Key update in missing teenager case as search enters 10th day

18 May 2026 • 7:52 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Key update in missing teenager case as search enters 10th day

  • A 14-year-old boy, Taylor Charlton, has been reported missing from Barnstaple, North Devon, since 8 May, after last being seen near a Tesco supermarket.
  • Specialist police teams, along with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the RNLI, and HM Coastguard, are conducting extensive searches, particularly around the River Taw.
  • Police have urged members of the public assisting in the search to stop flying drones, citing safety risks to emergency personnel and potential hindrance to the investigation.
  • A pair of shoes, believed to belong to Taylor, were discovered near the River Taw, leading police to consider the hypothesis that he may have entered the water.
  • Taylor is described as approximately 5ft 8ins tall, of muscular build, with dark brown hair and a moustache, and was last seen wearing a bright blue fitted top, jeans, and bright blue Nike shoes.

IN FULL