraising minimum of \u00a3240 (25km) \/ \u00a3360 (58km).\u00a0Alternatively, you can pay for your place and set your own fundraising target.<\/p>\n

Whether you want to do it as a group or are signing up solo, as part of Team Lifeline, you\u2019ll receive tons of support and advice, so that every step you take can make a massive difference helping those whose loved ones have disappeared. <\/p>\n

Click here to sign up and find out more.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

To make a donation to Missing People, please click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

She\u2019s been left desperate for closure on what happened to her brother and how he potentially spent his final day.<\/p>\n

Growing up, the pair were like \u2018mates\u2019, rather than bickering siblings, adds Suzi. It was a bond that continued well into adulthood, as the pair remained close.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shaune and I were inseparable as children. I remember us doing everything together, and whenever hr left the house without me, I\u2019d always be waiting with excitement to see him when he came home,\u2019 she recalls. \u2018We never lost this closeness over the years and I\u2019d do anything to get it back again.\u2019<\/p>\n

After so many empty years, she understands the search may seem fruitless in the eyes of others.<\/p>\n

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Suzi says and Shaune was a \u2018happy-go-lucky\u2019 man to his loved ones (Picture: Suzi Maltwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018What keeps me going is knowing that Shaune would do the same for me,\u2019 she explains. \u2018He would never give up and neither will I. <\/p>\n

\u2018I will fight every day to keep my brother in the public eye so that there are as many people as possible helping me to search.\u00a0The pain never goes away, it just gets harder every day not knowing if he\u2019s even alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Over the years Shaune has been missing, it\u2019s been a huge struggle for us as a family. I\u2019ve been living without my brother, my mum\u2019s been living without her son, his children have been growing up without a father.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018We need closure so badly that we are considering having him declared deceased when it reaches seven years of him being missing.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
A set of footsteps at platform one of London Blackfriars represent the Safe Way Home campaign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Neither his children nor granddaughter understand what went wrong,\u2019 adds Suzi. \u2018Our mum is really struggling with Shaune being gone and believes that she\u2019ll never know what happened to him in her lifetime. Every day is a battle to try and find Shaune.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s the not knowing that\u2019s the hardest part, she says. \u2018It\u2019s a complicated type of grief and something we are still navigating every day,\u2019 she admits. \u2018The scariest part is that there\u2019s a chance we\u2019ll never know what happened to him and there\u2019s no closure until we do.\u2019<\/p>\n

In 2023, the family had Shaune\u2019s story included in a new campaign by Missing People, after the charity collaborating with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) on a project called Safe Way Home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Suzi works tirelessly to \u2018keep up the momentum of public support\u2019 surrounding Shaune\u2019s disappearance (Picture: Suzi Maltwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With one person going missing every 90 seconds in the UK<\/a>, it\u2019s the equivalent of 40 people in a single rush hour or daily commute. To represent this figure, 40 sets of disappearing footprints were displayed on Platform One at Blackfriars station and were seen by more than 100,000 people every day.<\/p>\n

\u2018The longer Shaune is missing, the harder it is to keep up the momentum of public support,\u2019 she says. \u2018I am so grateful for the partnership between Missing People and Govia Thameslink Railway because it gave me a new platform to get a really important, and often forgotten, message out about Shaune.\u2019<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Suzi urges anyone who is going through her similar ordeal, never to give up hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Do what you can to keep them in the public eye, so that you\u2019re not the only one searching,\u2019 she advises.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Anyone who is affected by someone going missing or is thinking of going missing can call or text Missing People on 116 000.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kirsten.Robertson@metro.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

READ MORE: \u2018Woman with the flower tattoo\u2019 is finally identified 31 years after her murder<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: Dan Walker relieved two missing teenagers from his TV show have been found<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: British holidaymaker found dead after going missing during walk in Jamaica<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shaune\u2019s photograph will be shown on Govia Thameslink services as part of a new campaign (Picture: Suzi Maltwood) Suzi Maltwood was having a busy day at work when she saw her brother Shaune\u2019s name flash up on her phone. Instead of picking it up, she let it ring out, vowing in her mind to call […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":709,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700\/revisions\/709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}