Despite one of the biggest official missing person’s search in Cumbria’s recent history, a Maryport man has still not been found.
Glen Jackson, 46, was last seen in the High Street area of the town on Saturday, May 21.
Cumbria police officers have been following up leads and searching for Glen since then, but have now told his family that the search has been wound down, as they believed Glen had died.
It has left his mother, Jackie Ostle and close friend Lauren Orme, reeling.
On the morning of Glen’s disappearance, his front door was found wide open and his phone, keys, medication and tobacco were inside, which his family said was completely out of character.
Lauren, 25, said: “The police have stepped down but I don’t understand how they can believe he’s dead when they haven’t found him.”
She has organised several searches and has appealed for people to help. She added: “I just really want people to come and help us search for him.
“We just want him home safe. I know how much he loves his mum, his girlfriend and his dog. He’s just the loveliest lad you’ll ever meet.
“He can’t go a day without messaging his girlfriend and there’s been nothing. It’s just strange, we’re so worried for his safety and I’m just so scared it’s going to be a horrible outcome.”
Jackie, 65, said she had spent 11 weeks struggling with a lack of communication with the police.
She added: “The police have carried out a really big search for him and there’s been sea rescue, helicopters, dog walkers and mountain rescue, all out to search for Glen.
“But a problem I’ve had with the police is they weren’t really communicating with me and I was going long periods not knowing what was happening. If I phoned them I was always talking to someone who knew nothing about the case.”
On Saturday July 30, Jackie said that police had visited her to tell her they had done as much as they could and that they believed Glen to have died in non-suspicious circumstances.
As Glen had still not been found, Jackie said she found that difficult to process.
She said: “It was always possible he was going through something we didn’t know about, he did struggle with his mental and physical health, but he’d got everything to live for and he was full of hope about things.
“There should have been some kind of family liaison from the police with me, there should have been someone helping me, but I was left alone.
“I have no complaints about the individual police involved, I believe they’ve made a lot of effort. But there’s something within the system that’s wrong, I shouldn’t have been treated like that.”
However, Cumbria police disputed Jackie’s claims. A spokesman said: “Officers searching for Mr Jackson have been in regular contact with the missing person’s family. While using a family liaison officer role is not appropriate in this case, the experienced and capable detectives working with the family are also trained family liaison officers.”
A spokesman added: “Officers have been in contact since the initial report and subsequent investigation and regular updates were provided.
“Not all contact made by officers was recorded however we have recorded over 40 contacts made in person or over the telephone, this doesn’t include when the contact officer made contact or police search advisor.”
Jackie said Glen acted as her carer throughout the day. She said: “Glen was the one who helped me during the day, I’m in the severely disabled category and he took my dog out and he’d take me out.
“I’ve got an artist’s studio and he would get me up and through to it, set me up and painting, moving me from the bed to the chair in the studio, he just did everything.
“To a lot of people he was a bit of a macho man, but he was the complete opposite with me, he kept me going.
“I don’t know if he ever realised just how well liked he was, the messages on Facebook have just been amazing, with people phoning me and telling me about what he’s done from them, I just hope he had a bit of an idea of how well liked he was.”
A spokesman for Cumbria police added: “Mr Jackson has been missing for two-and-a-half months. Over this period, officers have conducted one of the largest search operations in the county’s recent history.
“At times, this has seen as many as 30 individual officers out conducting searches in an effort to locate Mr Jackson.
“Those involved in the efforts to locate the missing person have included police search advisors, licenced search officers from our Tactical Support Group, Cumbria Fire and Rescue, Mountain Rescue search teams and forensic search dogs.
“Despite these efforts, Mr Jackson remains missing at this time.
“Whilst there are currently no outstanding lines of enquiry, no outstanding missing person enquiry is ever ‘closed’ whilst the individual remains unaccounted for.
“Any information at all that is received or reported via any means will result in a review of that information. Where additional lines of enquiry are identified, this will be actioned.
“If there are no further lines of enquiry forthcoming, the missing person will remain subject to regular rolling reviews, as per all outstanding missing from home enquiries.
“Cumbria police continues to urge anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Glenn Jackson to come forward and officers will continue to work with his family moving forward.”
Glen is described as of medium build, has a southern accent and greying brown hair. He has tattoos on both arms with the name Chloe.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Glenn Jackson can report it online at www.cumbria.police.uk/reportit or call 101.
