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

[Tortoise]

"Doris says the police seized on apparent ‘inconsistencies’ in their story."

"She is irritated, too, that police seemed to make much of some muddled memories from that time. ‘It all happened on the Saturday after Christmas and..."

Getting the day of the week your son went missing (to never return), wrong by two days, is disconcerting to say the least. This is even after recently being grilled by the police about events of those days. I would have thought that over the years they would have become very used to issuing appeals for people to try to remember if they were in the area on the day Steven went missing, and to me it seems as if that quest hasn't been maintained or is no longer important to them.

I noticed back in 2010 Steven's mother was saying the same thing about slapping him if he returned. "She admits to being angry over what he has put the family through and jokes about giving him "a cuddle first and a slap later" if he ever came home." It looks very much like a rehearsed statement to me. Perhaps holding on to an answer to the same question that is going to be asked 10+ years down the line? Clark, Steven December 1992

Middlesborough played away at Everton (150 miles away from Marske) on Saturday 26th Dec 1992. Everton v Middlesbrough, 1992/93 | Premier League

Middlesborough played at home (20 minute drive away from Marske) against Crystal Palace on Monday 28th Dec 1992. Kick off was at 3pm. Middlesbrough v Crystal Palace, 1992/93 | Premier League

 

[Tortoise]

It would be a bit coincidence if this was the first time ever
Steven did not accompany his Dad to the football ,particularly over Christmas when he could have been given a ticket as a present or Steven could have been given money by relatives as a gift.
Steven had also been awarded money for being apprentice of the year.

I've also wondered if Steven received any compensation for the duration of his life from the childhood accident.

 

[Tortoise]

I wonder if Steven's parents ever appealed directly to find the two men she saw going into the gentlemen's toilets, taking it in turns to wait outside with the little girl.

 

[Alyce]

Yes, it had to be the Monday match that Charles allegedly attended. But Doris still references Saturday twice in her comments as being the day of the match and as the day Steven disappeared.
Also the story re the toilets seems to have changed again. Previous reports said that Steven went into the gents and she went into the ladies, at the same time.
Now, she says she sat on the wall for a while, watching the 2 men with the little girl and then decided to visit the ladies.

 

[Skigh]

Yes, I think we clarified that re the match, it had to be the Monday match that Charles allegedly attended. But Doris still references Saturday twice in her comments as being the day of the match and as the day Steven disappeared.
Also the story re the toilets seems to have changed again. Previous reports said that Steven went into the gents and she went into the ladies, at the same time.
Now, she says she sat on the wall for a while, watching the 2 men with the little girl and then decided to visit the ladies.

It she had sat on the wall for a while ,why did she not ask the men to check on Steven?
2 men and a little girl sounds better than just 2 men going into the loos!! So that is why I think she included a little girl into her new story .
If the little girl needed the loo,would not one of the men have asked Doris to take her into the ladies? If it was one of the men,would they not have taken it in turns to visit whilst one waited outside with the little girl?

 

[Sarahlou]

Wow. It's all about them isn't it?! All I need to know. MOO

Agreed. Their comments are.....interesting.

 

[Kikicatfood]

Usually when there is a disappearance or murder/death of a loved one they are remembered by their family with ‘rose coloured spectacles’ which is understandable. I find it uncomfortable that the mother calls Steven “tight” for not wanting to buy a football ticket. Instead you’d say something like “he didn’t have much money and didn’t want to waste it on a football ticket” etc. Seems like she’s being unnecessarily nasty by calling him tight.

 

[RobinCAL]

Usually when there is a disappearance or murder/death of a loved one they are remembered by their family with ‘rose coloured spectacles’ which is understandable. I find it uncomfortable that the mother calls Steven “tight” for not wanting to buy a football ticket. Instead you’d say something like “he didn’t have much money and didn’t want to waste it on a football ticket” etc. Seems like she’s being unnecessarily nasty by calling him tight.

I really agree with this. And it does make me really uncomfortable when the parents talk about cuddling him and then slapping him afterwards. I just find the whole thing so odd.

 

[Kikicatfood]

Yes and if you hadn’t seen your son for almost 30 years and he just turned up, you’d be so thankful he’s back you’d probably hug him and not let go. There would be no thought whatsoever of slapping him. It seems to me those parents make everything about them, it’s very odd.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Hello all, it's all very strange in this one isn't it?

I remember hearing a bit about this last September when they got arrested which was first I'd heard about the case (I was 3 years old in 1992) but really reading in the Daily Mail yesterday of the article posted above really grabbed my attention and so I raced away from the Claudia Lawrence thread to have a look at this.

My thoughts have already been covered by others over last 20 odd pages but think they're the main theme for the strange events:

1. Doris Clark mentions the two men so surely there was an appeal to trace them in the weeks after? I presume they were interviewed given there was no appeal for them in the cold case. I did wonder whether she was actually hinting she reckoned they somehow "abducted him" if say she went into the toilet, he then came out a minute later and they were standing there and got talking to him but I find that very far fetched.

