An elderly mother and father arrested on suspicion of murdering their grown-up son – who went missing almost 30 years ago – have been released without charge.
Charles and Doris Clark were detained in September after cold case detectives reopened the case into son Steven’s unsolved disappearance.
The couple, from Redcar, say they last saw the then 23-year-old when he went to public toilets while they visited the seaside town of Saltburn on 28 December 1992.
They reported him missing instantly because they considered him vulnerable.
But police told them to wait 72 hours in case he turned up at home of his own accord. He never did.
Now, speaking after they had been informed they would not face charges following their shock arrest, Mr and Mrs Clark, aged 78 and 81 respectively, said the last five months had been “mental torture”.
She said: "It has not really sunk in yet. I am sure tomorrow we will be feeling more completely ecstatic. It is a good thing to have happened."
Her husband added: “We received a call a few days ago to say the police were coming to see us but we had no idea what for – it was like mental torture – they left us in limbo again.
"When they told us we were no longer under investigation we were elated – it was such a relief really."
Speaking to the Northern Echo, he added that Cleveland Police had carried out a full search of their home: “hey went through every room in the house, the dug up the garden and they moved the shed – it was terrible,” he said.
The couple also urged anyone with information about what happened to Steven to come forward.
They themselves reported him missing after he failed to come back from going to public toilets in Saltburn during a trip to the seaside town - but police told them to wait 72 hours in case he came home of his own accord.
Detectives said in September they now believed he had been sighted later the same day near his home.
Det Ch Insp Shaun Page said officers have followed "a significant number of lines of inquiry" since reopening the case last year.
"We are continuing to investigate Steven’s disappearance and people can continue to contact us with information," he added.
"There is no proof of life and we believe Steven has come to serious harm, and the case continues to be classified as one of suspected murder."
