Found Deceased Greece - Steve Cook, 20, Malia, Crete, 31 Aug 2005

Drella

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Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place, and not sure if it's very relevant me posting an European case! But I'm sure it'll be moved to the right forum if I put it in the wrong one.

I just want to bring to the attention of everyone I can this case. As you never know, people from over your part of the world could have been on holiday over here in Europe reacently!

Steve Cook is someone I know from here in the UK. On August 31st he went on vacation to Crete in the Greek Isles with his friends. He's not been seen since that night.

Here are some reports:

Family's desperate search for man missing on Crete
IT WAS supposed to be an enjoyable few days lapping up the sun and hitting the bars in Crete for a group of old schoolfriends.​

Instead it has turned into an agony of waiting for one family as they wait for news of their youngest son and brother, who has been missing for a week.​

Steve Cook, 20, joined his former school buddies for a week in the sunshine resort of Malia on the Greek island before returning to Liverpool University to start the final year of his business and marketing degree.​

The last time he was seen was in a bar last Wednesday evening, asking for directions to his hotel, and then walking off in the wrong direction.​

While his frantic parents wait for news, Steve's two older brothers, Chris, 30, and Tony, 28, have flown out to the resort to help with the search.​

Speaking yesterday, Chris said: "It's tough, we're running out of ideas and avenues.​

"His friends are flying home tonight, which is the flight Steve should have been on.​

"I will be staying out as long as I need to. I can't go home without taking Steve back to his mum and dad.​

"It's a very upsetting time for us all, but it's a lot tougher for our parents waiting for news."​

Steve disappeared without trace less than 24 hours after he arrived in Malia with a group of around 10 friends.​

The keen Liverpool FC fan had gone out for the evening, but his friends lost sight of him on their way back to their hotel.​

They tried to report him missing the next day but local police made them wait until 24 hours after he was last seen before they would begin the hunt.​

Since his disappearance, his friends have kept a vigil at his room in the hope he will return. He did not have money, passport, mobile phone or a change of clothes.​

More than 100 posters have now been put up but, despite some possible leads, 5ft 9in Steve has still not been seen or heard from. Officials at the British consulate on the island are helping the family speak to police and the local hospitals.​

Appeals for information have also gone out on the fans' website,, ynwa, and Malia's official site.​

The last time his parents heard from Steve was when they received a text from him when his flight landed at Crete in the early hours of last Wednesday.​

Chris said: "It is totally out of character for Steve to do anything like this.​

"It's an utter mystery. "A lot of people in the resort are helping out, and there is going to be a major search of the area. While we concentrate on putting up posters in and around the resort, the police have widened the search to outlying areas.​

"We're trying to be strong, but every day is just another 24 hours when we can't eat or sleep.​

"The police say there is never any trouble here but we've heard about Albanian gangs on the main streets preying on stragglers."​

While Steve's brothers continue the search in Crete, his parents Norman, 62, and Patricia, 61, anxiously wait for news back home in Sandbach, Cheshire.​

Mr Cook snr said last night: "What we're going through is indescribable. It's an awful situation for the family to be in.​

"Since we heard that he was missing, we have hardly ate or slept. It's the not knowing that gets to you."​

HOPES were fading today for missing Liverpool student Steve Cook after his family suffered two new setbacks.​

The 20-year-old failed to catch his scheduled flight home from Crete this morning, to the despair of his two brothers who had waited anxiously at the island's airport.​

Yesterday police found an unidentified man in a hospital on the island, but when the brothers arrived they discovered it was an Irishman injured in a motorcycle accident. As the ECHO revealed yesterday, the student vanished hours after arriving in Crete with friends on holiday.​

Today holiday reps and police were searching refuse tips close to where Steve disappeared as fears grow the student could have been killed and his body dumped.​

Steve's father Norman Cook, from Sandbach, Cheshire, admitted: "We are going from leads which lift our hopes and expectations to being back down in the depths of despair.​

"Days are merging into one another. It feels like our lives are on hold. We can't eat or sleep.​

"But we have to look forward. We have to keep pushing the authorities to try to find Steve.​

"He could still be in a hospital on the island."​

The Liverpool university student was about to begin the third and final year of his degree but disappeared last Wednesday after a night out in Malia with friends.​

His clothes, money, passport and plane tickets remained untouched in his hotel room.​

His older brothers Chris and Tony are in Crete to help with the search and have met officials from the British Consulate.​

Chris said: "It may be that we just have to wait for him to turn up, but we can't give up."​

* Anyone with information should call Cheshire police via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or access the forum at www.malia.co.uk/

Setbacks in search for lost student Sep 8 2005​


THE family of a Liverpool student who has vanished in Crete have suffered two new setbacks.​

Steve Cook failed to catch his scheduled flight home from Crete yesterday, to the despair of his two brothers who had waited anxiously at the island's airport.​

They suffered further anguish after police found an unidentified man in a hospital on the island but, when the brothers arrived, they discovered it was an Irishman injured in a motorcycle accident.​

Mr Cook, 20, disappeared hours after arriving on the island with friends on holiday.​

Yesterday, holiday reps and police searched refuse tips close to where he was last seen as fears grew he could have been killed and his body dumped.​

His father, Norman Cook, from Sandbach, Cheshire, admitted: "We are going from leads which lift our hopes and expectations to being back in the depths of despair.​

"Days are merging into one another. It feels like our lives are on hold. We can't eat or sleep. We're completely shattered."​

The Liverpool university student was about to begin the final year of his degree but disappeared last Wednesday after a night out in Malia.​

His clothes, money, passport and plane tickets remained untouched in his hotel room.​


Here is a website set up for Steve:

 
I went on holiday to Malia with a female friend back in August 1993. I remember then that the holiday reps warned us about walking back to the hotels, and to be very wary of men offering lifts. They basically told us to stay in groups, get a taxi etc and absolutely not to walk back to the hotel.

