Missing couple safe and sound on Wild Coast
FEARS over the safety of a Gauteng couple who were last seen in Grahamstown on Friday and for whom police were searching after family members lost contact, have been allayed after they were located at a Wild Coast resort.
Lindsay Lamb, 33, and her boyfriend, Guy McLoughlin, 40, had been on holiday in Uitenhage.
They had gone to Uitenhage, where Lamb’s parents live, and planned a several-day trip back to Gauteng.
According to police, the couple planned to stop at several towns, spending up to two days in each place.
Lamb’s mother, Diane Dallacasa, raised the alarm at the weekend after posting a plea for help on Facebook, stating that her last contact with Lamb was on January 2.
“We are concerned as this is not their common behaviour,” she said.
By Sunday, she had opened a missing persons inquiry with the police. The post had more than 2 000 shares by yesterday morning and was later deleted after the couple had been located.
Police spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender said detectives discovered that the couple had decided to skip a planned Hogsback trip and travel towards the Wild Coast.
According to police, a cellphone trace was also activated which showed that the couple’s phones were last known to be connected to a network area near Port Edward.
By yesterday morning police had expanded the search to KwaZuluNatal and were obtaining approval for a helicopter search of the area.
But by 11am, before the helicopters took off, the couple were found to have been staying at Mtentu Lodge on the Wild Coast.
Govender said the resort where the couple had been staying had poor reception, which is why they were unreachable.
They were found after the lodge manager alerted Grahamstown detective Andrew Bovey of the couple being booked in.
Govender said the manager’s daughter had spotted the couple’s picture on social media and alerted her father.
“The manager contacted the investigating officer and alerted him that the couple are safe and well.
“They had checked out of the lodge just half an hour earlier.”
By 11.30am yesterday, Dallacasa had posted a message on her Facebook account thanking everyone for their assistance.
The couple are expected back in Gauteng on Thursday.