Benjamin Ross missing Majorca

Imagine you are on your dream holiday on the beautiful island of Majorca. One of the best islands in the Mediterranean, it has been voted in 2022 as the 'Number One Family Holiday Destination In Europe.' You have been planning this holiday for months. The weather forecast for the whole two weeks is a blazing 30°C every day. The sea is millpond still and crystal clear. There is a lovely cooling breeze. You lie back on your sunbed, close your eyes, and soak up the peace and tranquillity. You think life doesn't get any better than this.
Suddenly, you are rudely awakened from your reverie by the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps and then a man's raised voice. The words are in Spanish and you cannot understand what is being said. Your heart starts to pump a bit faster. What is going on? You sit up and look around. You see a man dressed in full Spanish Guardia Civil uniform in an animated conversation with your husband. Then he walks away. Your husband gets up and walks over to you.
Your husband informs you that he has just been explaining to the Guardia that you are staying in your apartment in the resort. Next, they wanted to know if we had a son called Benjamin. Your husband replied yes. Then they asked for a description. Your husband described Benjamin as they had seen him that morning at the beach with our friends Barry and Sarah Bales. The Guardia then asked us if we knew their address. Your husband said he thought that they were staying at the Sol Palma Hotel. The Guardia then disappeared.
Your mind is now racing. You cannot get your thoughts in order. Why are they asking about Benjamin? Benjamin is 23 years old. Surely, he is old enough to look after himself. Your husband says don't worry. Maybe the Guardia just need to ask Benjamin a few questions about a crime they are investigating. Even so, it made you feel uneasy.
You spent the rest of the morning by the pool trying to relax, but it was no good. You were now half expecting the Guardia to return. Your mind was now racing. You just could not relax. You spent the whole morning making up scenarios. None of them were good. You just hoped they were not true.
It was now 12 noon. You and your husband decided to go for lunch in a little tapas bar just off the seafront. Halfway through your meal, in walked two Guardia Civil officers. Your heart sank. One of the officers came straight over to your table and asked if you were the parents of Benjamin Ross. You replied yes. The officer then asked if you knew where Benjamin was. Your husband said he had been with our friends Barry and Sarah Bales. They had met him for lunch.
The Guardia officers asked you to come outside. You followed them. One of the officers, who spoke very good English, told you they had bad news. Benjamin had disappeared. They had been to the hotel where he was staying. He had checked in on August 2. However, he had not been seen since that day. They had spoken to his friends, Barry and Sarah Bales. They had last seen him at 3.00pm on August 2 leaving the beach. Barry and Sarah had returned to their hotel and had not seen Benjamin since. The officer asked if you had any idea where he might be. Your husband and I both said no.
He then asked if Benjamin had any health problems or any reason why he might just disappear. We confirmed that he was fit and healthy. He had absolutely no reason to disappear. We told them that he was a beautiful, caring, and handsome boy who was loved by everyone. He had no money problems. He had a fantastic job. He had a great girlfriend.
The officer then asked if we could spare some time to go to the police station in Calvia to make statements. We agreed. As we drove to the police station, around 15 minutes away, our minds were racing. Imagine a thousand different ideas were going through our minds. None of them were good.
We arrived at the police station, found the Guardia offices, and went in. There we were greeted by two more Guardia officers. They led us into a small office. They asked us the same questions they had asked by the pool. We gave them the same answers. They explained that they did not believe Benjamin had had any kind of accident. They told us that if he had had an accident, they would have already found his body or would have some kind of clue. They explained that what was worrying was that they had no clues at all. It was as though Benjamin had vanished into thin air. They then asked if we would stay in the office whilst they made some enquiries.
We waited for over an hour, just sitting there in silence, waiting for news. After about an hour, the two officers came back into the office. They explained that they have spoken to the hotel where Benjamin was staying. They confirmed that he had checked in on August 2. They also confirmed that he had not been seen since that day. The officers then explained that the hotel staff had told them that Benjamin was put on a coach on August 3 and was taken to a hotel in Barcelona.
You and your husband look at each other in amazement. You cannot believe what you have just heard. The officer then produced a photograph. They explained that this was the coach that Benjamin had been put on. They had checked the passenger list, and his name was on it. However, Benjamin had not checked in at the Barcelona hotel. The officers said they were now liaising with the police in Barcelona. They said they were just waiting for the Barcelona police to call them back.
By this time you think you are going to have a nervous breakdown. You don't know what to think or do. The officers told you that you were free to go. They said they would get back to you as soon as they had any news.
It is now four months since Benjamin disappeared. We have heard nothing from the police. As you can imagine, our holiday was totally ruined. We tried to enjoy it, but we just could not. We spent most of our time crying. We don't know what has happened to our beautiful boy. We cannot get him out of our minds. We cannot sleep at night or even eat. We are now back home and are receiving counselling. We are desperate for news, good or bad. We just want to know what has happened to our son.