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Family still 'heartbroken' six months after father and son go missing in Spain
1 October 2019, 17:34
The family of a father and son who went missing in Malaga in April said their "hearts are in pieces every single day" six months after they disappeared.
Daniel and Liam Poole, 46 and 22, vanished shortly after checking in at the Valle Romano Hotel earlier this year despite having a "normal conversation" with them just hours earlier.
The father and son, from Burgess Hill in West Sussex, left their luggage and passports in the hotel on the Costa del Sol on 1 April after landing in the Spanish city a day earlier.
Lauryn, Daniel's daughter and Liam's sister, urged anyone with information on the pair to come forward to end the "heartbreak" she and her family feel.
"Six months have gone and yet the pain hasn't lessened. Our lives haven't got easier and the heartbreak still remains," she said.
"Our daddy and our brother have been missing from our lives, family events and birthday for six months, and it couldn't feel anymore unreal.
"We miss them both so much . . . I just urge anyone with any information to come forward so that our hearts can start to mend and we can be a step closer to having our daddy and brother back."
Lisa, Liam's mother, said she had been left "broken" by the ordeal.
She said: "Every single day my heart is in pieces. My eldest son's disappearance has broken me. Watching Liam's brothers, family and friends in distress is agonising.
"If you know Liam you would know what a free-spirited soul he had. To say I am super-proud of him is an understatement.
"Any information would help me, his brothers, grandparents, aunties and friends immensely."
British and Spanish police continue to investigate the disappearance of the pair, however Detective Chief Inspector Emma Heater said in May there was a possibility they may "have come to harm".
She said: "We know that Daniel and Liam hired a grey Peugeot 308 car registration number 0254KTM when they arrived in Spain but this has not been returned to the car hire firm.
"Also their luggage was left in their hotel together with their passports, suggesting this was not a planned disappearance.
"Their family are very concerned about them as they last heard from them on April 1, the lack of contact is out of character for the pair."
Anyone with information regarding Daniel and Liam Poole can call 101 quoting Operation Pheasant or go online and if you see either of the pair call 999 immediately.