SPAIN - Daniel, 46, & Liam Poole, 22, British tourists, Estepona, Malaga, 1 Apr 2019

[muggles63]

Missing father and son may have come to harm in Malaga | Daily Mail Online

 

[asdkek]

After looking at social media profiles of both men and families I think the drug deal scenario is a lot less likely I first thought. Since they had phones I wonder if the reason they went to the internet cafe was to print something off like directions etc? Some people also prefer to use computers to type out emails or other word processing.

Although there's lots of places where they could go off the road it doesn't seem like there's too many places where they could've gone off the road and not be found by now in and around Estepona so if they did crash I suspect it would've been in a more remote location. Especially since it was a "road trip".

Robbery scenario also possible but not very likely IMO as people rarely killed/kidnapped.

I did notice that Liam went to many music festivals so I wonder if they travelled to one nearby?

 

[lolafaith]

After looking at social media profiles of both men and families I think the drug deal scenario is a lot less likely I first thought. Since they had phones I wonder if the reason they went to the internet cafe was to print something off like directions etc? Some people also prefer to use computers to type out emails or other word processing.

Although there's lots of places where they could go off the road it doesn't seem like there's too many places where they could've gone off the road and not be found by now in and around Estepona so if they did crash I suspect it would've been in a more remote location. Especially since it was a "road trip".

Robbery scenario also possible but not very likely IMO as people rarely killed/kidnapped.

I did notice that Liam went to many music festivals so I wonder if they travelled to one nearby?

No music festivals this time of year, and what 22 year old would go to one with his Dad?

What is your rationale for thinking that a 'drug deal scenario' is unlikely?

Also remember when looking at social media profiles, people put up what they want the world/their friends to see. Very much like bloggers and influencers people use social media to tell others about things in their lives, if you were involved in anything remotely shady you would hide it completely.

 

[Suglo]

No music festivals this time of year, and what 22 year old would go to one with his Dad?

What is your rationale for thinking that a 'drug deal scenario' is unlikely?

Also remember when looking at social media profiles, people put up what they want the world/their friends to see. Very much like bloggers and influencers people use social media to tell others about things in their lives, if you were involved in anything remotely shady you would hide it completely.

My 25 year old daughter has been to plenty of music venues with me. I’m the one who turned her on to music by taking her to a Gypsy Kings concert at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre when she was only 4 years old.

This 22 year old son went with his dad on holiday to Spain so anything is possible, IMO.

 

[nutnut]

May I ask how you know for sure? Are you a friend/relative?

I am a very close friend of the family 35+ years.

 

[dotr]

I am a very close friend of the family 35+ years.

Welcome to Ws nutnut!
What do you think may have happened to Daniel and Liam, any possibility that they were involved in a bar fight ( not necessarily in a bar) of some sort ?

 

[Elgana]

My 25 year old daughter has been to plenty of music venues with me. I’m the one who turned her on to music by taking her to a Gypsy Kings concert at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre when she was only 4 years old.

This 22 year old son went with his dad on holiday to Spain so anything is possible, IMO.

I've been to music gigs with my Dad and also on holiday with him (just the two of us). He lives alone and at the time I was living alone too so neither of us had anyone else to go with. Why not! However, having said that, I don't feel it was the same scenario with Daniel and Liam. It seems they had a reason to go to Spain together other than a holiday, whether it be looking for a property or car, or something more sinister. I don't know which but I don't feel that this is a completely innocent situation.

 

[Suglo]

I've been to music gigs with my Dad and also on holiday with him (just the two of us). He lives alone and at the time I was living alone too so neither of us had anyone else to go with. Why not! However, having said that, I don't feel it was the same scenario with Daniel and Liam. It seems they had a reason to go to Spain together other than a holiday, whether it be looking for a property or car, or something more sinister. I don't know which but I don't feel that this is a completely innocent situation.

Agreed! I didn’t mean to imply that I found the whole trip normal. I don’t think it was a simple vacation and/or property/auto purchasing excursion.

