British pensioner found dehydrated after vanishing from Costa del Sol bar

A British pensioner, Clifford Wildgoose, 76, was found dehydrated nearly 48 hours after vanishing from Patrick's 19th Hole Bar in Puerto Banus, an upmarket resort near Marbella, Spain. He disappeared around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, after leaving the bar. He had left his phone and passport at a friend's apartment in La Cala de Mijas, about 30 minutes away, and Spanish authorities were scrutinizing card payments on the morning he vanished and the night before to trace his movements.

A major search to locate him grew through social media appeals and coverage in the press. An eagle-eyed American tourist spotted him in a supermarket around 10:30 p.m. local time on Sunday and called his daughter, Melanie Hall, who then alerted police. The tourist waited with Wildgoose as Spanish authorities rushed to the scene and took him to hospital.

Speaking of her relief, Melanie Hall said, “To say I’m delighted is an understatement. I got straight on the phone to police and they went to pick him up and have taken him to hospital.” She noted that her father’s wife, Joanne, and other relatives had just landed in Spain to join the search when she received the call. Hall described her father as not steady on his feet due to a previous knee replacement and other health issues, and she said he appeared very fatigued and dehydrated when found. “My dad is unwell and he was dehydrated when he was found and we’re not sure where he’s been sleeping because he apparently looks very tired. But the important thing is he’s been found and he’s now safe.”

Wildgoose had traveled to Spain for a weekend visit with a friend and was not feeling very well at the time of his disappearance. As of now, there is no explanation for what prompted the vanishing. The family emphasized that the priority is his health and thanked those who assisted in the search and the authorities who helped locate him.