Express & Star

'Help us to find our Matthew' - Heartbroken family make fresh bid to trace missing Stourbridge man

The heartbroken partner of missing man Matthew Gill today made a fresh appeal for the crucial ‘link’ that will help find him.

Published
Matthew Gill’s partner, Annette Woodhouse, along with Ellis Blackham, left and owner John Donovan from JJX Logistics

The 43-year-old vanished six weeks ago and has not been seen since.

His partner Annette Woodhouse said friends and family were determined to keep the focus on the search as Christmas approaches.

It comes as Kingswinford truck firm JJX Logistics put a huge missing poster on the side of one of its lorries to help in the hunt for Mr Gill – also known as Liggy.

Annette, 45, said: “It’s just getting that one link isn’t it, that one bit of information that shows us which way he went.”

She dubbed the move by JJX Logistics, based on on the Pensnett Trading Estate, as ‘overwhelming’.

“For us it’s just getting it out there for as many people to see as possible – the more people that see it the more chance there is of us finding him.

“The next few weeks up to Christmas we’re going around the Christmas markets – we did the Birmingham one.

“It was good, it was very upsetting though because we stopped snd spoke to a lot of homeless people to try and see where they go.

“I think there’s over 9,000 people on the Facebook site now, it’s just keeping everybody’s information together and just keep moving it forward.

“I know coming up to Christmas people have got other commitments, but it’s just keeping the awareness out there. We haven’t had any positive sightings of yet.

"He could be anywhere in six weeks, think how far you can walk in a day, he could be anywhere out there. JJX, what they’re doing is getting that word out on a national scale.

“If you see the truck around, I just hope this is where somebody spots him and can just call it in. John, the owner of JJX, is a close friend of my dads. I just think it’s brilliant what they’re doing, it’s overwhelming.”

Transport co-ordinator Ellis Blackham, 19, and JJX founder John Donovan, 50, said JJX will also look at the possibilities of extending the search to Europe.

Company founder Mr Donovan said: “That will be covering the whole of the UK, we might even send it to Europe. You’ve just got to keep it out there until something is found.”

Matthew Gill, who is described as white, 5ft 10ins tall, and of medium build and had short cropped hair when he went missing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Locate team on 01902 649 150 or the Missing Persons charity on 116 000.