Man arrested on suspicion of kidnap after vulnerable pensioner disappears

A man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap after the disappearance of a vulnerable pensioner.

Timothy Hatcher, 69, was last seen almost three weeks ago on December 18 at the Co-op in Meadgate Avenue, Essex Police said.

Mr Hatcher, who has dementia and receives support from carers, was reported missing two days later.

A 50-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap, the forced added. He has since been released on bail.

Detective Superintendent Scott Egerton, who is overseeing the investigation, said that police are “incredibly concerned” for Mr Hatcher’s welfare.

“Quite clearly, we remain incredibly concerned for Timothy’s welfare; he has not been seen for almost three weeks,” he said.

“We have a team of officers working round the clock in order to piece together Timothy’s known movements, including aspects of his financial life and his phone use.

“Unfortunately, at this stage he remains missing and we continue to focus a great deal of effort in trying to locate him.”

Detective Superintendent Egerton appealed to the public for information.

“The eyes and ears of the public are incredibly important to this investigation and I would urge anyone who believes they could have information on Timothy’s whereabouts – no matter how small that is – to please contact us.”

Anyone with any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, have been asked to contact Essex Police, quoting incident 754 of December 20.