2. Did Doris Clark have a car? Or was there just one and obviously the Dad used it to go to the Boro game on the day so they had no choice but to walk (again a long walk would surely have multiple ID confirmation from witnesses until they got to the toilets so it dosen't really add up at all to me). Steven Clark would've had to come out of the toilet at some stage.

3. Very interesting about not going to the match which was out of character event. Going to a football match over xmas holidays is actually a big tradition here for families (Boxing day games usually get big attendances even in lower leagues) so feels very odd the ahem goalposts were shifted and the Dad suddenly started demanding he paid his way. Normally you'd do that over a close season or when he actually got a job as my Dad did around a decade ago which was fair enough. And only on this thread have I learnt he won some money as a prize so he could easily afford a football match ticket. Tickets in the early 90s were miles cheaper than today's prices, would be interesting to know what Boro were charging then but it would be nowhere near the 30-40 quid at most clubs in the present day.

4. The point above sort of hints to me there was some real tension developing in the household. Dad perhaps suddenly or not demanding he starts to pay his way more and Steven getting frustrated he couldn't get a job due to his disability and xmas period can always be a melting pot aswell given how long families all spend together in the house compared to other parts of the year (until 2020 happened anyway). Did neighbours hear any arguments or raised voices in the days leading up to his disappearence?

My hunch from that is perhaps something happened the night before or in the morning and the Dad actually used the cover of going to and from the match to find a spot to get rid of the body. Driving back would've been in darkness as match wouldn't have ended until 5pm and without having huge amount of knowledge of that area I imagine there's plenty of country routes where you could get rid of something. Or perhaps he was just kept at the house.

5. The letter. Interesting someone actually came forward to reveal themselves. Don't really understand why the trail has gone cold as that individual named the person they think is significantly involved so surely they know where they are now and can be questioned further? Unless the individual is deceased. Or already been questioned....

What goes against my POV is some of the sightings a day or two after (the one on the day has him very near his house so I wouldn't say that's great news for the parents and seemed to accelerate their arrest).

In the Maddy McCann case I've never believed parents are guilty of anything but neglect on the night she went missing but I'm struggling to come up with the same opinion for this case tbh. Just too many odd behaviour bits to it on the apparent day he went missing which I don't buy. Something happened in the period and he was disposed of. Police were obviously expecting to find a body when they did their search last September.

Very interesting what the neighbour of the Clarks said on around page 10 about patios. Could be something, could be nothing.

I was also going to ask if any documentaries were ever made on this case on UK tv but looks like ITV will be showing one sometime in next 12 months so will give that a watch when it's aired even if the MWT ones don't really amount to much and go on for too long as they're usually over 4 nights/weeks but at least it will give the case some wider coverage.

Will keep tabs on this case anyway. Perhaps he'll eventually be found but by then both parents will have passed so in many ways the investigation will stop right there.

 

[Kasmeer]

Snipping for focus on the one point I can add anything to from your excellent post:

Tickets in the early 90s were miles cheaper than today's prices, would be interesting to know what Boro were charging then but it would be nowhere near the 30-40 quid at most clubs in the present day.

Seems it was £12 that season, source: Retro Football: 'Table Of Shame' Shows Ticket Prices For Inaugural Premier League Season, 1992/93 (Photo) | Who Ate all the Pies - admittedly back then that was a bigger amount than it'd seem today, but it's certainly not in the league of today's prices indeed (although it seems Chelsea already were at £30 even then ). It's an amount that my not-well-off family might've found a bit much to pay for two people on a fortnightly basis back then, but the Clark family have a somewhat more expensive house than mine did, so I imagine were better off, plus, as you say, it's an odd time to make changes to the habit.

For that matter, why didn't they have a season ticket if it was their regular habit to attend matches? Most fans do (as it saves money over buying individual match tickets) unless prices are too high to be easily manageable, which was less likely to be the case in 1992.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Snipping for focus on the one point I can add anything to from your excellent post:



Seems it was £12 that season, source: Retro Football: 'Table Of Shame' Shows Ticket Prices For Inaugural Premier League Season, 1992/93 (Photo) | Who Ate all the Pies - admittedly back then that was a bigger amount than it'd seem today, but it's certainly not in the league of today's prices indeed (although it seems Chelsea already were at £30 even then ). It's an amount that my not-well-off family might've found a bit much to pay for two people on a fortnightly basis back then, but the Clark family have a somewhat more expensive house than mine did, so I imagine were better off, plus, as you say, it's an odd time to make changes to the habit.

For that matter, why didn't they have a season ticket if it was their regular habit to attend matches? Most fans do (as it saves money over buying individual match tickets) unless prices are too high to be easily manageable, which was less likely to be the case in 1992.

