UK UK - Neil Skinner, 72, last seen midday, camping close Loch Dochard, Scottish Highlands, 8 May 2022

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Wee are appealing for information to trace a 72-year-old man reported missing from the Bridge of Orchy area.

Neil Skinner was last seen around midday on Sunday, 8 May, 2022 camping close to Loch Dochard and was reported missing on Monday 9 May 2022

He is described as 5ft 8in (172cm) tall with short white hair, a white goatee-type beard and wearing glasses. He was last seen wearing a green jacket and grey walking trousers.

If you have any information or were walking that area over the weekend please contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3775 of 9 May 2022.

 

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Neil Skinner was last seen on Sunday after camping out at Loch Dochard (Image: Police Scotland)

Cops are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a Scots pensioner who went missing on a camping trip.

Police Scotland officers say Neil Skinner, 72, was reported missing from the Bridge of Orchy area and has not been seen in over three days now.

Mr Skinner was last believed to have been seen around midday on Sunday, 8 May, 2022.

He was in the area camping close to Loch Dochard and was wearing outdoor clothes.

The 72-year-old was reported missing on Monday 9 May.

 
Officers are re-appealing for information to help trace 71-year-old Neil Skinner reported missing from the Bridge of Orchy area.

Neil was last seen around Sunday, 8 May, 2022 camping close to Loch Dochard.

He was reported missing to Police Scotland on Monday, 9 May, 2022.

He is described as 5ft 8in tall, with short white hair, a white goatee-type beard and wearing glasses. He was last seen wearing a green jacket and grey walking trousers.

Police Inspector Ian Hutchison of Albany Street Police Station said: “It has been over a week since Neil has been seen and we are growing increasingly concerned for his welfare.

“Specialist officers have been carrying out extensive enquiries and searches in the Loch Dochard area.

“There has been very little information from the public so far and we would continue to urge anyone who has seen Neil to contact police, or indeed if Neil is reading this, I would ask that you contact police or your family to let us know you are safe.”

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact officers on 101 quoting reference number 3773 of 9 May, 2022.

 
Four weeks on from when he was last seen in the Bridge of Orchy area, the family of 71 year-old Neil Skinner are urging anyone who has seen him to please come forward.

They have released the following statement: “As a family we are distraught that our Dad has been missing for this length of time and we are desperately seeking answers as to what has happened to him, to help us understand and come to terms with his sudden disappearance.

“If anyone has any information regarding our Dad that they feel may be at all relevant we ask you to please contact police.”

Neil, who is from Doncaster, was last seen camping close to Loch Dochard on Sunday, 8 May, 2022.

He is described as 5ft 8ins in height with short, white hair, a white goatee-type beard and wearing glasses. When last seen he was wearing a green jacket and grey walking trousers.

Sergeant Karen MacLennan said: “Since Neil was reported missing, we have been carrying out searches and enquiries to try to trace him. Local officers have been assisted by specialist resources including the Air Support Unit, Marine Unit and mountain rescue teams, however he has yet to be found.

“Neil has not made any contact with family or friends since he was reported missing and we are keen to speak to anyone who might have seen him since Sunday, 8 May, or who has information relevant to our investigation."
Officers can be contacted via 101, quoting reference 3775 of 9 May.

 
Neil Skinner
Image source, Police Scotland


The family of a South Yorkshire man who disappeared a month ago while camping in Scotland has appealed for information to help find him.

Neil Skinner, 71, was last seen camping close to Loch Dochard in the Bridge of Orchy area of Argyll and Bute on 8 May.

Police have been searching for Mr Skinner, from Doncaster, with support from helicopter, diving and mountain rescue teams.

His family urged anyone who has seen him to come forward.

In a statement issued through Police Scotland, they said: "As a family we are distraught that our dad has been missing for this length of time and we are desperately seeking answers as to what has happened to him, to help us understand and come to terms with his sudden disappearance.

"If anyone has any information regarding our dad that they feel may be at all relevant we ask you to please contact police."

 
DETAILS ARE NEEDED:

Who saw him last & where? Who reported him missing? Was he in regular phone contact with family? When did his trip start?

Does he have ties to the area? How long had he been camping? Was his vehicle found? What items were left at the campsite?

What were his plans? Climbing, hiking, fishing or ...? Has a water search been conducted?

Could he have left the area? It sounds like he was a helper (retired psych nurse). Was he acting as a Good Samaritan on someone's behalf when he went missing?

Does he have any medical conditions? Any recent odd behavior?

Not seeing anything that answers any of these questions on Facebook or in the media, which I find odd. Without clues, how can anyone help?

MOO
 
Here's a lot more from Doncaster Free Press:

"Mr Skinner was on a walking tour with two friends when he returned to his tent alone after he said he did not feel well enough to complete a planned hike.
When his companions returned to their campsite, Mr Skinner was nowhere to be found despite all his clothes and walking equipment being in the tent along with his phone and wallet."
 
