An 81-year-old man left his family frantic after going missing for a week - only to be found safe and well and enjoying a pint in the pub.

Ronald Webster - known as Ronnie - had disappeared while "pottering around in his garden", before being seen leaving his home and catching a bus last Thursday afternoon.

His family was left distraught after he failed to return home, having left without his medication, a phone, and just the clothes on his back according to the Manchester Evening News.

After being reported missing and not being heard from for eight days, Ronnie was miraculously found... and he was sat in a pub enjoying a pint of beer like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Ronnie's granddaughter Paige Tattersall told the publication that her family was "broken" by the news he was missing, and were all worried sick about where he was - including his heartbroken wife.

Thankfully, their prayers were answered as - following a national search - Ronnie was found in a pub in Manchester, England, having traveled from Oldham, which is around 40 minutes away.

Ronnie had last been seen in Oldham, before a sighting on Monday on a bus headed to Huddersfield.

Sharing the joyful news that Ronnie had been found, Paige wrote on Facebook: "They have found him!!!! Will update properly soon but he's coming home!

"He was in b***dy Wetherspoons in Manchester drinking a pint [before] coming home. He got the train from Huddersfield to Scarborough to Bridlington like we thought."

She then joked: "He's absolutely fine he was just scared of going back to my gran I think! He knows he's in trouble!!"

Paige added: "We are absolutely elated. To get that phone call that they have found him safe and well will never ever be compared. And then to be able to reunited him grandma. We can all sleep tonight knowing he's home safe where he belongs."

Greater Manchester Police added on Twitter: "We are pleased to be able to share with you that we have found missing Ronnie safe and well, following a phenomenal effort from members of the public and police officers. He has been reunited with his family."

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Walker of GMP’s Oldham district, said: "This is the result we are always hoping for when we open investigations into missing persons. We are all relieved that Ronald is safe and well and that he has been reunited with his loved ones, who were understandably incredibly concerned.

"We are really thankful to the members of the public who shared our appeal, and partner agencies who assisted us with our enquiries."

Paige shared a follow-up post on Facebook, telling her friends and family: "My minds blown. 8 days! And hes found sat chilling in Manchester wetherspoons just casually drinking a pint.

"Hes laughed his head off saying Yorkshire police are slow and pulled out a backpack full of cans and snacks. Il never forget this as long as I live. Told him me and kieran have been on granada reports news on tv, he said oh that chanel doesnt work in Yorkshire.

"That man is absolutely precious, he's fine and dandy. Hasn't really eaten properly he said and spent a night on the harbour wall in Bridlington which is heartbreaking but he's home safe and in one piece and reunited with my gran.

"Thankyou GMP Oldham Central & Greater Manchester Police for everything. And every single person that has shared. Id love to know who saw him today sat drinking his pint. If you see this please message me, I need to come and hug you. My family are forever grateful."

Featured image credit: Getty Images

Human remains have been found in the search for a man who made a 911 call in 2013, which could hopefully bring a decades-long search to an end.

Brandon Lawson, a father-of-four from San Angelo, Texas, vanished into thin air on the night of August 9, 2013. Stranded on a desolate road after running out of gas, he never returned home to his family.

Despite the passage of time, the determination of his loved ones and the San Angelo community refused to give in.

Their quest for closure received some hope earlier this year, as a search party stumbled upon a pile of clothing belonging to the missing man at his last known location, per the San Angelo Standard Times.

Promptly alerting local authorities, a thorough investigation ensued, culminating in a discovery of human remains that were unearthed in the vicinity.

"The Texas Rangers conducted a search that ultimately led them to discover human remains in this same area. Although DNA tests are needed to confirm identification, in our hearts ...we know that it is Brandon," Brandon's family said in a statement.

The circumstances of Brandon's disappearance were initially unveiled through a haunting 911 call he made the night he went missing.

In the recording, he frantically recounted his predicament, describing being pursued through the wilderness by an unidentified assailant.

