'It's almost as though he's been abducted by aliens' - desperate appeal for missing dad

The family of a dad-of-one who has been missing for nearly two weeks have issued a heartfelt plea to the public for assistance in locating him by checking their CCTV. 

Marcus Barter, 30, from Newport, was last seen on Thursday, August 1 and according to Gwent Police the last reported sighting of Marcus was at around 2.30pm that day near Coed y Caerau Lane in Newport. Marcus, a father of one, is described as being approximately 6ft tall with a large build and dark brown hair that is shaved at the back and sides but longer on top. He was last seen wearing grey shorts, a grey T-shirt, and sliders.

His elder brother, Simon Barter, says that Marcus' disappearance is "completely out of character" and urged the public to review their CCTV footage or report any sightings. He emphasised that any piece of information, no matter how small, is "vital" to the search.

Simon said: "It's fair to say that everyone who knows him, whether that's friends or family, will say this is completely out of character, he was last seen on the Thursday morning and he has been missing since," reports Wales Online.

In an earlier appeal via Gwent Police, Marcus' family expressed their concern about his vulnerability and stated that "each day that we do not hear from Marcus or know where he is, our worries as a family grow". Now, Simon has provided further insight into his brother's vulnerabilities.

"Marcus suffers with mental health he suffers with severe OCD. For example he absolutely adores his car. He worries about leaving his car in Tesco's car park because he thinks someone is going to scratch it. So for him to leave his car at the top of Wentwood [at the top of Coed y Caerau Lane] and for it to be there for two days is completely out of character."

He noted that Marcus' mobile was unexpectedly found in his car, adding: "He's one of the most social people you'll meet, on the phone 24/7 to either family or friends, but nobody has heard from him at all. He left his mobile phone inside the vehicle."

Describing Marcus' last known activities, he disclosed: "The last call he made was an hour after he was last spotted on the CCTV camera. We've located that to the mast that is at the top of Wentwood where his car was found. After that nobody has heard from him or seen him since almost as if he was abducted by aliens."

"He's on medication for his mental health so he will always see my mother every couple of days to pick this up. So he's been without his medication for two weeks."

Revealing the extensive search efforts in Wentwood, he said: "For seven or eight days we had friends and family in their hundreds searching the forest, the areas. People who have got day jobs, families, who have set all of that aside to search from 7am to 11pm. It's taking its toll on people emotionally and physically."

"We've got a poster that we have designed now that we are trying to get everywhere with a £5,000 reward for any information. We're trying to build our group #FindMarcus and try and get enough visibility as possible."

Now Marcus' family are asking the public to check their cameras or report any potential sightings of him. "We're struggling to find any signs of where he's gone. We want people to search their CCTV.

"There's someone out there that knows something. Whether that's because they're hiding something or because it's something someone knows but doesn't realise it's vital. We want that shared so everyone knows about it so we have the best chance to find him. Any information we can find is vital."

Previously Gwent Police said they were looking to speak to two people who could have information to help with their inquiries. A man wearing an orange hat, light blue polo shirt, dark blue trousers, and white shoes was captured on CCTV from a property in Old Roman Road.

The second person, although not captured on CCTV, is a woman believed to be in her late 50s or early 60s, who is around 5ft 7in tall with shoulder-length bobbed hair. She was wearing a long-sleeved navy top and loose long trousers and was walking in the direction of the A48. She also was provided water by residents of Coed y Caerau Lane.

Detective Superintendent Laura Bartley, leading the probe into Marcus's disappearance, expressed: "While we don't have a picture of the second person we're hopeful that these descriptions may jog someone's memory and provide key details to help us find Marcus. We don't believe that these two people were together in Coed y Caerau Lane but we think that they were both in the area between 3.30pm and 4pm."

She further implored the public stating, "From reviewing CCTV footage as part of our enquiries so far, we know that several vehicles have used the road at around the time Marcus was last seen on August 1. If you drove along this road or were in the area between 1.30pm and 4.30pm on that Thursday, and especially if you have dashcam footage, then please contact us."