Blue coat & abandoned Fiat -how case of missing psychiatrist was only solved 12 years on when another man met same fate
Psychiatrist Shayne Eves Colaco went for a walk in the Carneddau mountains in Eryri - also called
5
Rescue teams out searching for Shayne Colaco in the Welsh mountains
Credit: Daily Post Wales
5
The search for David Brookfield led to the discovery of another missing walker
Credit: Daily Post Wales
5
Shayne Eves Colaco's remains were found in Snowdonia after twelve years
Credit: Daily Post Wales
He drove from
But he didn't return to his Fiat car and was never seen again.
Despite searches, cops couldn't find him and he was declared dead six six later, despite his body remaining undiscovered.
Fast forward to January last year, when David Brookfield, 65, also vanished in the Welsh Carneddau mountains.
Read more
He WhatsApped his wife from the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn, but no one ever heard from him again.
For four months, searches were carried out to no avail.
But in May 2024, a blue jacket was sighted in the Ogwen Valley by a passing coastguard helicopter on a routine training exercise.
It is believed David had fallen in a gully and was seriously injured on his descent from the mountain.
Most read in The Sun
While his body was recovered, mountain rescue made another change discovery.
They spotted another jacket further down the gully, that looked far older and seemed to have been there for some time.
Sgt Paul Terry of the
North Wales Police
drone unit
recalled to
'The jacket didn't seem to fit with the picture of what we were investigating. It was an older jacket, one that seemed to have been there for some time and inside the pocket was a car key.
'Deep in the memory of this rescue team was Shayne Colaco, who had gone missing in the same area 12 years earlier.'
As the cops investigated further, they were "amazed" to find that the details matched up with the missing hiker.
So they resumed the search for Shayne in another bid to find him and bring peace to his family.
A drone pilot then noticed a piece of fabric under a bush in the gully.
Sgt Terry continued: 'Quite incredibly, [he] realised that he had also discovered the remains of Shayne Colaco.
'What's really so amazing about this story is that so many of the people involved in searching for David had also been involved in the searches 12 years before for Shayne."
David and Shane were both experienced walkers who were well prepared, and Sgt Terry warned hikers that it's important to understand the danger of the hills and weather.
5
The peak of Pen yr Ole Wen is seen in the distance
Credit: Getty
5
Sgt Paul Terry of the North Wales Police revealed how amazed the team was
Credit: Daily Post Wales
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
GAA manager took cocaine straight after county final win during addiction battle
A GAA senior club manager and former Meath underage player has revealed how he reached for cocaine in the dressing room after winning a county Championship final in the grip of addiction. David Hosie, 47, is now the manager of Seneschalstown men's senior football team after he sought treatment when he hit rock bottom, and is now sharing his story with clubs in the hope of saving someone else from the hell he lived in for over 30 years. The prodigious footballer, who played at senior level for his native O'Mahony's club in Navan at just 17 years old and also excelled at soccer, turned to drink and then drugs before he turned 16. "I grew up in a tough estate and was full of fear and anxiety from an early age. I always seemed to be craving acceptance," he said. "My heroes were Colm O'Rourke of the Meath team and Ian Rush of Liverpool and I used to pretend to be them so I didn't have to be myself. I was only eight or nine at that time." David's dad was his hero and played for Parkvilla but tragedy hit the family when he contracted meningitis and suffered life-long complications. "I think that was the catalyst because my home life became a bit fractured because we were always at the hospital and I started building resentment against the world. I was a very angry boy. "The only place I was comfortable in my own skin was on the pitch so I put everything in to excel at football." David started taking cider and acid tablets and liked how it made him confident and popular. He eventually progressed to Ecstacy tablets, speed and amphetamines and prescription drugs before turning to cocaine. "It became my solution," he said. "I drank to black out and drugged addictively." However, his addiction took its toll on his career and he was sacked from his job as an upholsterer. He joined An Post and missed 200 days of work in the last four years of his addiction. During this time, he continued to excel at both GAA and soccer. "I was getting letters from Liverpool about sending someone over to watch me. I played with all the Meath underage teams and was in the under-17 Development squad. "I turned up at a game still drunk and coming down off the drugs. "I had a mask for everyone and had built up a character called 'Hosie'. I