'We just want you home': Frantic family searching for missing West Denton lad who vanished after going to rave
by Sophie Doughty · ChronicleLiveA frantic family is today searching for a missing lad who vanished after going to a nightclub.
Kieron Barnes left his West Denton home at around 5.30pm on Saturday night and had been due to meet his cousin at Digital in Newcastle city centre. But no-one has heard from the 23-year-old since.
Kieron's family reported him missing to police soon after and have been searching around Newcastle and Gateshead themselves in a bid to find him. And today his worried loved ones have pleaded with him to come home.
His auntie, Sophie Burke, said: "Please Kieron, if you see this get in contact, we just want you home." Kieron lives with his mum Helen Burke, 43, and her partner in West Denton.
Sophie told the Chronicle Kieron lost his phone the day before he went missing so his cousin, who he had planned to meet at the rave, was not able to get in touch with him.
When Kieron failed to return home that night his family began looking for him and posted his picture on Facebook. Sophie, 29, says she has since been contacted by a girl who was at Digital on Saturday and saw Kieron. But what happened afterwards remains a mystery.
"He was supposed to be meeting his cousin but they couldn't get in touch with each other," she said. "There's a girl who came forward saying he was definitely in Digital."
Mum-of-three Sophie said it was not unusual for her nephew to go out alone, but he would always come home.
"We are all really worried because it's out of character, he's never done it before," she said. "He's an independent person. he likes doing things on his own. He's his own person, going places alone isn't unusual, but not coming home is.
"His mam is really worried. We have been out looking all hours trying to find him. We have been to town and we have been to Gateshead because his cousins live there. We have been down the Quayside and we have been trying the hospitals and the hotels. We have tried everything we can think of."
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