Family of missing Clitheroe man make emotional plea for public's help to find him

Clitheroe man Zbigniew Strzelczyk, who is 59, walked out of the Royal Blackburn Hospital at about 8.25am on Friday October 16th and was seen in the Bull Hill area of Darwen at about 4pm the same day.

There have been no sightings of him since then.

Over the weekend Lancashire Police asked people to check sheds, garages and outhouses in the area in case he had sought shelter inside, and they also asked anybody with CCTV or dashcam taken in the area of Bull Hill area of Darwen to check if he had been captured on camera. Anybody who has not yet done this is urged to as soon as possible.

And Mr Strzelczyk’s family have now issued a plea for anybody with any information at all about his whereabouts to come forward.

His wife, Grazyna Strzelczyk, said: “Zbigniew is an adored husband and father and our hearts are breaking not knowing where he is.

“He walked out of hospital on Friday and we know he was seen in Darwen later that day, but we have no idea where he may have gone after that.

“We can’t put into words how worried we are about him. We are desperate for any information at all that can help us find him.

“If you think you may have seen him – even if you are not sure it was him – please let the police know. If you have CCTV or dashcam, please check it. You may have captured him and your information could be the one thing that helps us locate him.

“And to our beloved Zbigniew – please let us know where you are. Please come home safely. Proszę daj nam znać gdzie jesteś i szczęśliwie wróć do domu.”

Mr Strzelczyk is described as white, slim to medium build with balding grey hair and a bruise beneath one of his eyes. He speaks Polish and some English. He is likely to be confused and may not know where he is.

He was last seen wearing a dark brown leather jacket, black t-shirt with white dots and a tan belt. He was also carrying a Booths carrier bag when he left the hospital.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Brown, of Blackburn Police, said: “Mr Strzelzcyk has been missing since Friday and we are extremely concerned for his welfare.

“He is likely to be confused and may not know where he is.

“We are continuing to ask everybody who sees this appeal to study his photograph carefully and if they see him, or think they may have seen someone matching his description, to get in touch with us as soon as possible.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting log number 0239 of October 16th. For immediate sightings please call 999.