The desperate mum of a missing man will travel to Scotland’s capital to join other families in the same position.
Johnalexander O’Neill, 33, vanished just days before Christmas in 2017 and has not been heard from since.
PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS: Live news as it happens
His heartbroken mother Marie Kinloch, 51, will meet 21 other families of missing people in Edinburgh today for an event organised by the Missing People charity.
Marie told the Paisley Daily Express: “It is a chance to speak to other people who are in the same postion as us. It is a like a dream that this happened to us. You don’t think it will happen to you.
“To have a chance to share our experiences with people who know what we are going through will be really helpful.”
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Johnalexander, who lived in Renfrew, was reported missing to police in August last year and Marie, dad Richard O’Neill, 72, and 32-year-old sister Charlene Duffy are desperate to hear from him.
Greggs worker Marie added: “It has really taken it toll on all of us. The last time I saw him was on December 22, 2017, when he came into my shop.
“That was the last I saw him. I’ve been struggling and I think I might have to change shop because it is hard being here knowing this was the last place I saw him.”
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Marie will be joined at the event at Edinburgh’s Braidwood Centre, close to the Scottish Parliament, by her sister Sandra Surgeoner.
“Sandra is a mental health nurse in the NHS and we want to discuss with charities how the families of missing people suffer from poor mental health and how to help them,” Marie added.
“The day will be about sharing ideas and discussing policies on how to help families.
“It will be chance to meet with people from the charity and discuss with them how they can support people.”
Earlier this year, Marie was told there had been sightings of Johnalexander, known as JA, to his pals, but they sadly came to nothing.
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She said: “Unfortunately, it might have been a hoax, we don’t know. But it never came to anything.”
Johnalexander has links to London, where he previously worked as a chef. Marie again appealed to Johnalexander to get in touch.
She said: “Please JA, we all miss you so much. Anything that happened in the past can be sorted.”