 

[ZaZara]

La Policía británica busca en Málaga a un padre y un hijo que no dan señales de vida desde el 1 de abril

Father and son travelled last March 31st to the Costa del Sol to spend a short holiday time. They rented a grey Peugeot 308 and made their last contact with their family in Burgess Hill, Sussex, on the afternoon of 1 April. Since then, their trail has vanished. The car has not been returned and nothing is known about them. The English and Spanish police are working on the case and according to sources from the former, they fear that something bad has happened to them.

BBM


This is more of the same news about Daniel dan Liam, but at least more news outlets in Spain are picking up their story.

BTW, it looks like LE does not suspect that they disappeared of their own free will.

 

[worldwatcher]

Almost the same report front Daily Mail:

Daniel Poole, 46, left, and his son Liam, 22, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, flew to Malaga on March 31 and hired a car for a six-day road trip. They were last in contact with their family on April 1.

Tara said she last spoke to Daniel, who runs a car repair shop in Burgess Hill, at about 6.30pm on April 1.

The pair had checked into the Valle Romano Hotel, pictured, before they vanished. Police are becoming increasingly worried about their safety and fear they may have come to some harm.

Missing father and son may have come to harm in Malaga | Daily Mail Online

 

[worldwatcher]

My 25 year old daughter has been to plenty of music venues with me. I’m the one who turned her on to music by taking her to a Gypsy Kings concert at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre when she was only 4 years old.

This 22 year old son went with his dad on holiday to Spain so anything is possible, IMO.

I checked the events,but the only two activity,that I found are the book festival (mostly in Spanish but there are antique book stalls and some books on sale in English) & Botanical Gardens (full blooming glory from 1-10 April.) around the time of their disappearance.

Events in Malaga in April

But they hardly seem the type of personen,that are interested in these events.(imo)

I also think that they went to the internetcafé to print out documents/routes,maybe?
The rental car doesn't have GPS?

There are two toll roads inihe province of Malaga. On the one hand the AP-7 or Autopista del Sol from Malaga to Cadiz along the coast of the province. On this part of the route are larger and smaller tourist coastal towns such as Fuengirola or Marbella.
The motorway runs almost parallel to the toll-free motorway (A-7) that connects these places on the coast with each other.
Weten waar de tolwegen in Málaga zijn

It has an electronic toll system that allows drivers to pay without having to stop, as well as significant reductions on the toll fee. This greatly benefits the flow of heavy goods vehicles entering and leaving Málaga.

The AP-46 also has a service area on each side and a main toll area located next to the toll control building. In the main building is the control centre from which any incidents on the motorway will be monitored 24 hours a day, with response times under 15 minutes for any location within the concession.

We boast the most advanced technology in traffic-management systems: CCTV cameras covering the entire motorway, SOS points, variable message panels, automatic incident-detection systems and public address systems in tunnels.

In addition, our users can enjoy a site of special cultural interest: a Roman Villa located in the service area on the way to Alto de las Pedrizas.

About us | Autopista del Guadalmedina|AP-46| Alto de las Pedrizas- Málaga

 

[Skigh]

If they could track it ,surely they would have found it by now.

 

[worldwatcher]

Anyway,I had no idea that,there were so many Dutch drug dealers active in Costa de Sol .(jumping in the drugs theory,that has been posted here,several times..)

Costa del Sol ravaged by Dutch drug mafia: Spanish justice is asking for help

The Spanish police and judicial authorities are very concerned about the many violent, often drug-related, incidents involving Dutch Mafia heads on the Costa del Sol. This year there is a striking number of liquidations, bomb attacks and large batches of cocaine that are found.

