Deceased/Not Found UK - Steven Clark, 23, disabled, Saltburn, Dec 1992

[MsMiniSleuth]

CLEVELAND POLICE APPEAL

Cleveland Police

[with video]

 

[Streetspirit]

Well, I’ve watched this too and I’m still not sure.

I said hello to Charles on Tuesday when I was out and it’s just surreal to think that this is going on.

that ITV doc has left me with more questions than answers.

 

[MajorHoople]

Yes, that is it!

Can those outside UK view it now?

It may contravene licensing rules, as the whole show seems to be there, so may be removed - watch before it goes!

Yes, it's available in the US for now. I could even download a lo-res copy if I wanted. It's 137 megs.

 

[what-did-YOU-find]

As with some other comments, I don't know what to make with the documentary.

Regardless of their innocence or guilt one thing does not make sense to me.

The police did/do suspect the parents and this lead to them searching the parents home and garden. The police have also searched woodland & bushes. It has been mentioned on here previously that the parents had an allotment at the time. Why would the police not deem it fit to search it if they are searching their home, garden and other places.

Another thing that struck me is when the father was saying he had always had a worry Steven would get stuck in some crevice, even efore he went missing. Almost as to say, if he is ever found in a crevice it's only because he got stuck.

I am sorry the parents are having to go through this if they have not been through enough already but I can't help but question everything.

 

[Streetspirit]

As with some other comments, I don't know what to make with the documentary.

Regardless of their innocence or guilt one thing does not make sense to me.

The police did/do suspect the parents and this lead to them searching the parents home and garden. The police have also searched woodland & bushes. It has been mentioned on here previously that the parents had an allotment at the time. Why would the police not deem it fit to search it if they are searching their home, garden and other places.

Another thing that struck me is when the father was saying he had always had a worry Steven would get stuck in some crevice, even efore he went missing. Almost as to say, if he is ever found in a crevice it's only because he got stuck.

I am sorry the parents are having to go through this if they have not been through enough already but I can't help but question everything.

I believe they did check the allotment. The search warrant definitely included the house and allotment.

in the documentary it just mentions that “area of significance” in the garden but no further details of what they found in the search are known.

they definitely took stuff out of the house, no idea what, but I saw the police putting the bags into the van with my own eyes. Could have just been laptops etc but no one knows what they took.

 

[annpats]

I think this is the only case ever where I can honestly say "I don't know"....

I don't.
I blow all ways on this.
I don't have any inklings either way.
I don't know if they did it.
I don't know if they didn't.
I don't know what occurred to Steven.
I don't know where his body is.
I don't know why his body didn't wash up if he was in the sea.
I don't know what the motive was.
I don't know if the police did a good job.
I don't know if the police didn't.
I don't have any natural intuition.
The only case ever.

 

[crazychris]

I gave the details of the upcoming ITV doc.in the TV section of quite a few other forums, not sleuthing ones but general, news and music ones. Quite a few posters have since responded after watching it. Most had never even heard of the case but most don't think the parents had anything to do with it. Mainly the reason seems to be the girl who knew him well who says she saw him and another who saw him at the same road junction with a grey-haired man in a grey coat. Most think the parents' stories have more holes in them than a crumpet though but still doesn't make them killers.

 

[shiraz]

Good point I missed first time been made elsewhere btw. One of the sightings was Steven allegedly with male who looked around 50. MWT put this to the Dad and it's been interpreted as basically suggesting that was him given he was that age in the early 90s so interesting little technique but think he just brushed it off.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I noticed that too. Seen with a man in his fifties, balding with grey hair. The camera then focused on the dad who just shrugged it off. Very subtle if intentional.

 

[shiraz]

I also couldn't help but notice that when asked if he had ever hit Steven the dad said no, but a few days before he went missing he grabbed him by the shoulders and sort of shook him when he came back from the pub. A half-truth? Maybe ....

 

[JosieJo]

I can't help but feel half truths are a key factor.
I often wonder in cases like these do the parents know more than they are saying but not murderers.
Example..pure speculation..could an argument have occurred that day..maybe that's why no football match for Steven that day , maybe he ran out in a hurry (no watch or glasses etc) and when he didn't return his mom walked along the beach and checked the toilets etc.
Sometimes families don't admit to what happens to lead up to a disappearance

 

[bluebird69]

There have been passing references to a new girlfriend, but no indication as to whether this was ever investigated.. Rumour or fact? So many ifs and buts in this case. Just to add I am shocked that the letter was apparently overlooked for all those years.

