Charley Gadd: family’s plea to find missing student who ‘ran off’ in Manchester city centre

The parents of missing 20-year-old student Charley Gadd have begged the public to help trace their missing son who vanished after a night out.

Charley was last seen just before 1.15am on Saturday 11 December outside the Royal Exchange Theatre heading towards St Annes Street in the city centre.

Charley had been to the Warehouse Project and was reported missing afterwards.

Police have issued an update on the search for Charley on Thursday - read more on the link here and below.

‘ We are desperate for news’: dad

Charley’s father, Jolyon Gadd, said: “We were out with Charley on Friday night and Saturday morning on 11 December and had a lovely time together.

“We were near the Spar Store in St Mary’s Gate at around 1.10am when Charley ran off. We spent many hours then and later in the early hours looking for him before reporting him missing to the police around 11am. Charley is not familiar with Manchester and may have got lost and not been able to find his way back to his hotel.

“Charley is a very bright, warm, funny and loving man who everybody hugely enjoys being around.

“He is in the second year of a film and media degree course at the University of Essex in Colchester where he is well liked and flat shares with friends. We have heard nothing from him since he ran off and my wife and I and his brothers Bruno and Rufus are desperate for any news of him. We are obviously extremely worried.

“As we do not live in the area, we would ask local people and businesses to help us by looking in outbuilding, vehicles, bins, and anywhere else that Charley may have taken shelter to keep warm on Saturday morning.

“We really appreciate all the support and kind comments given by local people on social media, and ask that you please keep this in the public eye locally until we find Charley. However, we would ask that our privacy also please be respected at this time.”

What do police say?

Enquiries are ongoing and searches are being carried out but officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen Charley or has any information.

He is described as white, skinny and 5ft 9 in tall, with mousy brown hair. He wore a red jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts should contact police on 101 or report it online at www.gmp.police.uk quoting log 149 of 12/12/2021.