New appeal to find man who went missing in 1983
Michael Bell, from Sheldon, was last seen when he went on a camping holiday to the Isle of Skye
West Midlands Police are appealing for help in one of their longest-running missing person investigations.
Michael Bell, from Sheldon, was last seen when he went on a camping holiday to the Isle of Skye in May 1983 with a friend.
Aged 28 at the time, Michael and his friend were on Skye when they got into a disagreement about when to go back home.
Michael said he was miserable on the trip and wanted to return home, but his friend wanted to stay on the island.
As a result, he ended up leaving on 14 May while his friend remained there for a few days more.
That is the last confirmed sighting police have of Michael to this day.
Through enquiries over the last 40 years, police are confident Michael made it back to the mainland, making contact with his family via phone from the towns of Dalwhinnie and Tyndrum in the Highlands.
The last contact Michael had with his family was in a phone call when he informed them he would head for the English border to come home.
This was the last time anyone heard from Michael, who worked at a factory in Birmingham.
There were a number of appeals in the media over the months and years following Michael's disappearance.
Michael's father, who was a lifelong Birmingham City fan along with his son, continued to attend games for 20 years after his disappearance in the hope his son would reappear.
Officers from our Missing Person Investigation Team are now appealing to anyone who might remember Michael and know more about who he was and what might have led to his disappearance.
PC Shaun Reeve said: "Initially it was thought that Michael was last seen on the Isle of Skye, but we know from police reports in Scotland that he was seen at least two or three more times on the mainland.
"A police officer reported him appearing confused and being put on a bus to Glasgow, but what happened to him after he arrived back on the mainland is a mystery still.
"We're hoping anyone who worked with Michael might remember him and be able to shed any light on his personality and his character, as there is still a lot we don't know about him.
"At the time of Michael's disappearance, he told his friend that he was feeling depressed and wanted to return home.
"We're confident though that he did make it off the island and at least attempted to get back to England."