Sisters of missing Scot who vanished in Portugal on five-day stag do make fresh plea as search for him enters its second week

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

The sisters of a missing British man who vanished just hours into a five-day stag do in Portugal have launched a fresh plea for information as the search enters its second week.
Greg Monks, a 38-year-old plant mechanic from Glasgow, was last seen in the early hours of May 28 during the first night out of a five-day stag do he was on with friends in the resort town of Albufeira.
Mr Monks, who is due to be a groomsman at the wedding of his friend, told pals he was heading back to his holiday apartment but has not been seen since.
Since then, his family have flown out to search for clues as to where he may have gone.
His sisters, Jillian and Carlyn Monks, are working to spread the word to get any information that might assist Portuguese cops in their search.
Carlyn told Sky News: 'As a family we're worried sick. It's so unlike him, but myself and Jillian are just trying to hold each other up back home.'
Jillian added: 'He deserves to be home. We need him home. He need to be back with his family, and it's unimaginable if he's just lying somewhere that we can't find him.
'[Greg] is quiet, works hard, he's happy in his relationship with his girlfriend. He's a great uncle and godfather to our kids. He's a real family man, really family oriented.'
The sisters said police have told them that their brother was last spotted on CCTV in the quieter residential area of Cerro de Águia – which is around four miles from the Novochoro Apartments he had checked into.
The hill with residential properties is also more than an hour's walk west of the Albufeira Strip, where Monks is thought to have left his friends.
'He's been spotted twice walking alone there on CCTV, the area's residential, it's rural - there's really a lot of trees and rocks, it's got quite rough terrain', Jillian said.
The sisters pleaded with people in their area to get in contact with local cops if they have any information about their brother's disappearance.
'If you see his picture, and you know anything, get in touch. If you live in the area, or the surrounding area, and you have home security please check it and get in touch', said Jillian.
She added that she was heartened by people who have already begun searching in their spare time.
'We're getting lots of support online, especially even people over there who are using the last days of their holidays to go up to this area and look for them. People are risking themselves to look in areas they shouldn't have to look', she said.
The sisters said they were looking for information as to whether he took a taxi from his night out, or whether he walked over to the affluent area, as that would determine whether the search effort needed to be moved.
'We want to know if he got a taxi there, if he used his card. He only had his card with him. We want to know if he got a taxi there or are we wasting time searching this area', Jillian said.
'[Local police] told us it would be going to national police, but we won't have a meeting with them or an update for a day or two, and time is not what we have'. she added.
The family fear Mr Monks became lost in the unfamiliar surroundings and may have had an accident.
Hospitals have been checked without success but police are not thought to have yet carried out an exhaustive search of medical centres.
This would involve officers going round wards to check on patients admitted without proper identification.
Ms Monks has described her brother as a 'really hard worker' and a 'quiet guy', whose disappearance immediately 'threw up a red flag'.
She said he has a Thor-type Viking unfinished tattoo at the top of his right arm which would be visible if he was wearing a vest top or had no shirt on.
Ms Kelso is said to have checked through Mr Monks' case to see what was missing. As such, the family believe he was wearing a navy blue Nike shorts and top set when he disappeared.
A GoFundMe appeal set up on behalf of the family to help support the search had reached more than £14,700 yesterday afternoon.
Mr Monks' other sister, Carlyn, also pleaded with people online yesterday as she shared the family's appeal for help.