Mental

Updated:12:55, Monday December 03, 2007
The wife of a man who has come 'back from the dead' after vanishing in a canoeing mystery is believed to have moved to the central American country of Panama where she has opened a bank account.



Sky sources understand that some of the proceeds of the sale of her homes near Hartlepool have been deposited in an account in Panama.
In 2002, the smashed red canoe of John Darwin was found washed up on a beach off Seaton Carew, leading rescue teams to conclude that the chances of finding him alive were "practically nil".
But Cleveland Police said the married father-of-two walked fit and well into the West End Central Police Station in London at 5.30pm on Saturday.
Mr Darwin is now staying with family in the south east of England and Cleveland officers hope to speak to him today.
Det Chief Insp Paul Beddow said: "We are pleased Mr Darwin has been located and any interviews with him are a matter of procedure.
"This has been a long-running inquiry by Cleveland Police and officers from the inquiry team hope to speak to Mr Darwin later today to establish his whereabouts during the last five-and-a-half years."


The 57-year-old went missing some time after 9am on Thursday, March 21, 2002 after he left his house to go canoeing in the sea off Seaton Carew.
The Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough reported on March 23: "A paddle was found at sea as rescue teams launched a massive search - but to date there have been no further signs of Mr Darwin or his red canoe.
"The search was described as "like looking for a needle in a haystack" by rescuers.
"Five lifeboats, two coastguard rescue teams from Hartlepool and Redcar, a police plane with heat-seeking equipment, an RAF helicopter and teams of police officers have all been involved in the painstaking search.
"But today Humber Coastguards said the canoeist and his craft were still missing and hopes were fading."
Mr Darwin was working as a prison officer at Holme House Prison in Stockton at the time.
The Darwins' house in Seaton Carew

He and his wife Anne, a doctor's receptionist, had moved to Seaton Carew with their two dogs before his disappearance and he had said he hoped to retire there.
It is believed the couple owned two adjoining houses.
Sky's north of England correspondent Gerard Tubb has found that Mrs Darwin moved abroad recently.
Neighbour Alec Dixon told him: "Anne had been on holiday early this summer and came back saying how much she liked it and was thinking of moving away.
"We think it may have been Australia though we are not sure.
"A few weeks later the furniture removals men came and she was gone. She didn't say goodbye or leave a forwarding address. She just seemed to vanish.
"They owned two adjoining Victorian terrace houses. They lived in one and John said he had plans to do up the other one. But that obviously never happened."
A labourer working on the houses said: "The houses have been sold but we don't know where she has gone. She was here only a few weeks ago and then just went."

So what's the deal? She find out about him first? Did he fake it? Mental...

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

So what's the deal? She find out about him first? Did he fake it? Mental...

Life insurance scam, when she didnt give him his half, hes risen to the surface ....

There's got to be something dodgy. They owned 2 houses and were about to retire- they can't have been short of cash!

As there wasn't a body I doubt that a life company would have paid out - you have to wait 7 years for a presumption of death.

Prison officer and doctor's receptionist owning 3 v v nice properties... hmmm... maybe an inheritance I spose...

But this is a bit odd... full facts would be very interesting...

The timing of her moving away is a bit dodgy. There's too many oddities.

[G]

They were probably waiting for the insurance payout when he caught wind of her selling the houses to move.....hence coming out of the woodwork to try and stop her.

Very dodgy though without a doubt.

Originally Posted by Ed

Prison officer and doctor's receptionist owning 3 v v nice properties... hmmm...

It's the North East, you could buy 3 nice properties up there on a Southerners monthly pay packet.

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

They were probably waiting for the insurance payout when he caught wind of her selling the houses to move.....hence coming out of the woodwork to try and stop her.

Very dodgy though without a doubt.

I wonder who owned them, her or him or both, and if he owned or joint owned how did she sell them? Lots of unanswered quezzies

Read this story this morning - absolutely crazy.

Bit of a development, all weird still!

The family have been informed. We have no account of what has happened in the last five years. He walked into a police station and said 'I think I am a missing person.'

"The guy cannot remember anything about what has happened or why he has come forward.

"He has no memory at all. He has obviously been somewhere for the last five years and a lot of questions need answering."
Mr Darwin's 90-year-old father Ronald, who lives in Blackhall, near Hartlepool, said: "It's wonderful. Thank the Lord.