John Deakin: Twenty years of anguish for Sheffield family after 'devoted' husband's disappearance
A Sheffield man’s family is still desperate for closure following his disappearance 20 years ago.
John Deakin was reported missing by his wife Patricia after he failed to return to their home in Stannington after a coastal walk on November 4, 2004.
The 53-year-old had set out for a winter walk along Flamborough Head, in East Yorkshire - a place the couple had enjoyed visiting in the past.
His walking boots and untouched sandwiches were found the next day in his car, a blue Renault Laguna.
Sadly, searches by the coastguard and police did not turn up any answers, and his family and loved ones have been left in anguish for two decades.
In the years since the electronic engineer at British Steel Rotherham went missing, his family have been supported by charity Missing People.
In 2022, on John’s birthday, they renewed an appeal for information relating to his disappearance.
At the time, Patricia said: “My husband John has been missing since 4 November 2004 when he set off for a drive in the car equipped for a walk on the East coast of Yorkshire but he did not return home. This was unusual and out of character for a devoted family man who was looking forward to the birth of his first grandchild.
“We had met 34 years before and had just celebrated 32 years of marriage. A worrier by nature, he did have something on his mind which he told me was ‘making him feel ill’.
“It has been thought by all concerned that he may have had an accidental slip on the coast path as a result of the ‘onset of ill health’. He has not been found, and the constant not knowing exactly what happened, never goes away.”
Patricia also shared a ‘memory quilt’ she had made with John’s shirt, which included references to some of his interests, including Sheffield Wednesday FC, walking, and the White Rose of Yorkshire.
If you have any information on John’s whereabouts, you can report this to Missing People by clicking here.