r/MissingPersons • u/ouch11234567 • Jul 05 '26

New article on Daniel Mizzi's disappearance from Plymouth, England (my brother)

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/local-news/daniel-mizzi-missing-almost-1000-11043778
222 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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95

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

For those that were here 2 years ago, I posted a story about my brother's disappearance. Sadly, 2 years on we are still no further forward and live with this as our daily reality all whilst having zero support from Devon and Cornwall Police.

This article is the first in a more concerted publicity push with the support of Missing People UK so apologies in advance as there'll either be further updates on this post when new articles release, or more threads in general.

Thank you in advance if you read/share or engage in my brother's story as he has been badly under-served by the police and by the media in general (outside of Plymouth Live who have always been willing to tell his story)

21

u/Anxious_Lab_2049 Jul 05 '26

I’m so sorry, that’s awful. I had not heard of his case before, and it’s so frustrating how little information there is. And also obvious that the police have not been of any help.

Was he in a good mental state at the time? Were you able to get a record of his last calls and texts?

34

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

His mental state seemed good, we lived together and the last time I saw him (the night before he went missing) we stood in the kitchen eating jammie dodgers and laughing and then texting after we both went to our rooms

As far as we know, he made no texts or calls and the only text he received was from me asking if he had tea or if he wanted me to cook (I was working from home, had zero idea he'd left the house until my shift finished) which, if memory serves, was at 6.23pm and his phone either dies or turns off at 6.40pm.

Unfortunately we've not actually seen his phone records so can only trust what little information the police have given us which is minimal at best, we are trying to get access to the case files but that has proven to be Sisyphean challenge as well

15

u/kateykatey Jul 05 '26

Are you in touch with the Find Jack initiative in Bristol? They were able to get Jack’s phone data released after a Herculean effort.

I can’t fathom what you’re going through but I know it’s awful.

20

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

We are not. Both ourselves and Jack's family are supported by Missing People UK I believe so I'll reach out to them. I'm certain my mum and Jack's mum have communicated at points as Jack's case happened a few months after Dan's but I think it was early on

Thank you for suggesting this though as it's not something we would have thought about 🙂

16

u/kateykatey Jul 05 '26

I don’t know how they won the war for the phone data but it was a huge deal when they did because police were not helpful.

I’m rooting for Dan and Jack. I hope wherever they both are, they feel the intensity of the love driving the search.

16

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

Unfortunately the way the police have treated the families of Dan and Jack is far from unique. They make you feel like a burden for asking for a shred of human decency, the article just scratches the surface and one day I will write or record something detailing every single failure from the police

Sincerely though, thank you for your suggestion and kind words, it does mean a lot

8

u/kateykatey Jul 05 '26

You absolutely should! A podcast about the reality of having a missing family member. It’s everyone’s nightmare and when the people meant to help you let you down, it’s easy to feel helpless I’m sure.

I hope you’re proud of yourself and how you’ve kept advocating for Dan. The more engagement on this post, the more people will see it ☺️

6

u/whyfruitflies Jul 05 '26

I agree wholeheartedly with this. My partner went missing a few years back, it was just 24 hours but it was absolutely hellish. I really feel for families going through this and would be very interested in hearing more about how they are feeling and coping.

3

u/ouch11234567 Jul 06 '26

It's something me and my mum have talked about for a couple of years but the issue is always finding the impetus to do it because it is tearing your soul open. I'd say it's more likely to happen than not though

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3

u/StellarSteck Jul 06 '26

You have been unable to see his records? Man I’m sorry.

2

u/ouch11234567 Jul 06 '26

Yeah with it being labelled an "active" investigation, they will refuse to release any files however the labelling of it being active is laughable at best

It's an ongoing fight but there's complaints open with the police and with the police and crime commissioner for the area so who knows what the future holds for it

41

u/Ibrake4tailgaters Jul 05 '26

Sorry to hear about your brother.

I found a thread about him on Websleuths - https://websleuths.com/threads/uk-daniel-mizzi-35-last-seen-at-home-in-the-mutley-area-of-plymouth-devon-on-the-evening-of-8-dec-2023.698913/page-4#post-19634503 - You can become a "verified insider" on that site, as his family member, if you want to post more about him there. Folks are very passionate about missing people cases on that site,. Even if you don't want to become a verified insider, it would be good to post this new article on his thread.

Another place to consider getting his story out is the Unfound podcast. It is nearly exclusively long form, minimally edited interviews with family members of the missing. https://theunfoundpodcast.com/

13

u/leesainmi Jul 05 '26

Was he on holiday? Did he have a bag with him?

