This is the case of David, who went missing in Germany.

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David was a successful businessman with a seemingly idyllic family life. His family were distraught when he failed to return home from a routine business meeting.

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The family reported that David was missing to police in the UK. The police ascertained that David had purchased a flight to Germany, and they declared there was nothing more they could do as he had left the UK.

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The family contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office who referred them to LBT Global.

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We quickly gathered all the detail we could about David’s lifestyle drawing on  information provided by his family, friends and colleagues. Unbeknown to his family, the company he worked for was facing financial difficulties and he felt he faced possible redundancy. David worked in a specialist role, and he had voiced concerns to friends that he would not be able to find a new job.

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We researched hotels and hospitality venues around the airport where he had flown into hours before. We established that he had checked in to a hotel near the airport, but for just one night. He had told staff he was going to visit a place he had wanted to see for years, but nothing else.

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We worked with the family to try and ascertain this location, and drew up a shortlist of 5 possibilities. We then carried out the same research on hospitality and hotels around these locations, and again established that he was resident in one of the hotels, which he had booked for 7 nights.

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We asked the hotel if we could speak to David and he agreed. Drawing on LBT Global’s extensive experience of working on such cases, we were able to put David at ease, and allay any suicidal intentions. David was simply terrified of losing his job and letting his family down. He had suffered a breakdown but he didn’t feel able to talk to his family, neither was he ready to come home.

 

Over the following days we acted as a mediator, assuring David that all his family wanted was for him to come home.  We also spoke at length to his employers, who were able to confirm that though redundancies were planned, his role was safe.

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Two weeks after his disappearance, we were able to arrange travel home for David. He was met by his family at the airport. 

 

Since that time David has been well. He sought medical support and he has even received promotion at work.

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This case demonstrates again the importance of early intervention – without such timely action David would have travelled around Europe and been far harder, if not impossible, to trace. 

 

David praised the work of LBT Global said that and does not know where he would  be now without our help. 

 

It is always humbling to receive thanks from those who are so in desperate need of help.