Police investigating the disappearance of 19-year-old Richard Okorogheye have implored him to get in touch, saying: “Our only concern is your safety.”
Okorogheye, who has sickle cell disease, has not made contact with his family since leaving his home in Ladbroke Grove, west London, on Monday 22 March at about 8.30pm. He was reported missing two days later.
The teenager was captured on CCTV in Loughton, Essex, in the early hours of Tuesday 23 March, walking towards Epping Forest. That was the last known sighting of Okorogheye, and police said his phone had not been used since his disappearance.
Searches of the forest entered their third day on Saturday, as the Metropolitan police urged the Oxford Brookes student to contact them or someone he trusts. The Met said they had not found anything of relevance in the previous two days of searches.
Det Supt Danny Gosling, the head of the Met’s central west public protection unit, said: “People can go missing from home for any of number of reasons. Our job is not to cast judgment but to work to find them and bring them home safely.
“My message to Richard is clear: our only concern is your safety. You are not in trouble and have done nothing wrong. If you read or hear this message we would ask you to contact us, or someone you trust, to let us know you are safe. Your loved ones, and many other people who you do not even know, are very concerned.
“I would also like to thank the public for their continued support in sharing our appeals, checking doorbell and dashcam footage and passing on any information. As our efforts to find Richard continue, the eyes and ears of ordinary members of the public will be essential tools in our search.”
Okorogheye’s mother, Evidence Joel, previously said her son was struggling to cope with the pressures of university and had been shielding during the coronavirus pandemic. He would only leave the house to visit hospital for regular blood transfusions.
Okorogheye was seen boarding a number 23 bus headed southbound in Ladbroke Grove at 8.44pm on Monday 22 March, with CCTV footage showing he was wearing all black and carrying a black satchel bag with a white Adidas logo, worn across his lower back.
According to police, inquiries have shown he took a taxi from the W2 area of London to a residential street in Loughton. He was then captured on CCTV walking alone towards Epping Forest at 12.39am on Tuesday 23 March.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.