 

[Tortoise]

I noticed DC said that she can't remember now if she and Steven left the house together, or if he went before her and she caught up with him. This was at the stage, I believe, that the police hadn't yet told them they were being released from bail.

I do wonder if DC maybe thought that the letter writer who came forward had seen her leaving the house or walking on the beach in the direction of Saltburn alone that day, and she was perhaps re-jigging her "story" to account for that possibility.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An ITV documentary called “Accused of Murdering Our Son -The Steven Clark Story” has now aired, providing rare access into the elderly parents' ordeal.

Following the documentary, Cleveland Police released a Q&A, giving a further insight into the investigation and brought to light more information.

Who is investigating the disappearance of Steven Clark?

The new investigation is being led by the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Cold Case Unit, which is a joint unit between two police forces – Cleveland Police and North Yorkshire Police.

Did you have any involvement in the ITV documentary?

We have declined to give an on-camera interview to the documentary makers when asked and have not had the opportunity to see the documentary prior to it airing. We did not put the names of the people arrested into the public domain.

We have responded to some of the questions asked by the documentary team over the last few months.

As in any police investigation, all information is not disclosed so as to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Viewers should be aware that the documentary team have not had access to our investigation files. We are still actively investigating Steven’s disappearance so this would not be appropriate.
Steven Clark: Cleveland Police speak in detail after doc is aired

 

[ZaZara]

There have been passing references to a new girlfriend, but no indication as to whether this was ever investigated.. Rumour or fact? So many ifs and buts in this case. Just to add I am shocked that the letter was apparently overlooked for all those years.

Cleveland and North Yorkshire Police cold case review team believe Steven was in a relationship with a girl who he met at the Rathbone Society, an organisation which helped get disabled people into work.

Parents of Steven Clark tell of tears and son's new 'girlfriend'

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Doesn't sound like they liked the new girlfriend.

 

[ZaZara]

An ITV documentary called “Accused of Murdering Our Son -The Steven Clark Story” has now aired, providing rare access into the elderly parents' ordeal.

Following the documentary, Cleveland Police released a Q&A, giving a further insight into the investigation and brought to light more information.

Who is investigating the disappearance of Steven Clark?

The new investigation is being led by the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Cold Case Unit, which is a joint unit between two police forces – Cleveland Police and North Yorkshire Police.

Did you have any involvement in the ITV documentary?

We have declined to give an on-camera interview to the documentary makers when asked and have not had the opportunity to see the documentary prior to it airing. We did not put the names of the people arrested into the public domain.

We have responded to some of the questions asked by the documentary team over the last few months.

As in any police investigation, all information is not disclosed so as to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Viewers should be aware that the documentary team have not had access to our investigation files. We are still actively investigating Steven’s disappearance so this would not be appropriate.
Steven Clark: Cleveland Police speak in detail after doc is aired

What can you tell us about the sightings of Steven after Monday, December 28 that were provided at the time?

Glenside Terrace, in Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Police received a report of a potential sighting from a woman who said she saw Steven on Thursday, January 14, 1993 at 5pm when she was looking outside her living room window.

She reports that he was across the road and walking towards Glenside Terrace in Saltburn.

She said she knew Steven because her relative worked at a bowling club and she knew that both Steven and a family member were members of the club.

She also knew that Steven was missing as she saw the report in the media. The woman reports that Steven was with another person, a man aged around 50-60 years old. He was of medium build and was bald with grey hair around the sides, and he was wearing glasses. Steven and the man were not talking and it looked as if Steven was walking to keep up with him. This sighting was reported in the local media on January 22, 1993.

The new investigation team looked into this reported sighting and the property where the reporting person was living at the time, which was in a row of terraced houses on Glenside in Saltburn. There is a significant distance between the living room window and the other side of the road and it would have been dark at the time of the potential sighting.

Reported sighting of Steven in Redcar Town

Police received a statement on January 3, 1993 from Mr. Stan Camaish that said Steven was in Redcar near to the clock roundabout and at 2pm on Wednesday, December 30, he says that he saw Steven walking past the Gazette offices heading towards the town centre. Stan says that he was in conversation with a friend at the time and was unable to catch Steven’s eye. He reports that Steven was on his own.

