There are some missing persons cases which defy logic and lead detectives to a trail for clues which takes them well beyond everyday police work. One such case is that of Greek National Ioannis Oikonomopoulos.
The decorated lifeguard, who had moved to the UK in 2018 and lived in east London, vanished during the pandemic five years ago without atrace.
His disappearance on February 18 2020 aged 33 was reported by his frantic partner after he left the flat they shared without his phone and not saying goodbye. The last footage of Ioannis showed him walking near shops next to the A12 in east London wearing just one shoe. The video was taken shortly after he left home.
When he didn’t return that evening, Ioannis’ partner reported his disappearance to Havering police, who alerted their missing persons unit, based at Romford police station, and a complex investigation was triggered.
After years of diligent police work, supported by the charity Missing People, and liaising with Ioannis’ family, it tragically remains a cold case with no concrete information on his fate.
Rebecca Coster is the officer in charge of the investigation, which has taken her from the streets of east London to a Greek monastery in Essex and waterways near where Ioannis disappeared.
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‘As a lifeguard in Greece, he had saved lives and won bravery awards. In London, he worked in a sports centre, but he didn’t enjoy it there and felt more like a cleaner so had been struggling a bit,’ PC Coster tells Metro.
‘As soon as we receive a report like this we try to find CCTV footage and urge families and friends to tell us everything about the person including their medical history and habits, where they may go… it’s vital we get as much information and that people are honest with us.’
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As Ioannis’ disappearance was clearly out of character, he was given priority status from day one of the investigation.
‘He went missing during covid which was a problem because a lot of shops were closed and we had trouble getting their CCTV footage,’ PC Coster remembers. ‘We eventually got a clip of him on the A12. One of his shoes was missing which was obviously odd.
‘That is the last that is seen of him.’
Since Ioannis’ disappearance, the officers on the case have been in regular contact with his family in Greece but the language barrier and the harrowing nature of the case have been challenging. They have spent hundreds of hours on the case which has spanned police forces.
‘We drained a body of water near where he disappeared but nothing. I also visited a Greek monastery in Tiptree, Essex, as the family thought he may go there or they may know something,’ she adds. ‘We have spoken to colleagues in Greece and are still working on the case. We will not give up.’
Acting sergeant Mark Denham is also working on the case with PC Coster and adds: ‘We have spoken to Greek media in London and regularly update the family. They are lovely people and to have a loved one go missing is so terrible. But while the investigation is open there is still hope.’
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Indeed, the officers have instigated live searches by specialists and the marine support unit, while adding Ioannis to the Live Facial Recognition (LFR) register, which uses technology to compares live camera feeds to a watchlist to identify potential matches.
Given the intense nature of the work she does, PC Coster admits it’s not easy to compartmentalise the job and personal life.
‘It’s very difficult. We are still praying we can find him alive. We can’t just go home and forget about it. It’s always there, we are always hoping,’ she explains.
‘There was a girl that went missing in the 1970s on our patch. The case is never closed, you just never know. The other day I was in central London and I saw a group of people and I thought “Is that Ioannis?”
‘You never switch off, you always hope you can get a good outcome for the family. When you do it’s just amazing.’
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