Police search home of elderly parents accused of murdering their disabled son 28 years ago 

Police have searched the home of elderly parents accused of murdering their disabled son, 23, almost 30 years ago.  

Steven Clark went to visit the toilet while on a family walk near Saltburn Pier in Cleveland in December 1992 but was never seen again.

His elderly parents Doris and Charles, who live in Marske-by-the-Sea, Cleveland, this week confirmed they had been arrested on suspicion of his murder, with his mother describing the situation as ‘absolutely ludicrous’.

Cleveland Police made the arrests following a cold case review and specialist officers began their investigations in the back garden of the couple’s home on Friday.

There was a large police presence outside of the neat semi-detached house, with three police cars, a police van and a crime scene investigation vehicle.

A police cordon was erected across a public footpath that runs down the side of the house.

A number of tools, including a generator, concrete breaker and numerous spades, were placed on the grass in front of the police van. 

As the searches progressed Friday afternoon, detectives were spotted going inside the Clark’s home.

Officers began taking large bags of kit into the property just after lunchtime, as one officer remained stationed at the top of the drive.

A red Citroën car remained parked on the drive throughout the day. Doris, 81, and Charles Clark, 78, were not seen and a white Toyota car – they have been previously photographed using – was not there either. 

It comes after police asked an anonymous letter writer, who contacted officers in September 1999, to get in touch again.  

Police said their records showed the letter was assessed by officers and the information was recorded.

However, the force is refusing to reveal the content of the letter or why it is now seen as important more than 20 years after it was sent.  

Detectives from the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Cold Case Unit had reopened the case and have been conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the 23-year-old’s disappearance.

As a result of this, and due to there being no proof of life, detectives believe that Steven has come to serious harm and a murder inquiry has been launched.

Steven vanished mysteriously on Monday, December 28, 1992 in Saltburn.

A missing persons report said that he was last seen at 3pm. The 23-year-old, who lived in nearby Marske, was said to have gone into a public toilet while his mother went into the ladies.

He was not seen coming out of the gents on the town’s seaside promenade, and did not return home.

Over the years his parents made several appeals for information in trying to find their son.

During the first day of the latest searches on Thursday officers combed through a woodland and fields near to where Steven lived.

Police vehicles were parked off the Coast Road, at Marske Stray car park, and officers carried out inspections of the undergrowth, along the path from the sea front.

Officers combed through the bushes and trees, using sticks to help them explore the undergrowth.

Teams worked their way along the greenery, next to a path along the rear of Outwood Academy Bydales, in Marske.

Despite the police presence in the area the path remained open to dog walkers and cyclists.

Police vehicles were also parked outside the secondary school and officers searched the fields near the school. 

Detective Chief Inspector Shaun Page asked the letter writer to call Crimestoppers anonymously or the investigation team directly and give them any additional information they may have.

He said: ‘For operational reasons I can’t divulge the contents or topic of the letter, but it was sent through the post and addressed to the incident room at Guisborough Police Station.

‘The person who sent it may know more that could help our inquiry team.

‘They obviously felt compelled to write the letter seven years after his disappearance and I would like to hear from them again now.

‘It’s clear from the response that we have had overall from the public that a lot of people knew Steven from living in Marske.

‘I would like to thank the local community for their co-operation in this investigation so far.

‘We do still want people to come forward and tell us if they knew Steven or if they have any information that would benefit the inquiry.’ 

A report said that when Steven did not come out the public toilet his mother assumed he had gone home, but he was never seen again.

Police would not reveal the age or sex of the two arrested people, but on Tuesday Mrs Clark confirmed she and her husband had been arrested, saying: ‘It’s just absolutely ludicrous. There’s nothing more to say, it’s surreal.’

Asked if they denied murdering their son, she replied: ‘Absolutely, yes.

‘It’s just too hard to believe really, but we have to believe it and suffer the consequences.’

She said being on bail was ‘horrendous’, adding: ‘There’s nothing I can say, except for the shock of being arrested.

‘It’s difficult isn’t it? ‘You get so tense and upset, we’ve just got to get on with it, I’m afraid. There’s nothing we can do, just wait and hope we get through it.’

Mr and Mrs Clark were pictured leaving the station in Cleveland six hours after arriving.

Speaking on the doorstep as they arrived home in the evening, Mrs Clark added: ‘We’ve just got back, we’ve been there all day.’ 

She admitted the last few days have been tough following the sudden accusation, but she and Charles maintain they are innocent. 

She said: ‘After all these years we still wonder what happened to him.  

‘We didn’t kill Steven. That’s all I can really add at the moment, we just hope a good outcome comes out of it.’ 

Asked if she thought publicity about the case could help solve the mystery, she replied: ‘It’s 28 years ago. How on earth can anyone remember anything on that day? 

‘How can they (the police) ask other people, I cannot imagine anybody would remember.

‘They (the police) have to do their job and that’s it.’

Mrs Clark said her husband was ‘all right’, adding: ‘It’s gone on for all these years, it’s a nightmare really, nobody seems to understand that.’

The couple, who also have a daughter, have been supported by friends, Mrs Clark said.

Their son walked with a pronounced limp as a result of a childhood road accident which also left him with other disabilities.

At the time he disappeared, he attended the Rathbone Society in Redcar, which worked with people with disabilities to improve their employment skills, and he had won the Apprentice of the Year Award.

Speaking in 1997, Mrs Clark said her son ‘vanished in a puff of smoke with no warning or even a word of goodbye’. 

She said at the time: ‘I started to wonder if someone had frogmarched him away at gunpoint.’