Missing walker's body found during search for missing Skelmersdale man
Search teams had been looking for the 65-year-old in Snowdonia National Park, when they also found a man missing for 12 years from the Stoke-on-Trent area
Last updated 18th Jun 2025
A missing walker's body has been found during a search for a man from Skelmersdale in Snowdonia National Park.
33-year-old Shayne Colaco disappeared 12 years ago leaving behind his parked car and an intended route plan.
The case was unsolved, until police began searching for David Brookfield - who was 65 and was discovered in the same place.
David from Skelmersdale was walking alone in the Carneddau mountain rage on 9th January 2024 when he went missing.
He sent a text to his wife from the top of Carnedd Llewelyn, but no further contact was ever received.
Despite extensive searches in challenging winter weather conditions, David could not be found.
Almost a year ago on 10 May 2024, four months after David went missing, Coastguard helicopter crews finally located his body while carrying out a routine training exercise through the Ogwen Valley.
It was during his recovery on Pen yr Ole Wen that incredibly, volunteers also located the remains of 33-year-old Shayne Colaco, in the same spot.
Around 12 years earlier, the doctor from the Stoke-on-Trent area, had also been walking in the Carneddau range.
Shayne had provided information about his intended route but never returned to his car and was sadly never seen again.
It is believed his descent from the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen took the same fatal turn as David’s.
Sergeant Terry of the North Wales Police Drone Unit, who assisted in the recovery of the two men, said: “This story and these circumstances really are quite exceptional, and my thoughts and feelings are very much with both David and Shayne’s families as we tell the public about this story.”
“While we were carrying out the investigation process into David’s death, a mountain rescue team member found a jacket about five meters further down the gully,” he said.
“The jacket didn't seem to fit with the picture of what we were investigating. It was an older jacket, one that seemed to have been there for some time and inside the pocket was a car key.
“Deep in the memory of this rescue team was Shayne Colaco, who had gone missing in the same area 12 years earlier.”
Highlighting the dangers of walking in Eryri, Sergeant Terry explained David and Shayne were both experienced walkers who were well prepared.
“It's always possible that something will go wrong,” he warned.
“Eryri is an incredible place, it's beautiful, and on a good day, the mountains look achievable and accessible. But it’s important to understand the scale of these hills and the impact of weather – and how quickly it can change.
“In both these cases, David and Shayne ended up in ground which really is very dangerous, which might have seemed inviting from the summit, but as it got steeper and more broken, it became harder.
“And so, I have a very simple safety message - be prepared.”