Laurence Dollimore
Have you seen Alex? Contact tips@theolivepress.es
FEARS are growing for a missing father-of-two who has not been seen or heard from since taking a flight to Spain almost a month ago.
Alex Hunter left his home in Yorkshire at 7.45am on July 10, to take a morning train to Slough, near London.
His wife Victoria Howarth, 33, believed he was heading for a job interview and they texted regularly over the next 24 hours.
On July 11, Victoria, believing Alex was on his way back, received her last message from him, which was simply ‘xx’, reports Yorkshire Live.
Victoria, who shares a two-year-old and an eight-month-old with Alex, contacted several police forces and even hired a private investigator to help track her partner down.
Victoria said his phone last pinged in Spain, ‘or possibly another European country’, on July 26, and described his behaviour as completely ‘out of character’.
She said Alex had money concerns because he lost his job and was worried about supporting their family, which also includes her seven-year-old son from another relationship.
Alex is 5ft8in, has a slim build and short ginger hair and usually wears glasses.
He also has a distinctive octopus tattoo that covers his whole chest, back and arms.
In an update a few days ago Victoria wrote: “It’s now just over three weeks since I last heard from Alex. I am desperately worried about his safety.
“The police have confirmed that he has flown abroad and that he has not bought return tickets. They have not spoken to him and are basing the fact that he is ‘ok’ off CCTV images at the airports.
“This is COMPLETELY out of character… No one has heard from him, not even his family… He only took a couple of pairs of clothes mainly being smart work clothes, 1 pair of smart work shoes, 1 pair of black trainers (he usually wears caps, hoodies)…
“Doesn’t look like he’s been online at all (social media/WhatsApp)… He has not touched any of our money or savings… He had recently lost his job and was struggling to get a new job and had struggled with a few rejections
“He was stressed about money… There were no signs, no arguments, every thing was fine when he left and he kissed me goodbye.”
She added: “I have no answers and I need to find him. Please share this, someone must have seen him.
“Alex, if you read this PLEASE contact someone or the police. We are worried about you and want to know you are ok and safe. We love you.”
Victoria previously said last month: “I want to know that you are safe and I want you to come home. We all love you and miss you. I just want to understand what is going on. I just don’t understand what’s wrong. Anything that’s wrong, we can get through it together.
“The kids miss him. His two-year-old misses him, he says ‘daddy’ when he sees a man go past. He misses his daddy who played with him all the time. He’s very upset.”
Victoria added: “My seven-year-old, Alex has been his stepdad for four years, he missed his birthday and he doesn’t understand what’s going on. At first, I’ve told him he was on a business trip but I’ve now had to tell him he’s missing, and we don’t know where he is. He’s seen me cry and tried to comfort me when I’ve been upset.
“I’m trying not to lose it too much infront of the kids. I’m trying to act normal for them which is extremely hard when I don’t have any answers or know what’s going on. It’s just to out of the blue and out of character.”
