Brother of missing man says online speculation is hurtful
Daniel Hives was last seen on 10 December
The brother of a man who was living in Preston, and went missing in Lancaster says the speculation, hearsay and rumour around his disappearance is careless and hurtful.
A search for missing 28-year-old Daniel Hives has been conducted by underwater diving experts in the River Lune. Daniel was last seen on December 10, 2022, in City View, Sidings Close. Despite a public appeal and pleas from family and friends, he has not been seen since.
Daniel's brother Robbie welcomed the team's efforts, stating that although Daniel was not found, it could open other potential search areas or leads related to his disappearance.
Robbie told us:
"Having all these random messages from people saying you're never going to find him, he's dead' of all these fake accounts and stuff it puts it into your head and then you've got to be tray and smart about it and think 'don't listen to those people' but then go and follow it up.
"I didn't want to believe it at first, when all these rumours started, that something has happened, but as times gone on it has set a different kind of mood and it has become more realistic that these things have happened to him.
Due to the river's proximity, the voluntary underwater sonar search and recovery dive team 'Beneath The Surface' conducted searches in several areas of the water over the weekend. Unfortunately, no signs of Daniel were found. The team now plans to identify and locate any other potential search areas.
A Beneath The Surface spokesperson said:
"We urge anyone with any information about what happened to Dan on the 10th December 2022 or his whereabouts since to please contact Lancashire Police. This can be anonymously."
Beneath The Surface added that it is always sad when a person goes missing, and they encourage anyone with information to come forward.