Deceased/Not Found UK - Steven Clark, 23, disabled, Saltburn, Dec 1992

[Streetspirit]

Thank you for the warm welcome along with the information you guys have.

One of the reasons I'm interested in the tide times is I know tides are normally high/low every 12 hours. I just wondered what the tide would be at 6pm or just after when the clarks were searching it in the dark?
At 2pm was the tide coming in/going out etc?

Can’t find the tide times now but I think it was out until tea time. If he’d wandered to the sea at 3pm it’s a long walk and someone would have noticed him.

EDIT:

found the tide times.

 

[Skigh]

So their house is literally doors down from mine and the police are on day 3 of searching it.
My dad and also a friend’s mum knows Charles and Doris from the bowling club and told me 2 things:

1) that the Clark’s laid a patio a few weeks/months after, he couldn’t remember how close but does remember people ‘joking’ “oh now we know where steven is”.

2) been told a few times, by the parents, that on the day he went missing him and his dad argued about the Boro ticket. Steven wanted his dad to pay for a ticket and take him, but Charles told him to pay for it himself.

Welcome to Websleuths and thank you for the information.

I hope you know you will be fielding lots of questions!

Did you know Steven personally and how severe were his disabilities


Did the Police search the local area when he first went missing?

 

[Streetspirit]

Welcome to Websleuths and thank you for the information.

I hope you know you will be fielding lots of questions!

Did you know Steven personally and how severe were his disabilities


Did the Police search the local area when he first went missing?

I didn’t know him, I was only 4 when he went missing. My dad, like I say, knows his dad, calls him Charlie. He’s in the camp that they are completely innocent but so is everyone who actually knows them.

I’m not 100% sure on the mental side of his disabilities but my dad did say that the only thing he would ever understand would be if him and Charles did have a row and he pushed/punched him and there was an accident. My dad said that there had been comments about how he was an adult but still at home and no idea how long they’d have to look after him. So he does see some frustration there but still adamant that unless it was an accident then they are completely innocent.

Re the searches. I’ve asked around about this and there appears to have been some searching but nothing as extensive as this. The majority say no digging garden etc at the time because there wasn’t any real suspicion.

Everyone is talking about the letter and pretty sure that shoddy police work then has missed something that this new team thinks is important.
I find it strange that the letter went to Guisborough station too. Makes me wonder if the person who wrote it was living in that area as there are closer stations to have taken it too (Redcar or Saltburn).

 

[Funky funky]

Thank you @Streetspirit. That info is fascinating. I really hope they find him, as I don’t think this can be solved without a body of a confession.

 

[Funky funky]

Also very interesting that we may have proof of life on the morning of the disappearance. I wonder why Steven didn’t go to the match?
I also think his death may have been accidental, but nothing excuses the cover up if that is the case.

 

[Skigh]

Thank you so much for your reply.It must be quite distressing having all this happening around you.
Did you find Websleuths by googling about the searches?
I think we would all like to find them innocent,but as you have read, we find the whole case strange and so are questioning it, which is why we are on this website.

 

[what-did-YOU-find]

Thank you so much Streetspirit, that is amazing!
Am I right in thinking High tide was at approx 6.29pm? Probably even a little earlier for Marske than Whitby?
It says the clarks searched the beach when Charles got back from the football probably about 6pm or just after?
Would you get on the beach if this was high tide?

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

@Streetspirit In your opinion, do any locals have any idea what might have been in that letter or any ideas on who might have written it?

 

[Streetspirit]

Thank you so much Streetspirit, that is amazing!
Am I right in thinking High tide was at approx 6.29pm? Probably even a little earlier for Marske than Whitby?
It says the clarks searched the beach when Charles got back from the football probably about 6pm or just after?
Would you get on the beach if this was high tide?

Depending on which parts of the beach would depend on the amount of walkable area. The whole beach isn’t entirely cut off even at high tide. So it’s not impossible to think you could be down there. The dark would be more of an issue.

 

[Alyce]

Also very interesting that we may have proof of life on the morning of the disappearance. I wonder why Steven didn’t go to the match?
I also think his death may have been accidental, but nothing excuses the cover up if that is the case.

Depends who told the story about the argument being ** on that day **

 

[Streetspirit]

@Streetspirit In your opinion, do any locals have any idea what might have been in that letter or any ideas on who might have written it?

Just speculation. Most thoughts are that it’s someone close to them who was suspicious. Could be anything. Especially if people knew about an argument etc

 

[Streetspirit]

Depends who told the story about the argument being ** on that day **

ive heard that from two people who know Charles directly. But they both said it was kind of brushed aside. Like “oh we had a row but it wasn’t anything major” type of thing.

still not proof of life on that day given no one else was there

 

[what-did-YOU-find]

Thanks Streetspirit, I didn't realise you could still access the beach even at high tide. Super impressed you found the times for 1992 though thank you again

 

[Funky funky]

ive heard that from two people who know Charles directly. But they both said it was kind of brushed aside. Like “oh we had a row but it wasn’t anything major” type of thing.

still not proof of life on that day given no one else was there

Apologies, I read that wrong! I thought someone heard the actual argument. That makes me think that Steven was killed prior to the 28th again.

 

[Streetspirit]

Thanks Streetspirit, I didn't realise you could still access the beach even at high tide. Super impressed you found the times for 1992 though thank you again

Yeah. Not all areas but some. I spent most of my youth at the beach and cliffs playing around. We got caught once at high tide halfway between Saltburn and marske and had to go up the sand dune slightly but you could still walk it. It was just more difficult cos wasn’t on the flat beach.

 

[Streetspirit]

Apologies, I read that wrong! I thought someone heard the actual argument. That makes me think that Steven was killed prior to the 28th again.

apologies from me too I’m not sure I was super clear.

the story of the argument was told BY THE PARENTS to friends of theirs days/months afterwards. My dad is a friend of theirs and he told me about it.

 

[Skigh]

I feel a bit guilty bombarding you with questions,but not guilty enough to stop asking them!

Do you know whether Victoria visited for Christmas,is she close to her parents?
From an aerial view ,there seem to be allotments at the rear of their garden,did they own one?

 

[Streetspirit]

I feel a bit guilty bombarding you with questions,but not guilty enough to stop asking them!

Do you know whether Victoria visited for Christmas,is she close to her parents?
From an aerial view ,there seem to be allotments at the rear of their garden,did they own one?

I don’t know much about the daughter but I have seen a guy commenting on Facebook saying that Steven was his cousin. He’s now living in Australia

Apparently they did have an allotment. However I’m not sure if it is one directly behind their house. There are 2 other allotment sites in Marske that I can think of so it could have been one of those.

 

[Morag]

Is this a particularly upmarket neighborhood? That looks like a rather large house for a family of four- and on a retired policeman’s salary/pension. Perhaps a settlement received after Steven’s accident helped to pay for it. Could there have been an argument about money before Steven’s disappearance?

 

[Streetspirit]

Is this a particularly upmarket neighborhood? That looks like a rather large house for a family of four- and on a retired policeman’s salary/pension. Perhaps a settlement received after Steven’s accident helped to pay for it. Could there have been an argument about money before Steven’s disappearance?

Those houses now are worth in the region of anywhere from £300k upwards I’d say. There’s one for sale about 6-8 houses up for £400k at the minute. You are literally yards from the beach so they’ve always been desirable. I do think it’s been extended over time but not 100% sure. Marske in itself can be overpriced because people like the place and it’s seen as a desirable place to live. Hence why I can imagine if they got that house back in the 80s or whatever that they wouldn’t leave there.