Charley Gadd: police search Manchester canals in hunt for missing student

Police and fire officers in Manchester have been searching canals in the city as part of an ongoing hunt for missing student Charley Gadd.

The 20-year-old disappeared after a night out in Manchester on Saturday 11 December and his family issued an urgent appeal for help in tracing him earlier this week.

Police and fire service officers were seen on Thursday and again on Friday searching the River Irwell, with a boat and divers at the scene.

A short statement from Greater Manchester police on Thursday said: “Officers and colleagues from GMFRS are currently searching the canals in Manchester city centre as part of the on-going search for missing Charley Gadd.”

GMP says inquiries are ongoing.

What were the circumstances of Charley’s disappearance?

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

He had enjoyed a night out at the Warehouse Project with his father but his dad said Charley suddenly ‘ran off’ close to the Spar Store in St Mary’s Gate. His dad says they spent hours looking for him and reported him missing to the police after they failed to find him.

As Charley is from near Sudbury in Suffolk, he does not know the city well and his parents issued an urgent appeal for help in tracing him on Tuesday.

Charley’s father, Jolyon Gadd, said: “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.”

Read the family’s full appeal here.

What else have police said?

Officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen Charley or has any information.

He is described as white, thin and 5ft 9 in tall, with mousy brown hair. He wore a red jacket and blue jeans when he went missing.

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.