A new appeal has been launched in the hunt for Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards, on the 25th anniversary of his initial disappearance.
Edwards (aged 27 at the time) went missing from London’s Embassy Hotel on February 1, 1995, the day that the Welsh rockers were due to head out on an extensive US tour.
The musician’s disappearance remains a mystery, but many believe that he may have jumped from the Severn Bridge to his death. He was pronounced legally dead in 2008.
The new appeal has been launched by Missing Persons, a charity that has worked with Edwards’ sister Rachel.
Speaking to Wales Online, spokesperson Kate Graham said: “Richard, if you are reading this, please call or text us on our free phone number, 116 000. It’s confidential and we can’t trace your call.
“We just want to provide you with the support you need and help you to be safe.
“The helpline is here to support people who are missing or thinking of going missing and their loved ones who are left behind.”
In the wake of Edwards’ disappearance, sightings of the musician have been reported from as far afield as Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Goa.
In January 2019, a new book provided fresh evidence to suggest that Edwards had staged his own disappearance.
Withdrawn Traces: Searching for the Truth About Richey Manic offers a series of fresh clues that suggest that the guitarist may have carefully planned his disappearance.
The book by Sara Hawys Roberts and Leon Noakes is the first to be written with the full co-operation of Edwards’ sister Rachel and features unprecedented access to his personal archives.
It details previously unreported sightings of Edwards, alongside a long-held fascination with disappearance that he apparently enjoyed since his school days.
The book also details claims that Edwards moved to a Kibbutz in Israel, as well as the theory that Edwards may have had undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome and disappeared in a bid to shut out the world as a coping mechanism.
In March last year, a painting of Edwards also featured in a London exhibition of portraits of missing people.
Missing People can be contacted by calling 116 000 24 hours a day or by emailing 116000@missingpeople.org.uk.