Missing family man John Taylor 'unlikely to be found alive', says senior detective

A family man who disappeared more than a week ago is unlikely to be found alive, a senior police officer said. John Taylor, 86, has not been seen since he vanished in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, on Tuesday, December 3.

Today, Wednesday, December 11, Det Chief Insp Sutherland Lane, of Warwickshire Police, said the search was now a "recovery operation". It appeared there were no suspicious circumstances in Mr Taylor's disappearance after he was last seen near Kenilworth Castle, the officer said.

He said: “It has been over a week since John went missing and we’re very sorry to report that all the evidence suggests we are not going to find him alive. This is now a recovery operation, and we are working hard to bring John home to his family.

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“We don’t believe anyone else was involved in John’s disappearance. Our investigations to date have involved: specially-trained search officers; volunteer search and rescue teams; financial enquiries; mobile phone enquiries; CCTV and dash cam enquiries; door-to-door enquiries; drone and helicopter searches; police dog searches; and searches by expert water search teams. Divers have today been out searching for John.

“We have found no evidence to suggest John went far from where he was last sighted near Kenilworth Castle and this area has been the main focal point of our search. John’s family are extremely grateful for all the support and kind messages they have received.

"They now please ask that people respect their privacy while they continue to come to terms with his disappearance. I would like to add my thanks to the community for all their support and we will of course keep you up to date with future developments.”