Steven Clark Steps into a Public Restroom and is Never Seen Again
Steven Clark before his mysterious disappearance in 1992. Image Credit: The Sun
In 1992 a man named Steven Clark went into a public restroom while on an outing with his mother. He was never seen or heard from again.
Who was Steven Clark?
Steven Clark in South Africa. Image Credit: The Sun
Steven Clark, born in Colchester, Essex, in 1969 to Charles and Doris Clark, had a life-changing incident when he was only two years old. One day, while his mother Doris went shopping, Steven, unnoticed, slipped out of the house and began to follow her. A sudden uproar made Doris realize that Steven had strayed onto the road and was hit by a large truck. Steven fell into a month-long coma, and when he woke up, he was left with a noticeable limp and permanent damage to his left arm.
Steven briefly attended school in Cambridgeshire before his life took him to South Africa in the early 1980s. There, he studied at the Muriel Brand School near Johannesburg.
After spending ten years in South Africa, Steven chose to return to his home country, the UK. He first settled in Guildford, Surrey, but by the summer of 1991, he decided to relocate to Marske.
Despite his physical constraints, Steven was generally known for his cheerful disposition, though he did feel down at times due to the limitations posed by his disability. His commitment to his studies and work was commendable. His hard work even earned him the "Apprentice of the Year" award. He was a member of the Rathbone Society in Redcar, a group dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities find jobs.
Steven was keen to work, but unfortunately, he found that potential employers often hesitated to hire him due to his disability.
The Day Steven Clark Disappeared
Doris and Charles Clark being interviewed about the disappearance of their son, Steven.
On December 28, 1992, an otherwise uneventful day turned catastrophic for the Clark family. Charles Clark had plans to watch the Middlesbrough football match, and while Steven expressed a desire to join, Charles said Steven could only come if he paid for his own ticket. A family joke about Steven's reluctance to spend his own money on anything made him decide not to attend.
With Charles at the football match, Steven proposed a long walk to his mother Doris. Their walk took them about 45 minutes away to Saltburn, where they decided to pause for a restroom break at a public facility. Steven entered the men's restroom while Doris waited outside. After a minute, she went into the women's restroom, assuming Steven was still in the men's.
Upon exiting, Doris saw two men and a small girl nearby. The men were taking turns using the restroom and watching the little girl. Doris didn't inquire if they'd seen Steven, nor did she check the men's restroom herself, feeling Steven, at 23, wouldn't appreciate his mother's intrusion. After waiting an unspecified amount of time, Doris assumed Steven had left and returned home without her, prompting her to head home as well.
Arriving home, Doris was startled to find that Steven wasn't there. When Charles came home from the match, Doris shared her concerns. They began searching for Steven together, and after 24 hours with no sign of their son, they reported him missing to the police. Despite their efforts, police found no trace of Steven or what could have happened to him.
Investigation into the Disappearance of Steven Clark
In 2020, Steven's parents found themselves in the frightening position of being arrested under suspicion of their own son's murder. This was part of a cold case review. After 17 long weeks of investigation, they were ultimately cleared of all charges in February 2021.
Doris Clark, Steven's mother, voiced her frustration at the police for not revealing a motive behind their suspicion of the couple. "They didn't really mention a motive, nothing like that was ever said," she claimed.
Discussing the day they were arrested, Doris said, "When they rang the doorbell at 8 in the morning without any prior warning, we were cautioned and informed we were being arrested for Steven's murder. I think I just nervously laughed because it was so unbelievable."
Charles Clark, Steven's father, echoed his wife's sentiment, calling it a shocking time. "We'd spent 28 years trying to involve the police with little success. They'd show up yearly to ask 'where is Steven'," he added.
Ex-Police Detective Mark Williams-Thomas called this case one of the most "bizarre" he had ever worked on. He stated, "They were arrested under suspicion of their son's murder, interviewed twice, and released on bail. When I first started on this case, I treated them as suspects. I did give them a hard time at times, and had to ask some very probing questions to get answers."
Possible Sightings of Steven Clark after his Disappearance
Three days following Steven's disappearance, he was reportedly sighted in Saltburn, uphill from the public restrooms where he was last seen. Charles Clark, Steven's father, highlighted the importance of this sighting, as it was reported by a woman who knew the family and could have recognized Steven.
Additionally, a friend of the Clark family, Stan Camaish, reported another sighting in Redcar after Steven vanished. Joyce, Stan's widow, shared with the documentary that her late husband had a conversation with Steven.
Stan later clarified to the police that the individual he saw, although bearing a striking resemblance and similar walk to Steven, was observed from a distance.
In response to these claims, a representative from the police force added, "No individual has approached the current investigative team claiming to have seen Steven on December 28, 1992, whether it be en route to Saltburn, near the restrooms, or on the seafront walkway.
"No eyewitnesses from 1992 have reported seeing Steven either on the walk, in proximity to the restrooms, or on the seafront lower promenade. We persist in our request for anyone who might have spotted Steven on that day to step forward and share their information."
Do you think you might know what happened to Steven Clark? Get in touch with the Cleveland police.
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