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A British trainee lawyer has been found dehydrated and exhausted 12 days after his mysterious disappearance in Mallorca.
Ben Ross arrived at the British Consulate in the capital Palma on Monday, “tried and drained but alive”, according to a family friend, and has been treated for dehydration and exhaustion.
The 26-year-old’s mother Felix Robinson, who had flown out to the Spanish island on Saturday “could not be more relieved at seeing her son safe ... and being able to hug him” when the pair were reunited. Friend Carla Speight told The Independent: “The biggest thing to come out of this is she’s got her boy back and that’s what’s important here.”
Mr Ross, from Golborne, near Wigan, went missing on 10 July after having moved to the tourist hotspot of Palma the previous month to visit friends and take a break from studying to become a barrister.
He spoke to his mother daily, telling her that he was enjoying himself, and had secured a job at a green energy company on the island as well as a flat-share.
However, after his belongings were reportedly stolen during a trip to the beach, a series of events led to him vanishing.
His family said he reported the thefts of his phone, passport, iPad, wallet and keys to the local police, but he got lost on the way home and was unable to get back into his apartment until late. According to his family, he tried to break in, causing an argument with his flatmates on 6 July.
Since then he has reportedly been threatened with eviction and has struggled with getting a new phone, due to local policies around identification, which, in turn, made accessing an online bank account difficult.
Mr Ross’s mental health rapidly declined amid the stress, according to his family.
Ms Robinson has been critical of the search for her son, accusing Greater Manchester Police of failing to take her concerns seriously and only activating protocols for missing persons abroad after a huge amount of pressure, which she claimed led to severe delays in the launch of an official search.
The single mother-of-three said she had been supported by the British Consulate in Mallorca as well as the charity LBT Global, which has also been helping the family of Jay Slater, the British teenager whose body was recently discovered in Tenerife following his disappearance in June. The 19-year-old’s mother Debbie Duncan was among loved ones who flew out to the island to assist after a major search was launched.
After flying out to Mallorca on Saturday, Ms Robinson said she immediately started on-the-ground searches and door-knocking in Palma, appealing to local residents and tourists for information and any sightings of him.
Then, Mr Ross was found on Monday, although the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and what happened over the 12 days that he was missing are not yet clear.
Ms Speight said: “With him being so exhausted, she doesn’t want to put too much pressure on him to find out the details because she’s just happy he’s safe.”
Ms Robinson said: “I’m so incredibly grateful for all the help and support we’ve received. Everyone has been truly incredible. We are so relieved to have found him and are now focused on getting him back to full health and home safe and well.”
Mr Ross is now recovering and the family are preparing for their flight back to the UK.
Donations to the GoFundMe that was set up by friends to help find Mr Ross are set to be donated to Andy’s Man Club, a charity supporting men’s mental health.
A GMP spokesperson said: “On Saturday 13 July 2024 we received a report that a 26-year-old man from Wigan was in Spain and his family were struggling to contact him.
“We informed them that they should contact the British Consulate who would be able to assist them in the search for their loved one abroad.
“On Wednesday 17 July 2024, we assisted the family with submitting a report to Interpol to allow the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to act on their behalf in Spain.”
