Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Family still ‘praying’ Dan will be found
The family of a Canterbury man missing for 26 days say they are not giving up hope he will be found safe.
Dan Venes, 31, was last seen at about 6pm on August 14, in the College Road area of Margate.
His dad, Jason Joiner, says the talented artist and musician has not used his bank card since and that there have been no confirmed sightings of him.
But he says his family and friends are “hoping and praying” he will be found.
Mr Joiner previously told the Gazette that prior to his disappearance, Dan had been picked up at Sturry Railway Station by police due to concerns for his welfare.
He was taken to the QEQM hospital in Margate, but is believed to have left soon after.
Dan was captured on CCTV in Margate a short while later - but has not been seen since.
A ‘Help find Dan Venes’ page set up on Facebook has amassed more than 1,300 followers, with several people reporting potential sightings of Dan.
A dog walker noticed a man wearing a red and black checked shirt in Palm Bay, while a
woman spotted someone matching Dan’s description sleeping rough near Wilko in Canterbury.
Another person thought they saw Dan with a cat in allotments in Herne Bay, and a police helicopter has been sent up on multiple occasions following the reported sightings.
But Mr Joiner, who met with
police on Tuesday to discuss Dan’s disappearance, said: “None of the sightings are confirmed.
“Every time we have a sighting, we’re over there having a look.
“Everyone’s been out looking - the lifeboat, the coastguard, police, fire brigade, everyone. They’ve done so much.”
Mr Joiner, 55, from Swalecliffe, says he and Dan’s family and friends are regularly scouring beaches, fields, parks, derelict buildings and woodland - including a special spot he and Dan used to visit in woods behind TK Maxx in Sturry.
“That’s where we used to go to talk, and have time together,” he said.
“The fields go on for ages all the way to Fordwich. It’s lovely.
“That’s where I thought he would be.”
Mr Joiner gave special thanks to Dan’s friends who have kept searching.
He urges members of the public to keep an eye out for his son and report any sightings to police.
“We’d love them to take a photo of him,” he added.
“Just take a quick snap and then we’d know if it was him.
“I love him and I’d love him home. I miss him.”
Mr Joiner says Dan, who lives just off Sturry Road, has not used his bank card since he went missing.
“He did have his card on him when he was in the hospital,” he said.
“I don’t know if he’s still got it, but he hasn’t used it. “We’re hoping and praying. “It’s doing our heads in really, but we’ve got to keep our chins up because we’ve got to carry on.”
Mr Joiner added that Dan’s name is now known in “every police station and airport”.
He describes his son - who has thousands of followers on Facebook pages exhibiting his art and music - as a “brilliant” guitar player and “a lovely, caring person”.
Dan is 5ft 9ins tall, with a slim build and short, dark hair.
He also has a short beard and was last seen wearing a red and black checked shirt with black jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 101 and quoting reference number 14-1230.