Missing Benidorm Brit found watching football in a pub next to his own missing poster
Geoff Cumiskey, 58, had his family fearing the worst after disappearing without his passport, phone or money following a missed flight home
It could have ended very differently. When Geoff Cumiskey, a 58-year-old from Workington in Cumbria, went missing in Benidorm on September 23 after missing his flight home, his family were genuinely worried. He had no passport, no luggage, no money and a dead phone. His wife Nikki Jane had taken to Facebook to appeal for help, and the Foreign Office had confirmed it was supporting the family and in contact with local authorities.The story that unfolded over the following 36 hours involved an online search appeal, Interpol, the Policía Local and a community of Brits in Benidorm pulling together to find him. Geoff had last been seen with his luggage near a coffee shop at around 11am on Wednesday. At some point after that, his bags went missing too.
Nikki's appeal was candid about her husband's state of mind. "He isn't in the best frame of mind, his phone has died, and we are all worried about him and can't get in touch with him," she wrote. She reached out directly to anyone in Benidorm who might be able to help locate him.
The ending, when it came, was about as Benidorm as it gets. At around 10pm on Thursday, family friend Dolah Brown and fellow Brit Jonathan Stoner spotted Geoff at the Rose and Crown pub, watching football. He was, by all accounts, physically fine, if not entirely himself.
Nikki updated her Facebook followers shortly afterwards. "Geoff has been found with the help of Jonathan Stoner and a friend of my mam's," she wrote. "He is physically well but delusional, and the police are there too. Hopefully we will have him home soon. Thank you so much everyone for all the shares and support, we are all really grateful and my daughters are relieved their dad is safe."
In a photo shared by those who found him, Geoff could be seen grinning next to his own missing persons poster. Considering where the story started, it was about the best possible outcome anyone could have hoped for.
Image: Facebook
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