Mr Camaish was visited by a detective on February 16, 1999 about his reported sighting of Steven in 1993. In that discussion he said he had not seen the man’s face, but a male who walked in a similar way to Steven. He said it was raining heavily and the closest he was to the man was 30 yards.

NB: We have provided the name of the person who reported this sighting, as we understand that he is being identified in the documentary.

What about anyone near the toilets at the time, have they come forward?

No-one has come forward to the new investigation team to say that they saw Steven or people with Steven at the toilets, or near to the toilets, in Saltburn.

There is no information in previous police records that Steven, or others with Steven, were seen near to the toilets.

We continue to appeal to anyone who may have information on the case to come forward.

Has there been any sightings provided to the new investigation team?

No-one has come forward to the investigation team to say that they saw Steven on the walk to Saltburn, or the Promenade on Monday, December 28 1992.

A potential witness came forward to report seeing a man, who they believe was Steven, between 3pm and 4pm, in close proximity to his home address on Monday, December 28. It got dark at 3.45pm so that would have put Steven in Marske before that time.

This is the only new potential sighting provided to the current investigation team.

We are continuing to appeal for anyone to come forward with information, in particular anyone who may have seen Steven between Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) to Monday, December 28 1992 who hasn’t spoken to police already.


BBM

 

[JennyJukes]

Reported sighting of Steven in Redcar Town

Police received a statement on January 3, 1993 from Mr. Stan Camaish that said Steven was in Redcar near to the clock roundabout and at 2pm on Wednesday, December 30, he says that he saw Steven walking past the Gazette offices heading towards the town centre. Stan says that he was in conversation with a friend at the time and was unable to catch Steven’s eye. He reports that Steven was on his own.

Mr Camaish was visited by a detective on February 16, 1999 about his reported sighting of Steven in 1993. In that discussion he said he had not seen the man’s face, but a male who walked in a similar way to Steven. He said it was raining heavily and the closest he was to the man was 30 yards.

NB: We have provided the name of the person who reported this sighting, as we understand that he is being identified in the documentary.

This part of the documentary stuck out to me - didn't the woman say that her husband knew Steven and his parents? It made me wonder if perhaps the witness was asked to say he saw Steven as an alibi by the father, if they were close?

<Modsnip>

 

[Inspector Evans]

Can't believe with that info from police above there has never been a sighting from any witness of Steven and Doris on December 28th even though that's basically her alibi up to about 4pm!

Not in the early days when the story first broke and then the years after. It was a bank holiday, light and in an area where they'd always be people milling around until dark so why no witnesses given it's not just like they drove up to the spot and got out to use the toilets?

Surely that should've been dectective's working hypothesis, make sure the parents story was water tight but instead neither parents stories of that day and their whereabouts can be verified 100% from independent witnesses.

Very odd police tactics in the early days imo. Even more so with the mystery of where the daughter was that xmas.

 

[ZaZara]

Very odd police tactics in the early days imo. Even more so with the mystery of where the daughter was that xmas.

RSBM & BBM


Not that odd because at that time and for 28 years Steven's disapperance was a missing person's case.

The daughter was not reported missing, so there is no mystery there.
IMO she wasn't home that day, because she is not mentioned, for instance when Doris and Charles went to look for Steven. It is hard to imagine that she would have remained home and not join the search.

Parents reported him missing within hours, but were told to wait 24 hours before filing a report because Steven was an adult and he had the right to disappear.

The focus of a missing person's case is on finding that person, not on checking assumed alibis, there are no grounds to do so.

When LE decided to make this a murder case, they could have known that in 1992, no alibis were checked, and if a verification of that day was made, it would only have been with the aim to finding Steven, and not in a criminal sense.

 

[annpats]

Seen with a man in his fifties, balding with grey hair. The camera then focused on the dad........

The thing is, Steven wouldn't just go off with a stranger. Why would he? He wasn't a child, nor mentally disabled no autistic.
He wouldn't have just gone off and left his Mum at the toilets wondering where he was. I just don't think he would.

The witness who said he/she saw Steven with with a balding man in his 50s, This would fit his Dad's description as he was back then.

The ITV documentary does seem to hint at that too.

MOO.