Cheers for that. Price range as I suspected. Not sure if there were categories back then like young adult, student etc which Steven may have qualified for aswell to reduce price by a quid or two but probably not. I started going to watch Aston Villa play in mid 90s and it was similar price then.

Just feels odd to me he didn't go that day with his Dad when that was a regular habit and I can't believe he'd have fallen out and not wanted to pay just over a tenner to go unless a) he'd purchased something expensive that xmas (perhaps for his new GF) b) he just decided he didn't want go anymore so perhaps increased tensions with his Dad or c) he wasn't actually around to go to the match.....

Another part of the tale that dosen't add up to me but something had to be said I guess as it's a very easy press question to ask why he wasn't at the Boro match that day if that was Father-Son regular habit.

Back then it was mostly terracing so perhaps difficult to track but I'd be interested if the Dad was in a regular part of the ground so in those days you'd get to know the people around you much more so wonder if he knew fans around him whether they were traced and noticed any unusal behaviour as I'm sure they'd have been asking where Steven was on that day.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Cheers for that. Price range as I suspected. Not sure if there were categories back then like young adult, student etc which Steven may have qualified for aswell to reduce price by a quid or two but probably not. I started going to watch Aston Villa play in mid 90s and it was similar price then.

Just feels odd to me he didn't go that day with his Dad when that was a regular habit and I can't believe he'd have fallen out and not wanted to pay just over a tenner to go unless a) he'd purchased something expensive that xmas (perhaps for his new GF) b) he just decided he didn't want go anymore so perhaps increased tensions with his Dad or c) he wasn't actually around to go to the match.....

Another part of the tale that dosen't add up to me but something had to be said I guess as it's a very easy press question to ask why he wasn't at the Boro match that day if that was Father-Son regular habit.

Back then it was mostly terracing so perhaps difficult to track but I'd be interested if the Dad was in a regular part of the ground so in those days you'd get to know the people around you much more so wonder if he knew fans around him whether they were traced and noticed any unusal behaviour as I'm sure they'd have been asking where Steven was on that day.

I agree with you totally, the match tickets are somehow v relevant.

 

[Legally Bland]

There's a match ticket from that game on sale on ebay with a face value of £8.00. I'm sure Steven's disability would have qualified him for a concession ticket too, so could be half that price.

28/12/1992 Ticket: Middlesbrough v Crystal Palace . Please find this item offer | eBay

 

[HollyHunter9]

I've only just come across this case & thread! Great posts @Inspector Evans !

That recent news article is very puzzling...Especially the part about toasting with champagne! Also, why would you not call out by the door to the toilets for him once everyone else had come out? It was quite a way from home to just leave him there...very odd case indeed!

 

[Inspector Evans]

There's a match ticket from that game on sale on ebay with a face value of £8.00. I'm sure Steven's disability would have qualified him for a concession ticket too, so could be half that price.

28/12/1992 Ticket: Middlesbrough v Crystal Palace . Please find this item offer | eBay

Brilliant find that, was going to have a look myself. 3pm aswell as I suspected so dosen't add up it being reported that the Dad then went to the match after the apparent walk although suspect that is more reporting error like saying it's a Saturday.

He didn't want to pay perhaps 8 quid for a match ticket, I truly find that hard to believe or how that day played out.

Anyone on here tweeted Mark Williams Thomas about looking at some of these strands although perhaps most of his TV thing has been filmed already (and given he's co-operating with the family I doubt he wants to put too much suspicion on them). Will probably be the usual of loads of theories, a bit of digging and back where we started at end of the 3rd/4th show.

 

[Lucy6226]

£8 in 1992 is around £17 today. So not expensive on double police wages?

 

[Tortoise]

£8 in 1992 is around £17 today. So not expensive on double police wages?

They weren't in the police at the time Steven went missing, that was during the 1960s. But I still think they could have probably afforded a ticket and to me it just seems a bit of an odd story, to have dumped the Christmas spirit and put the price of a match ticket ahead of father and son time, preferring to go to the match alone. I tend to think it's a red herring. I'd be looking at an earlier date for the disappearance, if I were investigating this.

 

[ZaZara]

They weren't in the police at the time Steven went missing, that was during the 1960s. But I still think they could have probably afforded a ticket and to me it just seems a bit of an odd story, to have dumped the Christmas spirit and put the price of a match ticket ahead of father and son time, preferring to go to the match alone. I tend to think it's a red herring. I'd be looking at an earlier date for the disappearance, if I were investigating this.

Wouldn't his sister have been at home for Christmas?

 

[Tortoise]

Wouldn't his sister have been at home for Christmas?

I don't think she's been mentioned at all.

There was an outstanding appeal to find Steven, by his sister, stating that Steven went missing on the 27th, which was the Sunday. It was taken down shortly after the arrests.