Disappearance of Steven Cooper

On 21 January 2008, his 47th birthday, Cooper is believed to have left his home in Golcar at approximately 3.40 am without taking his mobile phone, driving licence, passport, bank cards, or any spare clothing, and he left no note. Speed-camera footage recorded his blue Ford Focus travelling north on the A1 from London towards Edinburgh later that day. The vehicle was discovered a week afterwards on a dirt track off the A86 between Kingussie and Spean Bridge, near Loch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands.^[2] A receipt from a Morrisons store in Greenock, timestamped 9.48 am on the day he disappeared, was found inside the car. It listed purchases of two bottles of soft drink, two muffins, two pre‑packed sandwiches, and a bottle of whisky.^[1] All of the items on the receipt were accounted for in the vehicle, including the cardboard tube in which the whisky had been sold, except for the whisky bottle itself, which was never recovered.^[3] His family questioned how he could have paid for the items, as he had left home without any money, and said they believed someone might know more about his disappearance.^[4]

A large‑scale search was undertaken by police and mountain‑rescue teams, supported by an RAF search helicopter and police dog units.^[5] The operation covered the shoreline of the loch and the surrounding hills, but no trace of him was found, and the search was formally concluded on 27 February.^[6] The loch itself was not examined until 2011, when underwater specialists and West Yorkshire Police divers searched the water, but no remains were located.^[5]

In 2016, a court ruled that Cooper was presumed dead.^[7]

In the years following his disappearance, Cooper's family have made several appeals for information.^[7]

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously (2000–present)