Father of missing man Nathan Cole pleads for his safe return

The father of a man missing for more than a week has pleaded for his safe return, saying “I just want him to come home, he’s not in any trouble”.

Nathan Cole, 32, was last seen walking along Banbury Road in Walthamstow, east London, at 11.27pm on Saturday January 21.

Police believe he had been planning on attending a gig in Camden that evening but may have decided to visit friends instead.

His phone was last active at 12.41am and there has been no activity from his bank account since then.

Mr Cole’s family, who previously lived near the Walthamstow area, said his disappearance was “very out of character” as they appealed for information outside New Scotland Yard.

His father Eamonn Cole said: “I just want him to come home, he’s not in any trouble.

“It’s not unusual for him to be out on an evening, but it’s completely unprecedented for him to have been missing for so long.

“We all love him very, very much. He is loved by many people. We need him home.”

Luke Cole, his brother, said: “Nathan was the oldest of five children, we’re a big family. We’re very close and have always spent a lot of time together.

“He was a very outgoing person, even outside of the family. He would always make time for anyone, even homeless people and people who looked like they were in need. He always was a very selfless person.

“I urge anyone who has brothers or sisters to please keep a look out. This is very hard for us, we have lost one of our five now.”

His sister Hannah Cole said: “Nathan was a very gregarious person, he was very social and it was normal for him to be out late at night.

“Nathan wouldn’t do this. We’ve even done our own investigation, looking at his social media, texts and calls and his last transactions. He is always active on our WhatsApp group. Something has happened to him.

“I would urge anyone who was in the Tottenham or Walthamstow area on the 21st of January to think carefully about whether they have seen something suspicious and to tell the police if you remember anything out of the norm.”

Angela Craggs, head of public protection for Central West BCU, said: “At the moment my officers are piecing together Nathan’s movements using CCTV and speaking to friends of Nathan who may know of his whereabouts.”

“He is a white man, about 5ft 10ins. He was wearing small Leonard-style round glasses, a grey trench coat and dark trousers, Dr Martens shoes and a red scarf.

“We know that Nathan does know the Walthamstow area very well and likely still has some friends in the area. We’re hopeful that this explains his whereabouts and we can return him to his family.”