lost David." In 1997, he won a Meath Senior Championship with Navan O'Mahony's and was the top scorer in the county championship with a total of two goals and 24 points. "I was getting free drink and acceptance and the better I played, the more I got. But when the final whistle went on that match, I walked off the pitch, the loneliest man in the world." "I had no emotion. I had cocaine waiting for me in my pocket in the dressing room and I went and took it. "I went on benders and didn't stop until the money ran out or my body gave up." David was eventually dropped from the Meath minor team and left O'Mahony's before he returned in 2002, two stone overweight and with a hole in his soul. One week before an Intermediate final between O'Mahony's and Carnaross in 2003, David went on a bender and missed training for the important game. He was told he would not be on the starting team but was played due to his past form and kicked one goal and four points in the game. "I was spiritually, mentally and physically bankrupt at that stage," he said. David left football, got married and admitted he was half drunk and high on drugs on the altar. When his eldest child joined Seneschalstown GAA Club, he decided to go back and coach the under-21s. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week "We won the Meath under-21 Championship and I went on a bender, blacked out and was found on a street in Navan." He went on to coach the senior teams in Seneschalstown, Bective and Bohermeen between 2015 and 2021 but eventually the wheels came off the wagon and his marriage fell apart. "It suited me. I had no responsibilities so I could drink when I wanted. But then relatives threw me out and I sofa surfed. In 2022, David tried to take his own life with wine and painkillers but he was found unresponsive in time. He tried to take his life again but thankfully found himself ringing a friend, which led to his stay in Cuan Mhuire Treatment Centre in Athy, Co. Kildare. "When I walked through those doors, I thought life was ending but it was only beginning. I was initially planning my escape and how I'd celebrate when I got out but slowly it dawned on me that I was being saved. "Recovery is wonderful but difficult and I'm on a journey of finding out who I am. The best thing about recovery is getting my feelings back and the worst thing is getting my feelings back." Two years ago, David got a call asking him to manage the Ladies team at Seneschalstown. "I was a bit apprehensive, but the first time I went down, I knew it was where I belonged. It was a wonderful experience with them." He took on the role of the manager of the senior men's team in January and believes he has finally found the acceptance he craved - from himself. "I'm David again. I'm not Hosie anymore. The disease of addiction robbed so much of my life but I'm finally able to live again." If you have been affected by the contents of this article, support can be found from the following resources: National Drugs and Alcohol Helpline: 1800 459 459 (Monday-Friday, 9.30am - 5.30pm) or helpline@ The Samaritans: 116 123 (24 hours a day, 365 days of the year) or jo@
RTÉ News
26-06-2025
- RTÉ News
RTÉ presents new documentary on the origin stories of three abandoned babies in 1960s Ireland
This July, RTÉ presents The Phone Box Babies, a documentary revealing new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland. The babies were discovered by random passersby in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information or clue to their origins. This new documentary airing on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player uncovers details about the babies' parents, where they came from, and why they were given up. Fifty years later, as adults, they discover their connection to each other and embark on an emotional journey to uncover their identities. David McBride, born in 1962, was left in a car in a Belfast driveway. John Dowling, born in 1965, was found in a Drogheda phone box. Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a Dundalk phone box. Each was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. In 2020, David and Helen discovered they were brother and sister through DNA technology and were reunited on the ITV series Long Lost Family. To their shock and joy, they subsequently found John, a third full sibling. They believe there is a fourth sibling out there and are hoping this documentary will encourage that person to get in touch. United in their desire to uncover more of the truth about their family and the circumstances surrounding their parents' decision to abandon them, the documentary follows the siblings as they uncover untold stories that reflect the Ireland of the past. Their mother was a young Catholic woman from the Republic of Ireland who, in the 1940s, began a affair with a married Protestant man from Northern Ireland, who was 17 years her senior and had 14 children of his own. This affair endured for decades and, in that time, David, John, and Helen were born – and given up. Speaking about the documentary, Helen Ward said: 'This documentary