Family appeals for help to locate missing 14-year-old boy on eastern Costa del Sol
The teenager did not show up for classes on his first day back at school on Monday, having previously said goodbye to his friends
Marc Ian Campos Perlaza, 14, has been missing in Rincón de la Victoria on the eastern Costa del Sol since Monday, 15 September, which was supposed to be his first day back to school. However, the boy never turned up for classes. His parents are desperate to find him, but the boy does not have a mobile phone.
Marc Ian lives with his parents and grandmother in Rincón de la Victoria. His older brother, 31, lives in Huéscar (Granada province). The family is originally from Ecuador, but they have been living in Spain for more than 20 years. Marc Ian was born in Malaga province.
On Monday morning, the boy said goodbye to his grandmother. She perceived a "strange" attitude in her grandson and noticed that he was carrying a pillow, a sandwich, a backpack full of clothes and the juices that his parents had bought him for the whole week.
The grandmother asked him where he was going "with so much stuff" and when she did not receive a convincing answer, she told his parents, who were at work. "My wife went to the school, where she received confirmation that he had not shown up for his classes," said the boy's dad, Marco Antonio Campos.
According to his parents, Marc Ian is a "normal teenager, with no psychological problems". They describe him as a boy "with a very bright and mature mind and a very respectful way of being". He has few friends, but very good ones. He is particularly close with two of them, to whom he apparently said "see you never". When they asked him whether they would keep in touch, he said: "Yes, of course."
The child's parents immediately went to the Guardia Civil in Rincón de la Victoria to file a missing persons report. The officers said that they would give priority to his case as he is an adolescent.
The family, supported by friends and missing persons associations, are trying to spread the word as much as possible on social media. According to the father, on Tuesday they received several reports of sightings in Chilches or near the Parque Tecnológico (PTA), but these were false alarms.
The parents do not know the reason for the disappearance, although they believe it might be related to school. Apparently, Marc Ian was about to repeat the year. "He was very frustrated. He said he would rather change schools than change classmates," Marco Antonio said.
