Canoeist missing for five years turns up alive
LONDON - A canoeist who went missing, presumed drowned, off the Cleveland coast five years ago has turned up alive and well at a London police station, officers said on Monday.
John Darwin was reported missing in March 2002 after he failed to appear at work, and the shattered remains of his red canoe were later found washed up on a beach near Hartlepool, Cleveland.
Despite extensive searches for the former prison officer, involving aircraft, lifeboats and a Royal Navy ship, no trace was found of him.
On Saturday, Darwin, who is in his 50s and married with two children, turned up at West End Central police station in London. Mystery surrounds his disappearance.
"It is not known at this time where he has spent the last five-and-half years," a police spokesman said.
