A man who went missing after disappearing on a canoeing trip off Hartlepool in March 2002 has no memory as to what happened and where he had been during the past five years, a police office said today.

John Darwin, a 57-year-old father of two presumed to be dead by his family, walked into the West End Central police station on Saturday and announced: "I think I'm a missing person."

Mr Darwn went missing five and a half years ago after going paddling off Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool. The remains of his red canoe were found washed up on a nearby beach but despite a huge search operation involving five lifeboats and a fixed-wing aircraft no sign of his body was ever found.

Full article here.

I planned on going missing one time, many years ago. Got a divorce instead...

I found the man's name to be interesting in this case: DARWIN

Perhaps that speaks louder than the article!!!

Hey, at least you didn't plan on her going missing. There are a couple of guys named Peterson who are figuring out that isn't such a good idea.

Interesting follow up to this story...apparently now the guy's wife has disappeared.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?are...mp;referrer=RSS

The guy has now been arrested.

"...plan on her going missing..."

I did have hopes for a lightning strike, train crash, etc, but luck was not with me...

Fraud seems very likely. Here's an article in the British Guardian which says
For three of the five years he was missing, canoeist John Darwin was living next door to his wife in Hartlepool, using a secret passageway to gain access to the house, it was reported yesterday.

He has become a figure of fun here in the UK.