Mum of missing Brit Ben Ross to fly to Majorca for desperate door-to-door hunt as UK cops issue update on disappearance
THE “petrified” mum of the latest Brit missing on a Spanish holiday island is racing the clock to fly out of the UK to find her beloved son.
Felix Robinson doesn’t have a current passport, but is hoping the Home Office provides her one on compassionate grounds so she can rush to Palma, Majorca, where son Ben Ross vanished.
Ben, 26, hasn’t been seen or heard from since July 10.
His last contact with his mum was a “peculiar” email indicating his mental health declined after being robbed at the beach and then falling out with flatmates.
Ben moved to the sun-soaked island in June for a break from law studies.
Now mum Felix is battling to book flights as she crowd-sources funds for the desperate door-to-door hunt on the Palma streets.
Felix’s friend Carla Speight, who has been helping raise awareness over Ben’s disappearance, said the distraught mum is facing exorbitant costs and a lack of accommodation options amid peak holiday season.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester police released a statement regarding the search for Wigan lad Ben, saying it had referred the family to the British consulate.
A spokesperson said: “On Saturday 13 July 2024 we received a report that a 26-year-old man from Wigan had travelled to Spain and stopped contact with his friends and family.
“We informed them that they should contact the British Consulate who would be able to assist them in the search for their loved one abroad.”
In an email to The Sun, Felix’s friend Carla said: “Felix will put every penny she has into finding her son, we know with the astronomical costs she won’t be eating and drinking properly.
“Right now she hasn’t even considered accommodation.
“As a single parent myself, I know I wouldn’t be eating or drinking and instead put that money into printing posters to hand out or put fuel in a hire car to drive round to the historical spots he might be at.”
Close friend Anne Marie O’Neill said mum-of-three Felix was the “most dedicated” mother she knew.
Anne said: “We just want to make sure our friend has a safe space to sleep and enough to get a hire car to find her son.
“In situations like this, no one has a backup plan for when a family member goes travelling.
“No one thinks this will happen to them, no one has a spare pot of cash lying around in case this horrendous nightmare happens to them.
“Getting support is incredibly difficult and we are just making sure she has everything she needs to stay safe and find Ben.”
The GoFundMe page has raised more than £2,100 as of Friday afternoon, with a target of £5000 set.
Felix said: “Like any mother, no matter what age your children are, they are still your children.
“I just need to know my son is safe and well. The last few days have been torture.
“Please, if anyone has seen Ben, even if it’s just for a second, let the authorities know. We need to find him.”
AUTHORITIES ASSISTING
The Foreign Office meanwhile confirmed it was supporting Felix and her family.
A FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Spanish cops now say they are urgently trying to track down the missing Brit, with a homicide unit leading the search.
A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca said: “We are aware of this disappearance and work is being done to try to locate this man.
“That’s all we can say at this present time.”
Homicide units are generally chosen to lead missing persons cases in Spain.