The family of Shaun Ritchie have expressed their hope he will one day be laid to rest, exactly 10 years after he went missing.
Shaun was 20 and living in Fraserburgh when he went out with friends to celebrate Halloween in 2014.
As detailed in our exclusive documentary on the case, Shaun left his home on Watermill Road in the early evening.
He visited Costcutter in Sandhaven and then called into the Balaclava Bar.
Witnesses then spotted Shaun getting into a van with five friends and two others known to them.
The group of eight travelled in the van to Kersiehill Farm near Strichen shortly after 10pm on Halloween night.
An incident before Shaun went missing
Some kind of incident took place when they arrived and Shaun disappeared.
Two emergency service calls were made from the area late on Halloween or in the early hours of November 1.
One was a person requesting help without providing any detail and the other call was cancelled.
However, it wasn’t until 8.45pm on Sunday that Shaun was reported missing to police – almost 48 hours after he went missing.
It sparked one of the largest missing person inquiries in Scottish history.
‘We only hope you are at peace’
Marking the 10 year anniversary of Shaun’s disappearance, his dad Charlie wrote: “Ten years – a whole decade without you.
“Halloween night of 2014 changed our lives forever.
“How has it been this long without closure or answers about your disappearance?”
Charlie, who put up a £10,000 reward for information that would crack the case, said: “You were a son and brother, and a friend to many.
“We can only live in hope that one day you are found, and are at peace like you deserve.
“We think about you always and you are in our hearts forever.”
Our documentary, Missing from the Broch, uncovered new information about the events of that night.
It sparked new calls to Police Scotland about the case, though frustratingly for Shaun’s family, none of them led to a breakthrough.
Allegations of axe threat
One crucial detail about the case is – what was the incident that happened once the van arrived at the farmhouse?
Police previously said that the group of eight were headed to a party.
However, en-route “there was an issue” – police said – between a passenger and the driver, Neil ‘Nuggs’ Robertson.
Detectives said that Mr Robertson thought “something might happen” and so he drove to the farmhouse, as his brother was there.
At that point, Shaun and his five friends left the area because they wanted to avoid any possible confrontation.
The five of them initially left the scene in two groups.
Each group wrongly thought Shaun was with another.
Shaun’s sister, Nicole Shand, said: “Going by what the boys have said – there was a disturbance that night and one of the boys (who was not Shaun) was chased with an axe.”
This is thought to be an allegation made against Mr Robertson.
He stood trial at Peterhead Sheriff Court in 2017 accused of assault and attempting to strike a person with an axe at the farm that night.
However, Mr Robertson was found not guilty.
‘Everyone has cooperated’
Many within the Fraserburgh community have accused some of the seven people who were in that van – and Mr Robertson’s brother at the farmhouse – of withholding information.
To add to that, one of Shaun’s friends – Jay Ritchie (no relation) – was jailed for assault a year ago today.
Jay claimed the incident arose because someone blamed him for Shaun’s disappearance.
But police have told us that they believe nobody has withheld information about the events of the night Shaun went missing.
Speaking to the Press and Journal for the anniversary, Detective Inspector Andrew Wilson said: “There was never any credible information or evidence to suggest that anyone was withholding information about the circumstances of Shaun’s disappearance.
“This was one of the largest ever missing-person inquiries in the history of Scotland.
“It was thoroughly investigated and reviewed with no evidence of Shaun coming to deliberate harm.
Birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries are worst
“The police investigation focused on gathering all available evidence surrounding the circumstances which led to Shaun going missing.
“That involved interviewing witnesses who were with him that night.
“All of them have cooperated with the police.
“Extensive inquiries have not identified that there is any individual who may be in possession of information not already known to police.”
Det Insp Wilson expressed the feeling most police officers have on key dates on cases they have worked on over long periods, whether they be birthdays, Christmases or anniversaries.
He added: “I understand the significance of the anniversary.
‘It must be extremely difficult for them’
“I’m sure that the case will remain naturally in the public eye.
“My thoughts are with Shaun’s family on this difficult day as they remember Shaun.
“I can appreciate it must be extremely difficult for them – not just on the anniversary but on every other milestone that has occurred without Shaun over the past 10 years since he has been missing.”
He outlined the lengths his colleagues went to in a bid to crack the case a decade ago.
Det Insp Wilson said: “Police were absolutely committed to solving the case.
“When a missing person is classified as high risk, the police react to situations with urgency.
“Officers use the available resources, including specialist units and partner agencies if appropriate, to conduct searches.
“In Shaun’s case, while there was no evidence of foul play, he was a high-risk missing person so the deployment of such significant resources allowed for a coordinated search involving more than 200 officers and other experts from a range of specialisms.
“They covered 22km of ditches, rough terrain and large water areas.
“That demonstrates the police commitment to finding him.”
Cracked case shows there is still hope
Det Insp Wilson acknowledged our documentary and the calls that came from it.
“Since the documentary, there have been individuals who have contacted the police,” said Det Insp Wilson.
He added: “However, after investigation, the information provided always tends to be rumour-based or hearsay and this has never led to any significant developments.”
Despite the length of time the case has gone unsolved, the Renee and Andrew MacRae case shows long-running missing persons’ cases can be cracked.
Det Insp Wilson said: “Every missing person case is unique.
“In cases where considerable time has passed since the missing person was last seen and depending on the circumstances, the chances of them being found are significantly reduced.
“However, it is true that, in some cases, even after many years, there are breakthroughs, for a variety of reasons.
“If anyone has information, I would encourage them to come forward and contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if they wanted to remain anonymous.”
You can watch Missing From the Broch: The Shaun Ritchie Disappearance documentary by clicking here.