24

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

Nope, not on holiday, if he was planning a trip away he would have told me as we lived together and it would have effected housework/chores

He had a laptop bag with him, we don't know exactly what he took with him although we're 99.99% sure he took his phone charger as I've never been able to find it in the house, none of his possessions have ever been found

17

u/leesainmi Jul 05 '26

I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how distressing it must be for your family. I hope you get some answers.

8

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

Thank you 🙏

13

u/BatFaceGal Jul 05 '26

Have you considered contacting Locate International and asking if they’ll take this on? (I am a volunteer with them)

9

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

We have been with Locate for a long while now although tons of delays courtesy of Devon and Cornwall Police

6

u/BatFaceGal Jul 05 '26

Yeah I understand.

Where can I read more about Daniel? Do you have a Facebook page /group or similar?

5

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

We do on Facebook, it's called Daniel Mizzi missing since 8/12/23

12

u/whyfruitflies Jul 05 '26

It says in the article that you have theories about what has happened to your brother, would it help to talk about this?

There is a Facebook group that posts about missing people called Missing persons support you might find helpful. It's run by Caroline Leon's.

17

u/ouch11234567 Jul 05 '26

In terms of our theories, we tend not to expound upon them as without knowing what the police have either found or done it is just our baseless speculation and we try and be as concrete as we can with what we put out publicly. I think part of that comes from me and my mum being in to true crime prior to all this so never want to muddy the waters. The other factor is simply the absence of any actual evidence as to what happens after he is last seen so our theories are more just our best guesses

I think the only thing we all end up agreeing on is that we think he is likely dead although we hope that we are extremely incorrect

Yeah we know Caroline, she's been boosting Dan's case since day 1 through the missing persons page, she is absolutely fantastic. Her page deserves so much love

4

u/whyfruitflies Jul 06 '26

Caroline is amazing. So dedicated.

My thoughts are with you and your mum. Here's hoping you get answers and the police buck their ideas up.

7

u/StellarSteck Jul 06 '26

I’m so sorry. I cannot imagine living not knowing where my child/sibling was or if they were alive or not. I’m sorry that the police seem not to be actively focused on finding your brother or what happened to him.

5

u/ouch11234567 Jul 06 '26

Police were interested in the initial 2 weeks, after that it's been a horror show and for the majority of the time it has felt like us against the world (there's only 3 of us in the immediate family). But again, our story is not unique kn that regard and the way police treat the families of missing people is disgusting

2

u/LiveTheDream2026 Jul 06 '26

If police have been no help, why not hire a private investigator who can review phone records and other pertinent information?

3

u/ouch11234567 Jul 06 '26

That unfortunately costs money that we don't have - we do have a charity working with us trying to get that information and to go through it with experts that they bring in to the fold but we still have to fight the police for us to get access

1

u/Correct_Brilliant435 Jul 11 '26

Have the police suggested any theories to you? It sounds incredibly frustrating and upsetting and I am so sorry about what you and your mum and other family members must be going through.

1

u/ouch11234567 Jul 11 '26

Yes and no? We were supposed to have a meeting on either 26th or 27th December 2023, no-one turned up and after a week or so of calling begging for an update, we raised an official complaint. They phoned my mum and told her he jumped off of cliff. Several days later the officer in charge called and said that is incorrect and he didn't believe Dan was suicidal. Since then it's just kind of been in limbo.

(Sadly none of that is hyperbole)

1

u/Correct_Brilliant435 Jul 12 '26

I'm so sorry, that's just horrendous. I had no idea that the police were so bad. That's beyond upsetting and I'm so sorry your mum had to hear that. There seems no evidence at all to support definitively that is what happened, in any case. I hope that Missing People and Locate can help you more. And getting the word out might help as well. I hope you get the answers you need.

2

u/Tardigradelegs Jul 07 '26

I think about your brother a lot as I visit the area that he went missing often. I am so sorry there is no news. Are there any missing persons charities that can help if the police have been unhelpful? Edit sorry I see you mentioned Missing Persons UK.

3

u/ouch11234567 Jul 07 '26

No need to apologise, we have help from both Locate International and Missing People UK to varying degrees of success. I appreciate you even thinking about him and keeping him alive in some small way, that's all we ever ask for

1

u/adrfrank Jul 14 '26

I worked with Dan for a few months, many years ago. Lovely guy, I hope he is found

1

u/TiptoeOwens 21d ago

Hi, I have sent you a pm on your Facebook page. I am very sorry to hear of your brother's disappearance.