has opened up the lines of communication about our biological parents, with people willing to share their stories. I hope the documentary fosters understanding and empathy, especially about what it's like to have to question your roots. I hope it encourages people to be open and receptive to helping others with similar experiences. The longing for connection with family is valid and deeply human.' With both biological parents now deceased, the siblings confront painful truths about their parents' complex relationship and the impact of this abandonment on their own lives. They face a challenging journey in their quest for answers, but with the support of newly discovered half-siblings and family friends (including snooker legend Ken Doherty), they remain determined to unearth the buried secrets of their family's past, in the hope that it will bring them closer together. The Phone Box Babies airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Wednesday 2 July at 9:35pm -Ends- Date: 26 June 2025
The Journal
26-06-2025
- The Journal
Siblings abandoned as babies and reunited 50 years later believe they may have another brother
THREE PEOPLE WHO were abandoned as babies in different parts of Ireland in the 1960s – and later discovered they were siblings – believe there is a fourth sibling and that a new documentary could encourage them to make contact. The remarkable story, which captured media attention on both sides of the border, will be explored in a new documentary called The Phone Box Babies. It will air next week, on Wednesday 2 July at 9.35pm, on RTÉ One. It promises to reveal new insights into the lives of three people who were abandoned as babies and discovered that they were siblings over five decades later. News clipping about David McBride being found in the front seat of a car in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast in 1962 The three babies were discovered by random passersby in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information. David McBride, born in 1962, was found in a duffle bag in the front seat of a car in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast. John Dowling, born in 1965, was found in a Drogheda phone box. Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a tartan duffel bag in a Dundalk phone box. Each was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. But in 2020, David and Helen discovered they were brother and sister through DNA technology and were reunited on the ITV series Long Lost Family, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell. And on the other side of the planet in Australia, John Dowling's daughter watched the ITV programme and noticed that her father bore a resemblance to David. She asked her father to take a DNA test and it revealed that John was another full blood sibling to David and Helen. Advertisement David McBride, born in 1962, holds news clipping about being found in the front seat of a car in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast. However, the three siblings now believe there is a fourth sibling out there and are hopeful that the new RTÉ documentary will encourage that person to get in touch. Helen previously told UTV that she believes the fourth sibling could be a baby boy that was found in a phone box in Newry, Co Down, in May 1963. 'Why not just pick up the phone or email us, even if he just wants to chat about it,' Helen told UTV last year. 'We're all very private people in our own right, we've great respect for each other and that would go exactly for him as well,' she added. Meanwhile, an RTÉ spokesperson said the documentary follows the siblings as they 'uncover untold stories that reflect the Ireland of the past'. Their mother was a young Catholic woman from the Republic of Ireland who, in the 1940s, began an affair with a married Protestant man from Northern Ireland. He was 17 years her senior and had 14 children of his own. This affair endured for decades and, in that time, David, John, and Helen were born – and abandoned. Speaking ahead of the documentary airing, Helen said it has 'opened up the lines of communication about our biological parents, with people willing to share their stories'. Helen Ward, born in 1968, holds news clipping about her being discovered in a Dundalk phone box. RTÉ RTÉ She said she hopes the documentary can 'foster understanding and empathy, especially about what it's like to have to question your roots'. Helen also expressed hope that it can 'encourage people to be open and receptive to helping others with similar experiences'. 'The longing for connection with family is valid and deeply human,' she added. Both biological parents are now deceased, and an RTÉ spokesperson said the siblings 'confront painful truths about their parents' complex relationship and the impact of this abandonment on their own lives'. However, they also receive the support of newly discovered half-siblings and family friends, including snooker legend Ken Doherty, in their quest to 'unearth the buried secrets of their family's past'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
