Hope of closure for family

We can only but imagine the heartache, grief and distress that Pearl Smith and her family have gone through and continue to go through eight years after the disappearance of her son.

Shane, 30, vanished on April 22, 2010, after his kayak capsized about 400 yards off the coast at Seaham.

While the kayak soon surfaced, searches by the emergency services failed to locate him a

Legislation allows coroners to declare a missing person dead if their remains have still to be found more than seven years after their disappearance.

A full examination of the tragedy’s circumstances will take place in the New Year a

But even though this legally brings the matter to a close - it will give no closure to Shane’s mum.

Pearl says she cannot begin to get closure until Shane’s body is found and she can have a funeral for her son. Emergency services patrolled the surrounding coast for 48 hours after Shane’s disappearance with searches resuming about a fortnight later when clothing believed to belong to him was washed up.

His mum and her family initially held a daily vigil and quickly distributed posters along a vast area of the coast in the hope that someone may have seen him.

They continue to make the short journey to the coast on the anniversary of his disappearance and on special occasions.

The family cannot rest believing he is out there somewhere and want to give him the funeral they believe he deserves.

This is simply heartbreaking and tragic in every sense.

We continue to highlight their story in the hope that one day we can report that Pearl and her family do get that closure we believe they deserve.