National Chief Drugs Officer, Ignacio de Lucas, argues in EenVandaag for a faster and better exchange of police information about Dutch drug suspects: "My opinion is that you should share the information with each other faster, without a doubt. And that you should not wait. until something happens. "

REACTION
The Public Prosecutor General states the following:

"The Public Prosecution Service is investigating how cooperation with the Spanish authorities can be intensified. This includes sharing information, and also examining the possibility of deploying a Dutch Public Prosecutor liaison in Spain, such as in Italy is the case. "

Spanish coast is popular with Dutch drug dealers
The southern Spanish coast continues to be popular with Dutch drug criminals. It is not for nothing that this coast is therefore also called the Costa del Crime. Mafia members do their dark business there, trade in cannabis and hard drugs, launder drug profits, invest in expensive real estate and purchase luxury boats. The crooks regularly settle with each other through liquidations. This has happened more...[ ]
Costa del Sol geteisterd door Nederlandse drugsmaffia: Spaanse justitie vraagt om hulp

 

[lolafaith]

True! One of the first things they would do,

LE checked this,among other things!
If so,and license plates were changed,LE has tot look out for a Grey Peugot,instead of a hit on the license plate..
I assume that Herz also has more high tech stuff to track their cars? I would think so...

Car rented through British Airways apparently, and I don't think any hire car companies fit trackers, unless it's to a Ferrari!

 

[Legally Bland]

Car rented through British Airways apparently, and I don't think any hire car companies fit trackers, unless it's to a Ferrari!

If it has satnav they should be able to track it with a warrant to the satnav company.

 

[Torero]

I wonder if something happened over here causing them to run, rather than go over there and something go wrong.
I don't get why they needed to buy a new sim. From there on it all seems a bit 'off". A pre-planned new life or dealings of some sort going wrong. Either way, IMO they were expecting 'something' if that makes sense?
I don't believe it was your normal going to look at properties sort of trip.

If you don't have roaming for data and want to take photos of properties to send home/contacts immediately (on the spot, not back in the hotel with wifi later), it might make sense to have another SIMcard. Though most phones nowadays have dual SIMcard options, so contact with the UK shouldn't have been lost. Facebook photos might reveal what kind of phone Daniel and Liam had.

The car seems a bit strange though. Why would a father and his son rent such a large car, if they planned a trip for just 6 days, with relatively small suitcases, no surfing gear or anything large, when many smaller and cheaper rental cars are available (I rented one at Málaga airport years ago)?

 

[lolafaith]

Car hire over there is reasonable at this time of year - compared to what we would pay in the summer, that car on the BA Car Hire site is around £80 for a week, so pretty reasonable, and probably booked their flights with BA too.

 

[Oto]

So, for those following certain lines of investigation the following :

CCTV is on in petrol stations and toll roads ( which I think is because they are private), public roads are not (known to be) filmed. All borders will be filmed.

The number plate may be omitted on purpose (because it is known to now be irrelevant) , or because it is up to the Spanish authorities to issue that (informal or formal agreement between forces). The Poole family have not made it known, either on advice, or are in disarray over this event, which is very understandable.

British Airways fly drive works with Avis-Budget, Budget inquiries direct to the Avis desk for Malaga airport. They have Peugeot 308 as part of their fleet.

The Avis phone number for Malaga airport is
00 34 902109384 / + 34 902109384

If Sussex police or others do not want this information (registration number) known they will contact websleuths and I give websleuth permission to delete this message.

I leave it to the next person to ask Avis for the registration number and to report their reaction/result .

 

[lolafaith]

With missing person cases, well any that i've seen in the news, people (family/friends etc) usually try and give as much information out to the public in order to help the search for that/those persons, this doesn't seem to be the case here. I get the impression the police have given them strict instructions on what to say, and what not to say.

Like you mention, it would have been easy for the family/police to get the car reg pretty early on. I also would have thought family members might go out there, maybe hand out flyers, do their own searching, I would. Perhaps they've been told not too.

In one of the Facebook appeals from the police, people have commented asking about the car registration, and descriptions of what the Poole's might be wearing, tattoo's, jewellery etc. The public clearly want to help and there's a lack of forthcoming information which we all agree is strange.

Regarding CCTV in petrol stations etc, it's doubtful they would have stopped at one unless for food/drink or directions, as likely their hire car would have been picked up with a full tank.

 

[Torero]

But we don't know what the family has shared privately with the police. Which is totally understandable; privacy is a rarity nowadays.

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