Reported Missing

Police mount urgent searches for two vulnerable autistic young men. Eighteen-year-old Matthew has missed his usual bus home, while 29-year-old Luke has disappeared from his care home.

When 87-year-old Brenda gets a call from her son Gavin's neighbours, it brings alarming news. Fifty-eight-year-old Gavin has not been seen for two days and has vanished from his flat, leaving the front door wide open. Brenda alerts South Yorkshire Police, and PCs Toby Brown and Joshua Epworth head to the flat to meet her. They find the flat in disarray. Brenda reveals that Gavin suffers from schizophrenia and that his mental state has deteriorated lately. Brenda's alarm intensifies when she starts going through Gavin's things and discovers bank statements showing that the money he had saved has entirely gone.

In the centre of Sheffield, a call comes in about a student who has mysteriously vanished after checking out of his halls of residence. Although the student is an adult and entitled to go freely about his business, his parents report that he is prone to erratic behaviour, and they're concerned he's being exploited. His former flatmates reveal that his behaviour has changed since he has been going to a church in Sheffield.

When Nicola returns from taking her daughter to school to discover that her 52-year-old husband Mark has left the house, she immediately calls the police. The simple fact that he has gone out rings alarm bells, and even worse, he has left behind a worrying note saying he needs to ‘seek revenge'. When officers from South Yorkshire Police attend the scene, Nicola discloses that she thinks Mark's pocket knife is missing too.

Nicola is worried about Mark's mental health, which has recently deteriorated. He has suffered from PTSD ever since he was assaulted a few years ago, and in recent weeks he has gone missing several times. Mark's note states that he's heading to a street in Sheffield where he believes his attackers are based. Nicola also reveals to the police that Mark often heads to the Sheffield Canal, the place where he was attacked. Officers need to mount an intensive search of the canal, which is over four miles long, in the hope of finding Mark before it's too late.

Across the city in Ecclesfield, police receive a call about a woman who may be at risk of harming herself. Her son has woken up to find she has vanished from their house and posted her keys back through the letterbox. What makes it so alarming is that she never leaves home. She suffers from anxiety and depression and has spent the past 12 months shielding due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Upon discovering that she has previously attempted suicide, Inspector Matt Wood immediately classifies the case as high-risk. Concern mounts when officers at the family home discover that a quantity of the woman's medication may be missing. A potential CCTV lead proves a dead end, but the woman's phone data results present a worrying new possibility about where she may be.

It's 11:45pm when a woman calls South Yorkshire Police to report her sister missing. Office worker Yasmin has failed to return home from work, which she finished over six hours ago. According to her family, this behaviour is extremely out of character for Yasmin, who normally rings immediately after work to let them know she's on her way home. Attempts to ring her have proved fruitless, and her phone now appears to be switched off. Sgt Becky Jones dispatches officers to find out more from Yasmin's family. But almost as soon as she starts looking into the case, Sgt Jones comes across some worrying information: Yasmin's ex-partner is currently on bail for stalking and harassing her.

In Doncaster, a call comes in about another young woman who may be at risk. Amy has been staying with her mother since having a violent altercation with her ex-partner over a week ago. Today, she failed to pick her children up from school, and no-one has seen or heard from her since midday. It's now the evening, and with Amy still not answering her phone, her mum is becoming concerned for her welfare. PC Rob Hyatt from Doncaster Police Station starts investigating the case, and attention soon turns to Amy's ex-partner. Amy's social media status has suddenly been changed to ‘engaged' to her ex, but nobody knows whether Amy posted the update herself.

(Some names have been changed to protect the identities of those featured.)