Found Deceased UK - Liam Smith, 16, Aberdeen, Scotland, 17 Nov 2018

[WiseOwl]

We know that Liam got a single ticket that day and, according to a passenger on the bus, got off at Crathes. Did anyone else get off at the same stop as Liam? What about the 2 passengers who got on outside the Run 4 It shop on Holburn Street and were believed to be travelling to Crathes, have they come forward yet? And what about the subsequent credible sighting that afternoon in the Crathes Estate area, who was it who saw Liam and where did they see him? We know little about Liam's background so it's difficult to picture why he decided to take off that day. The biggest clue is the single bus ticket, which looks like he never intended to return home.

 

[Coach]

A single ticket is what a 16yr old would normally purchase because it is bought in conjunction with a Young Scot Card which provides about a third off with the discount. Only single tickets can be bought using the Young Scot (YS) Entitlement Card, not returns. Child tickets are only for children 5-15yr old. A 16yr old buys an adult ticket but gets a 3rd off with the YS card. I think what he possibly bought was a single adult ticket that would have given him the discount along with his card. All pupils automatically get a YS card when they start secondary school.

 

[LadyNada]

Saying prayers everyday for you Liam, that you are safe.

 

[suzyjackson]

I'm not in Scotland but in my part of England buying a single bus ticket wouldn't necessarily be unusual, it wouldn't indicate anything about whether someone intended to return.

My own teenagers might be expecting to call me for a lift home or hope to get a lift with another parent, might not have enough cash on them to buy anything more than a single but I do realise that bus companies operate differently around the UK

I came back to this thread hoping for some good news, having caught on now I think that it's very probable that Liam is somewhere on the Crathes Estate but may not be found for some time

 

[zencompass]

This goes against most of the odds in this case but I am still holding onto hope that Liam is alive, somewhere.

 

[TrifleMars]

Do we know much of Liam's background? Was there anything going on that may have led him to make the decision to run away.
I'm with the others here with regards to the purchase of a single ticket, I live in a small town in Wales and we have concessions on tickets for 16 yr olds who purchase an adult single

 

[LadyNada]

Do we know much of Liam's background? Was there anything going on that may have led him to make the decision to run away.
I'm with the others here with regards to the purchase of a single ticket, I live in a small town in Wales and we have concessions on tickets for 16 yr olds who purchase an adult single

Hi @TrifleMars Good question..."was there anything going on that may have led him to depart from home that Saturday?" We have so few details to go on! We know he liked & played football.

The following are some of my thoughts/theories in regard to above question.

1) Liam didn't take his phone with him ?? (Would have been handy for him to look up maps, check weather reports & most importantly, make contact with family). Did he decide he didn't want to be tracked??? How much money did he take with him??

2)In CCTV footage doesn't appear he took a coat with him unusual considering the cold weather conditions. Did he & a friend make plans to meet up nearby Crathes estate & then continue (on foot, short walk) to an event held inside hall, auditorium, etc ???? Did Liam get off at the wrong bus stop & then tried walking to the prearranged meeting spot & got lost??

3) I hope & pray it's none of the following: was he feeling depressed bc of problems at school (e.g. bullying), bc of arguments at home, OR was he experiencing cyberbullying & Liam decided he needed to get away for awhile & he travelled to a different area ???

Just putting some of my thoughts out there ........thinking positive, positive that Liam is safe.

JMHO
MOO
BBM
Edited: grammar/spelling

 

[Scorpio1]

We know very few facts about the lad, it might be a border line question but do we know who his actual farther is, we have many mentions of his mother and step dad in the media, imo

 

[LadyNada]

We know very few facts about the lad, it might be a border line question but do we know who his actual farther is, we have many mentions of his mother and step dad in the media, imo

I have only heard mention of his Mother, however I have been wondering if, his father was living with Liam & Mum or living nearby? I didn't know about a step father.

 

[HayLouise]

Searches have continued to cover large areas of challenging terrain in #Crathes this week in the search for missing Liam Smith, 16. Searches will continue & officers are grateful for the continued support from the public. If you have info phone 101 ref. no. 1302 of 18 Nov.