"Please hurry," pleaded Brandon, his voice filled with fear. "There'll be no talking to them. I accidentally ran into them."

As the dispatcher sought clarification, Brandon's voice fell silent.

The police report at the time stated: "The only sign of anyone being in that area was a spot under a tree where it appeared someone sat down close to the roadway within eyesight of where Lawson’s pickup broke down."

After the discovery of human remains near Brandon's last known whereabouts, the quest for answers continues. DNA analysis, pivotal in identifying the recovered remains, remains ongoing, prolonging the agony for Brandon's family.

Maintaining their commitment to transparency, Brandon's family has utilized social media platforms, notably a dedicated Facebook page, to keep the public abreast of developments in the case. In an update shared in October 2023, they revealed incremental progress in the forensic analysis.

"We do have a small update regarding the human remains found in February of last year," the post read. "Since our last post, the laboratory has been continuing to try to pull any kind of DNA/Genetic markers from the remains."

It continued: "A few weeks ago one of the tests was able to extract some information. This test confirms that the remains are in fact those of a Male. The test was also able to extract some Genetic markers that can be compared to DNA from Brandon's father in attempt to ID them as being Brandon.

"While The Texas Ranger in charge of Brandon's case stressed not to hang all of our hopes on this news. He did say that he was feeling positive about it, as are we."

Despite the cautious optimism expressed by the Texas Ranger overseeing Brandon's case, conclusive identification remains elusive as of today.

Featured image credit: Christopher Furlong / Getty

The family of four-year-old August “Gus” Lamont are holding on to hope that he is still alive, even as police scale back what has become one of the most intensive search operations in South Australia’s recent history.

Gus vanished from his family’s sprawling sheep station about 40 kilometers south of Yunta on September 27. He was last seen playing in a dirt mound near his grandparents’ homestead around 5:00PM, before disappearing without a trace just 30 minutes later, the Daily Mail reports.

Since then, the search for the boy (described by loved ones as “a shy but adventurous child”) has captured the attention and heartbreak of the entire country.

Volunteer doubts Gus is still on the property

Among those who joined the massive search effort was Jason O’Connell, a former State Emergency Service (SES) member who, alongside his partner Jen, covered more than 1,200 kilometers scouring the surrounding desert.

O’Connell said the couple took turns searching through the night, hoping that if Gus was sheltering from the scorching heat during the day, he might move under cover of darkness.

“Jen and I were the only ones searching nights, apart from Monday night when the father joined us,” O’Connell shared online. “We’d head home when the main search crews arrived through the day.”

Despite their efforts, which included sweeping the terrain with high-powered lights and watching for signs of wildlife activity, O’Connell admitted they found “nothing.”

“I personally am very doubtful he is on the property,” he said, adding that even a single footprint discovered early in the search now appears uncertain.

Police: ‘a four-year-old doesn’t disappear into thin air’

Police, emergency services, and the Australian Defence Force all took part in the multi-day operation. Teams used infrared drones, dogs, ATVs, and specialist divers to check nearby tanks and dams, yet the search yielded no definitive leads.

Superintendent Mark Syrus of the Yorke Mid North division told reporters the situation had become increasingly grim. “A four-year-old doesn’t disappear into thin air; he has to be somewhere,” Syrus said, according to PEOPLE. “Hopefully he’s hanging in there alive … but it’s a long time to be out in the elements.”

Authorities noted that while Gus was an energetic walker, he had never previously wandered off the property. The remote homestead, more than 25 kilometers from the nearest highway, made the likelihood of abduction “highly improbable.”

Police scale back search, family still hopeful

After nearly a week of searching under punishing Outback conditions, police officially ended the active rescue operation on Friday, The Sun details.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said investigators had found “no tangible pieces of evidence; no footprints, no clothing, no hat.”

“We’ve all been hoping for a miracle,” Parrott said. “But that miracle has not eventuated.”

The investigation has now been handed to South Australia Police’s Missing Persons Section, which typically manages long-term disappearance cases.

