A man who jumped out from a car and ran onto a beach in search of his son has been missing for two months, but his family refuse to give up hope he will be found.
Ashley Wilbraham had been to the pub in Ceredigion, Wales, with his teenage son to watch a Liverpool game and later called his mother to pick them both up from a bus stop. By the time the family arrived to get them his son was nowhere to be found after a minor disagreement and had run towards the beach. They drove away with Ashley, 38, in a “distraught” state, and when they got to the beach he ran up the sand dunes to find his son.
The boy, 15, was found almost immediately, but Ashley has not been seen since. The police were called and began a search immediately, which was severely hampered by the severity of the conditions which kept the helicopters grounded and the lifeboat unable to launch.
Ashley was last seen at around 6.45pm on February 23 at Ynyslas Beach and now, two months on, his family say they have not given up hope of finding him. Ashley’s mother Janine told WalesOnline : “Ashley is honestly the friendliest person. He made friends with everyone he met, he would open doors for people—that’s just the way he was.
“Ashley is a very happy person. He had a lot to look forward to—he was excited about going to the Crufts Dog Fair the following week, his daughter’s 14th birthday was just around the corner, and we were planning a holiday to Ireland in May.
“He had even talked about learning to cook steak for his father. There was no indication of any mental health issues. Of course he would get stressed from time to time, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“When my sister found Ashley at the bus stop, he was absolutely distraught. He jumped into the car to go looking for his son, but my sister was unfamiliar with the beach and didn’t take the right turning.
“As they drove further away from the beach, Ashley became more and more upset. It was like a psychotic episode—he wasn’t himself. He jumped out of the car and started running up the dunes trying to find his son.
“The community can’t get over it. We can’t get over it. We have no answers.”
Following his disappearance, Dyfed-Powys Police asked residents to check nearby buildings. In a statement, they said: “Police are asking residents to check their outbuildings, such as garages and sheds, as well as any vacant caravans in the area, in case Ashley has sought shelter.
“We are also asking the public to be extra vigilant and report any abandoned clothing to police to determine whether it belongs to Ashley, and to check and review CCTV cameras, ring video doorbells, GoPros, dash cam footage, or any other source of video imagery that may capture Ashley in and around the area.”
A spokesperson from Dyfed-Powys Police added: “We are continuing with enquiries into the whereabouts of Ashley and would appeal for anyone who has seen Ashley or anyone with information to come forward.
“Police can be contacted either online at: Contact us by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908. Quote reference: 369 of the 23rd February.”
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