NAME: Alex Holland
AGE AT DISAPPEARANCE: 27
MISSING FROM: Deal, Kent
MISSING SINCE: 28/11/2021
“Alex we are here for you whenever you are ready; we can listen, talk you through what help you need, pass a message for you and help you to be safe. Call. Text. 9 am-11 pm Free. Confidential. 116000”
Media report: 14 December 2021
Mum of missing Alex Holland from Deal speaks of ‘fading hope’ as police say they have ‘no leads’ The mother of missing Alex Holland has spoken of her “living nightmare” as police indicate they have “no leads” as to where her son could be.
It’s now been over two weeks since Rachel Holland and her husband Mark last saw their son, 27, who vanished from Deal on Sunday, November 28. Mrs Holland, a care assistant, didn’t leave the family home of 25 years in Delane Road for an entire week as she followed police advice to stay at home in case he turned up.
She has now had to return to work in order to be able to pay her mortgage but is “barely sleeping”. The mum of three says her youngest born knows her phone number off by heart and feels things “just don’t add up”. In a heartbreaking interview with KentOnline, she admits as each day passes her “hope is fading.” She said: “It’s been two weeks now and we know nothing. “It’s a living nightmare. I’ve never felt pain like this in my life. “I go to bed and cry and then feel guilty that I’m going to sleep knowing he’s out there, but I don’t know where. It’s the not knowing if he’s OK.
“I’ve sat on this sofa with his dad and thought of every scenario. He could have been attacked. He could be lying hurt somewhere. “We want him to know he’s not in trouble. We just want him home, back with us, with his family and his children, back for Christmas.
“We would just love him to do it… to walk back through the door.” Alex, a devoted dad of two who attended Warden House Primary and Sir Roger Manwoods, had been back living with his parents for a couple of months after becoming estranged from his wife of five years.
On the night of Sunday, November 28, he popped his head around his parents’ bedroom door to ask his dad to wake him up in the morning because he had work and the dentist. He then went outside for a cigarette. An hour later, his mum saw that he wasn’t in bed but assumed he’d decided to go out.
It wasn’t until teatime the next day, after zero contact, that she reported him missing to the police. She said: “I kept ringing his phone all day long and it was just going to answer the phone. By teatime I was worried.”
Following his disappearance, police carried out searches for two days using drones and two helicopters. Kent Search and Rescue was also drawn in. The family say officers told them they had also checked ports, hospitals, train stations and taxi services for information. Alex had hired a car while his own vehicle was in for repairs because he relied on it for work delivering upholstery for Plumbs in Dover.
His family say the police found the car in Jubilee Road in Worth.
Mrs Holland, 52, said: “They have told us they have no leads. “It’s like he’s vanished without a trace. We don’t know a thing.” Alex, an Arsenal FC fan who loves fishing, would use Facebook, Snapchat and Tiktok regularly, but has not been active on these sites since. He had told his family his bank card wasn’t working but they think he had some cash on him. The family have also given police details of all of his friends but don’t believe he would be with any of them. Mrs Holland said: “He got on with everybody, he was a devoted dad. “To disappear without contact is just so not like him.
“Wherever he is, he always calls me. “If his phone died, he would go to a phone box or stop a person in the street to use theirs, just to let me know he’s alright, “He’d never not be in contact for this long. “And he wouldn’t leave the kids.” His family say they had a good relationship with Alex, who has suffered from anxiety at times, and there have been no altercations before he disappeared. His mum said: “He’s close to us. He would confide in us. If he was worried about something, he’d come to me and his dad. He’d often say ‘Oh, I love you mum’.” He has two daughters, aged eight and four, and a stepson, aged nine and would spend time with them as frequently as he could, Mrs Holland says.
She continued: “Each day is like another day of nothing. “Each day I’m losing hope. “He went out for a cigarette and that was the last time we saw him. “I don’t know what to think. Too much just doesn’t add up.” His family have been sharing his missing profile on Facebook and are desperate for anyone with information to come forward. Police have informed them of three possible sightings in The Strand in Walmer, Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone and Newington Road in Ramsgate, but after seeing CCTV images the family say none were Alex.
Mrs Holland said: “I’d love to say it was him, but I know what he looks like, and it wasn’t.” But she is thankful for people coming forward, adding: “If you think it’s him, please call the police because they can check CCTV.” Mr Holland is described as 6ft tall with blue eyes and was believed to be wearing grey jogging bottoms. The father-of-two has a small tattoo of the name Roxy on his left hand and a chipped front tooth.
A police spokesman said: “Officers are continuing enquiries to locate Alex Holland, who was reported missing from Deal on 29 November 2021. “Specialist officers have since carried out extremely thorough enquiries; including searches assisted by a police helicopter and partner agencies, speaking to witnesses, and reviewing CCTV at relevant locations, and maintaining contact with friends and relatives in the Deal and Worth areas. “Our work is ongoing, and officers are still very keen to hear from anyone who knows of Mr Holland’s whereabouts or has seen him.”
Anyone who has seen Alex or knows of his whereabouts should call Kent Police on 101 quoting 29-1105