Here's a lot more from Doncaster Free Press:

"Mr Skinner was on a walking tour with two friends when he returned to his tent alone after he said he did not feel well enough to complete a planned hike.
When his companions returned to their campsite, Mr Skinner was nowhere to be found despite all his clothes and walking equipment being in the tent along with his phone and wallet."
I like this. This is good information.

Very worrying his phone and wallet were in his tent.

Sounds like he may have gone I to bushes somewhere to take a call of nature or vomit due to not being unwell, and has collapsed.

I like to think he wouldn't be that far away, but it may be difficult to see him if the woods near the campsite are dense with lack of light or have lots of ground foliage. The green jacket and grey trousers won't help on visuals.
 
I like this. This is good information.

Very worrying his phone and wallet were in his tent.

Sounds like he may have gone I to bushes somewhere to take a call of nature or vomit due to not being unwell, and has collapsed.

I like to think he wouldn't be that far away, but it may be difficult to see him if the woods near the campsite are dense with lack of light or have lots of ground foliage. The green jacket and grey trousers won't help on visuals.
How far could this beloved father have gone without his phone, wallet & other belongings? So sad.

"If you have already been in the area when dad went missing, get in touch with the police," she said. "Maybe you met him, he's quite a memorable man, anyone that met him would say how chatty and friendly he is. I think you will remember his face."

Neil Skinner, 71, a retired mental health nurse, was lasts seen in the Bridge of Orchy area in Scotland on 8 May. Police Scotland said searches by marine and mountain rescue teams had found no trace of him.

His daughters, Kate and Ruth, said not knowing his whereabouts was "devastating".


BBM
 
How far could this beloved father have gone without his phone, wallet & other belongings? So sad.
He went back to where he and his friends were wild camping, and turned back from the hike as he wasn't feeling well, or so he said.

He was last seen approx 12.30pm, I'm presuming by his 2 hiking friends.
I wonder what time they returned to the camp?

I wonder if he got bored with waiting for them and just decided to go for a short wander himself, perhaps into woodland. Maybe he even encountered a peat bog and sank in in? Could that be a thing?
 
He went back to where he and his friends were wild camping, and turned back from the hike as he wasn't feeling well, or so he said.

He was last seen approx 12.30pm, I'm presuming by his 2 hiking friends.
I wonder what time they returned to the camp?

I wonder if he got bored with waiting for them and just decided to go for a short wander himself, perhaps into woodland. Maybe he even encountered a peat bog and sank in in? Could that be a thing?
Videos of camping at Loch Dochard show the landscape with trails & water views.



I wonder if he had a medical event and ended up in the water?


Per this visitor, "you have to be careful with these lochs, they get deep very quickly, can be weedy and are incredibly cold."
 
I think water is likely, but if you weren't feeling well, would you go near the loch?

I wonder what the chances were of him having a medical event right there on the shore, falling in and disappearing are?

If he wasn't well, why not stay in the tent?

I did read the search & rescue included marine units, but lochs are usually deep, so any sonar may not pick him up if he went to the bottom.

Also, and sorry to be so blunt, but I wonder how long it would take a body to resurface from the water? You would think decomposition would emit gases, therefore making it rise, but if the bottom of the loch is very cold, decomposition may not happen as quickly.

MOO.
 
WhatsApp_Image_2022-06-10_at_4.35.58_PM.jpeg
Credit: Family picture/Kate Armitage


The daughters of a Doncaster man who disappeared while camping over a month ago, say waiting for answers is "torture".

Neil Skinner, 71, a retired mental health nurse, was lasts seen in the Bridge of Orchy area in Scotland on 8 May.

Police Scotland said searches by marine and mountain rescue teams had found no trace of him.

His daughters, Kate and Ruth, said not knowing his whereabouts was "devastating".

Kate said: "It's a total rollercoaster of emotions, the not knowing. It's hard phoning your family and saying there's no news. It's just devastating to hear it from the police and I have to say it again back to my family.

"The only way I can describe it is just torture. It's so emotionally draining going over and over it again in your mind trying to find answers."

[...]

His daughter, Ruth, described him as "chatty and friendly" and has urged anyone who may have seen him to come forward.

"If you have already been in the area when dad went missing, get in touch with the police," she said. "Maybe you met him, he's quite a memorable man, anyone that met him would say how chatty and friendly he is. I think you will remember his face.

"We just need closure, and the potential of never having that is really harrowing. You're constantly thinking about what were his last days and moments like and that feels horrendous.

"There must be some information out there."

 
Finally a story that leads to some probable scenarios. Knowing he was 6 miles away from the vehicle and his friends may not have realized he was gone until a night had passed is concerning.

At first I thought he might be in water, but now I feel it is likely he had a medical event while "in the wild". Hopefully they get contact with someone who spoke to him while he was out there alone for some clues.

I hope he is found soon because summer is short there & winter searching tough.

Odd he didn't tell his family about this trip. I wonder what his friends he was camping with have to say?

MOO
 

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