Still, Gus’s family refuse to give up. On Saturday, community group Leave A Light On Inc. urged residents across South Australia to switch on their porch lights in solidarity, a symbolic gesture so Gus could “find his way home," per 7 News.

A community united by hope

The disappearance of August Lamont has left the small Yunta community shaken but united. Volunteers, neighbors, and total strangers have continued to rally around the family, offering support and prayers as the investigation continues.

Even as search crews leave the property and the desert returns to its eerie quiet, one thing remains constant: Gus’s family are not ready to believe the worst. Their message is simple: until there is proof otherwise, hope is not lost.

Featured image credit: South Australia Police.

Police have disclosed what might have happened in the devastating case of Émile Soleil, a two-year-old boy whose remains were found months after he vanished from his grandparents' village in the French Alps.

Soleil went missing in Haut-Vernet on July 8, 2023, a tiny mountain village near the Massif des Trois-Évêchés. He was last seen walking alone down the only street in the village, near his grandparents’ home.

“The family was getting ready to leave the house to go on an outing. He took advantage of this fleeting moment [of inattention] to leave,' local mayor Francois Balique said, per The Guardian. “His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car.”

A massive search followed, spanning five days and involving police, soldiers, helicopters, and sniffer dogs. They scoured 97 hectares, 30 buildings, and 12 vehicles. Even Émile’s mother’s voice was blasted from a helicopter to try and draw him out. Still, no trace was found.

Authorities stopped the large-scale search on July 13 to review the growing volume of data, and hopes of finding the little boy alive began to fade, The Telegraph reported.

On what would have been his third birthday that November, his mother made a desperate public appeal. If her son was dead, she pleaded that she still wanted his body returned so it could be buried. That heartbreak would become a reality months later.

On March 30, 2024, a woman hiking near Haut-Vernet stumbled upon a human skull and handed it in to a nearby police station. Police confirmed the remains belonged to Émile the next day through DNA testing.

Mayor Balique reflected on the tragedy: “It will take a long time to recover from this disappearance and death," cited by BBC News. "Is that where he disappeared? Is that where he took his last breath, nobody knows. In any case, I have no idea, but the judicial inquiry will no doubt be able to find that out."

Émile’s parents also issued a heartbreaking statement, which read: “This heart-breaking news was feared, and the time has come for mourning, contemplation and prayer.”

On April 2, 2024, police returned to the area and found the toddler's t-shirt, pants, and shoes, but they were spread out, and discovered at some distance from the remains.

Jean-Luc Blachon, the prosecutor leading the investigation, said: “We cannot be sure Emile's body was already present in the search area,” adding that “every square metre” had been searched before, and noting that dense undergrowth and summer heat may have affected the dogs’ ability to locate him initially.

Investigators believe Émile's body was not left in the forest to decompose. At a March 27, 2024, press conference, Blachon explained: “Expert investigations are suggesting the probability of the involvement of a third party in the disappearance and death of Emile Soleil,” per ConnexionFrance.

He said that analysis of the "clothes and bones" found by the hiker show they "were transported and placed there shortly before their discovery." That’s led to suspicions of deliberate concealment.

"[The Investigations] allow us to consider the hypothesis that the body did not remain in the same place…during the decomposition process and that it was not buried," Blachon said.

Even more disturbingly, the boy’s face showed signs of “violent facial trauma,” further supporting the belief that someone else was involved in both his disappearance and death.

According to Daily Mail, investigators believe Émile's remains may have been stored in a “freezer" before being moved and found.

On March 25, 2025, Émile’s grandparents, Philippe and Anne Vedovini, along with two of their adult children, were detained by police, per Sky News.

The grandparents, both 59, were arrested on suspicion of voluntary homicide and concealment of a corpse. Neither of those arrested were Émile’s parents.

Two days later, the grandparents were released without charge. Their legal representatives described it as “a relief.”

The late boy's funeral was held at the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine earlier this year and was attended by his parents, siblings, including a baby born after his disappearance, and hundreds of mourners from across France.

Featured image credit: Joos Mind / Getty