“We desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode and now we have that,” said his brother
Credit: Jam Press
NEED TO KNOW
- Michael Hewitt, 65, was found safe 10 days after his family lost contact with him as he traveled from England to Boston for the World Cup
- “As a family, we desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode and now we have that,” his brother, Gary Hewitt, wrote on social media
- His family later learned that Michael lost his phone during a layover in Barcelona
A missing World Cup fan was found safe in Barcelona with no idea his family had spent the past 10 days frantically searching for him.
Michael Hewitt, a 65-year-old soccer fan known to his friends as “Little Mick,” vanished while traveling from England to Boston to support the Leeds United F.C. players in the World Cup.
According to Jam Press, he last made contact with his family during a layover in Barcelona, Spain.
“He doesn't seem to have made it to Boston, and our last contact with him was from Barcelona in the early hours of Sunday morning, 21st June,” his brother, Gary Hewitt, wrote on Facebook on June 29, while asking his community for help. “Since then, his phone has been out of service and he hasn't posted any updates on social media. As you can imagine, we are now very worried for his safety.”
Credit: Getty
Days after Michael's family raised the missing person's case with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the soccer enthusiast was found safe in Barcelona. And it turns out, “he was blissfully unaware that the world was searching for him.”
“As a family, we desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode and now we have that,” Gary shared in a social media update. “A million thanks to each and every person who has helped bring Mick home safely.”
As for what happened to Michael within those 10 days? Gary told The Irish Sun that his brother “lost his phone soon after arriving in Barcelona.”
In addition to not knowing any of the phone numbers that he'd kept in his phone for so long, Gary said that Michael “didn't think to go to the Embassy as he still had his passport and money so didn't think they'd be interested.”
Credit: Daniela Porcelli/Getty
While Michael was only supposed to be in Spain for a short time before continuing his journey to the U.S. for the June 23 game between England and Ghana, which ended with a 0–0 draw, The Irish Sun reported that he was unable to fly out of the foreign country without the travel tickets he kept on his phone.
“Instead, he just got on with enjoying Barcelona, watching the England matches in the bars,” Gary explained. “Without any internet access, he had no idea that people were worrying about him, and there was no sign of the search in Barcelona itself.”
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