NorthEastPolice on Twitter

 

[TrifleMars]

Do we know of any other areas that he could have a familial connection to?
Normally with a missing persons case they state for example "could have connections in stoke on Trent"
I know we can't sleuth family members but does anyone know if he was in contact with his biological father?

Also I can't seem to quote but further up the thread there's mention of the mother confiscating his phone...do we know if that's accurate info?

Was he a victim of bullying in school or online?

So many questions so few answers in the case. I hope this thread gains momentum and Liam is located safe and well

 

[WiseOwl]

We know very little of Liam's background, what he intended to do when he got the bus that day and where he might be now but i hope that he's found safe and well soon, it would be lovely for him and his family just in time for Christmas.

 

[zencompass]

Dear WiseOwl,

What a beautiful post!

My sentiments, exactly.

 

[LadyNada]

I found these two MSM news updates re ongoing searches for Liam Smith.
Details of the Scottish Police mammoth & channelling search efforts to find young Liam. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the Police Officers & Specialist teams associated with the searches for Liam.

8/12/18 Updates: -
Frantic search for missing Liam Smith moves into third week

8/12/18 Updates:-
Liam Smith: Police continue search for Aberdeen teen three weeks on


MOO
Edited: formatting

 

[Coach]

I have been shopping today at Union Square. I only saw one single A4 size poster for Liam, in the upper floor at Cineworld. We walked in through the same door as Liam was recorded on the CCTV heading into the shopping centre and there were no posters on the doors. We were shopping in a number of different shops but nothing in them either which was quite surprising as we expected to see a lot more.

 

[WiseOwl]

I have been shopping today at Union Square. I only saw one single A4 size poster for Liam, in the upper floor at Cineworld. We walked in through the same door as Liam was recorded on the CCTV heading into the shopping centre and there were no posters on the doors. We were shopping in a number of different shops but nothing in them either which was quite surprising as we expected to see a lot more.

Thanks for this Coach. I am amazed and disappointed there is only one poster of Liam in Union Square, i had imagined there would be quite a few around the place. Who's responsibility is it to put the posters up? Is it the police, the family, missing children's charity, missing person's unit? I don't really know who it would be.

 

[Coach]

Thanks for this Coach. I am amazed and disappointed there is only one poster of Liam in Union Square, i had imagined there would be quite a few around the place. Who's responsibility is it to put the posters up? Is it the police, the family, missing children's charity, missing person's unit? I don't really know who it would be.

Not sure who would be responsible for the posters but I was expecting to see lots of posters, I even thought there would be larger sized one but we only saw the one in the window of Cineworld on the upper floor. The shops are all on the ground floor at Union Square and the upper floor is the cinema and all the restaurants. I kept looking in all of the shop windows and I said to my daughter to look in all of the windows with me but we couldn't see any. They should have had large banner style posters up on the entrance door that he walked through to go into the shopping centre. Inside the door at that end there is a large open space, they could have easily had a full size cardboard replica of Liam (like a life size photo cut out) to jog people's memory. I couldn't believe that they didn't have lots of posters up.

 

[Coach]

I have just had a look at the missing social media page. Someone is claiming they saw a lad who looked like him at a train station. There have been lots of sightings, I think over 130 in total. I have had a read through this latest posts (posted today) about a train station (the person said it was after Dundee but doesn't know the name) but after reading the way in which it has been written and the profile of the person who posted it, I have my doubts.

 

[HayLouise]

Police helicopter assisting @NorthEPolice with further searches today for missing teenager Liam Smith in the Crathes area of Aberdeenshire. Any information please contact Police on 101. #Crathes



Police Scotland Air Unit on Twitter

 

[HayLouise]

It has now been more than three weeks since Aberdeen teenager Liam Smith disappeared without a trace.


The Press and Journal has recreated the final confirmed movements of the missing 16-year-old to help jog the public’s memory.

The Press & Journal on Twitter

(Video at link)