Those warnings were aimed at us being 22 year old females, but if they were that worried about potential sex attacks or worse, I imagine a young man on his own would be risk of other crimes. It didn't exactly sell the island well to us, and at the time we thought there must be a lot of trouble for them to issue such warnings.
 
Fresh hope: Police to review disappearance of Steven Cook

...But as the family prepare to mark ten years since his sudden disappearance, Cheshire Police have confirmed a full review of the case will be carried out.

...The grandfather-of-six said: "It gives us hope that this is very much back on the police's radar. It's a clean pair of eyes on the case.

"They have given us a clear idea of what they are going to do and they will be very thorough going forward with this."
 
Link includes an age progression photo of Steven.

"Brother of missing Crete Briton 'sure he's alive' after 10 years"

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2015/08/30/brother-of-missing-crete-briton-sure-hes-alive-after-10-years/

Several sightings of a man of Steven's description by holidaymakers on Crete and nearby island Rhodes have convinced mother Pat, 71, father Norman, 71, sister Lisa, 42, brothers Chris, 40, and Tony, 38 that he is still alive - though perhaps with a head injury or trouble communicating.

Chris said: "It is a real double-edged sword. It's great that people are still looking but we can't do anything physical about it and we are just playing a waiting game.

"It's all been a complete mystery but we have always believed we will find him. We are sure he's alive."
 
His family is convinced he's alive...To me it is most likely he met with foul play or died in an accident right after he was last seen, sadly.
 
This looks promising:

Could a camera hold the key to mystery of British tourist who disappeared on a Greek island 12 years ago? Workmen discover disposable device next to a skeleton in a well


A breakthrough in the hunt for a British man who disappeared from a Greek island in 2005 may have been made with the discovery of a camera next to a skeleton.

Steven Cook, 20, vanished on a night out with friends in the resort of Malia where the human remains were discovered.

A disposable camera was next to the body and experts are developing the film for clues about its identity.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4234446/Remains-Greek-resort-man-vanished.html
 
I love it when there's an old thread set up already. I was in Crete a couple of years ago and walked into and around Malia a few times (the "strip" is awful but the old town is lovely.) Sounds like the well is pretty near to where Steve was last seen, but did he fall or was he put there?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39007684
 
Sounds like the well is pretty near to where Steve was last seen, but did he fall or was he put there?

You have to ask why it was not searched at the time, but then the Greek police don't seem to meet the standards that we expect in the UK.
 
do we have a location for the well as in how far away it is from the bar that he was last seen in, I believe that it's the first time it has been drained of Walter for many years,
 
do we have a location for the well as in how far away it is from the bar that he was last seen in, I believe that it's the first time it has been drained of Walter for many years,

I believe the well is in the cemetery, I googled and there's only one in Malia. It is in the opposite direction to where he was staying but I can see how he could have taken a wrong turn at night and a bit drunken. However, it is much further in the wrong direction, and more isolated, it's also very obviously in a cemetery and inside a hut which might not have been there 12 years ago.

Having seen where it is (and in fact I walked right past it when I was there) I'm a bit suspicious, seems odd he'd have gone that far off track of his own accord and also seems the well would be an obvious choice to get rid of a body if you knew it was there.

All that is IF it's Steve, of course. I know the body they found is a skeleton, but would clothing still be identifiable?
 
This article has photos of the well

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/28848...it-tourist-steven-cook-vanished-12-years-ago/

Here's a map, sorry I don't know how to label it but the cemetery is top right (just above the go kart track) and his hotel was called Frixos. He was last seen near where it says Malia Holidays at the south end of the strip, which runs north to south. So he was very off course, he should've turned right at the El Venizelou junction, but he went left.

https://goo.gl/maps/5T6x7jN7Sc22
 
Judging by those photos I can't imagine that well would be known to anyone but locals, and this points more towards foul play and concealment of the body to my way of thinking.

That's what I thought. Even if he was disorientated he must have realised he'd walked too far down that isolated lane.

Hopefully we'll know quite soon whether it's Steve and whether there appears to have been foul play, will be hard to prove much after this long though.

There's a story behind why I walked past that cemetery, there's a big water park nearby and we set off one morning (4 adults, 4 small kids) to walk there, 20 minutes they said. Well it took nearer 45, it was boiling, we ran out of water, the kids were wittering and we couldn't wait to arrive. Finally got there and the bloody place was shut due to having an pool party the night before. The husbands snuck in to try and find out if it was imminently going to open, and if we could get water, only to see condoms and smashed glass around the pools. Grim! We then had to walk all the way back.... I wanted to go in the cemetery as it was so pretty but got outvoted 7 to 1 haha. I'd have been within 10 metres of the well if it's where I think it is, and weirdly, having checked my diary, it was on 31st August 2015, exactly 10 years to the day after Steve vanished.
 
It is quite a distance from ware he was last seen, being the first night of the holiday he would not know the area and the way back to the hotel so it would be possible that he was wondering around trying to get back to the hotel, hopefully they will be able to develop the camera film,
 
It is quite a distance from ware he was last seen, being the first night of the holiday he would not know the area and the way back to the hotel so it would be possible that he was wondering around trying to get back to the hotel, hopefully they will be able to develop the camera film,

Yes I think the camera film is key, clothing too - his pink t-shirt is quite distinctive and you'd think there would be fabric left.

I feel mean saying this but I hope it is Steve. I doubt he's been in Crete for the last 12 years unnoticed and his family needs to know what happened. Wonder how long it will take them to find out?
 

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