Disappearance of Steven Clark

On 28 December 1992, Steven Clark, a 23‑year‑old man from Marske‑by‑the‑Sea in North Yorkshire, disappeared while walking with his mother near Saltburn‑by‑the‑Sea. He was last seen entering a men's public toilet on the seafront and did not re‑emerge. Several unconfirmed sightings were reported in the days that followed. In 2020, a cold‑case review led police to open a murder inquiry and arrest his parents, who were later released with no further action.

Background Steven Clark was born on 30 August 1969 in Colchester, Essex, to Doris and Charles Clark, and grew up with one sibling. When he was about two years old the family were living near Edinburgh, Scotland. During this period he was struck by a lorry in Kirkliston, sustaining serious injuries. The collision left him with permanent physical disabilities, including damage to his left arm, lasting impairment to one leg, and a pronounced limp.

Once settled in Marske, Clark worked at the Leonard Cheshire Home, also known as Marske Hall. At the time he went missing, he was attending the Rathbone Society in Redcar, an organisation that supported people with disabilities. Shortly before his disappearance, he had been recognised with the Apprentice of the Year Award.

Disappearance and investigation

On 28 December 1992, Clark went for a walk with his mother along the seafront at Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Shortly after 3 pm, he entered the men's public toilet situated close to the pier along the town's promenade, while his mother went into the adjacent ladies' toilet. Believing he might have decided to walk home on his own, she walked back home, but he was not there. When he did not return, the family reported him missing.

On 24 September 1999, police received an anonymous letter stating that Clark was dead and named a person they claimed was responsible. The case was reopened by the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Cold Case Unit in 2020, leading detectives to carry out a fresh review of the circumstances surrounding Clark's disappearance. Officers said that, in the absence of any proof that Clark was still alive, they believed he had come to serious harm and launched a murder inquiry.

Potential sightings 28 December 1992 – Marske-by-the-Sea

A woman later reported seeing a man she believed to be Clark on Marske High Street, walking towards The Ship Inn. Investigators said the encounter must have taken place before about 3:45 pm because it was still daylight at the time.

30 December 1992 – Redcar

Police received a statement from a man who believed he saw Steven at around 2 pm near the clock roundabout in Redcar, walking past the Gazette offices towards the town centre. He said the individual appeared to be alone. When officers spoke to him again in 1999, he said he had not seen the person's face clearly but thought the man's walk resembled Steven's, adding that it had been raining heavily and that he had been about 30 yards away.

14 January 1993 – Saltburn-by-the-Sea

A woman reported that at around 5 pm she saw someone she believed to be Steven while looking out of her living‑room window. She said the person was on the opposite side of the road, walking towards Glenside Terrace in Saltburn. She believed she recognised him through her family's link to a local bowling club and because she knew from media coverage that he was missing. She said the individual was accompanied by an older man, described as in his fifties or sixties, bald with grey hair at the sides, of medium build, and wearing glasses.