The family of a missing Inverness teenager has issued an emotional appeal for the public’s help to bring him home.
Anxious relatives of Adam Mitchell – who has not been seen in almost two weeks – said yesterday that they were “desperately concerned” for his welfare.
The 18-year-old was last spotted on a CCTV camera walking on Longman Road in the Highland capital in the early hours of Thursday, November 10.
He had earlier been in pubs in the city centre and last spoke to his family at 8.30pm that night.
A major police operation has been launched to try to find the missing teenager – and yesterday his family issued a plea for help to find him.
Specialist search officers also continued looking for signs of the young man in the Longman area and on the shoreline of the Moray Firth.
In a statement, Mr Mitchell’s family said: “Our son Adam left home on Wednesday afternoon (November 9) to go in town, where he was seen talking and having a laugh with people he met in the Tooth and Claw pub.
“He last spoke to his father at 8.30pm in the evening.
“He left Wetherspoons just after 12am. He was alone, he walked down the Longman and was last seen at 1am on CCTV.
“This is totally out of character for Adam who rarely strayed from home without letting his parents know when he would be home.”
Mr Mitchell’s family described him as a “typical teenager” who loved heavy metal music.
He usually wears an off-cut denim jacket decorated with patches of his favourite bands – an item of clothing which his family described as his “pride and joy”.
His family added: “He was wearing it when he was last seen over the top of his leather jacket, he always wore black jeans and black boots.”
“Adam has a very distinctive look, long flowing brown hair and a beard.
“He didn’t wear jewellery unless you include his headphones, he was always listening to music when he walked anywhere.
“He was friendly and open with everyone he met and he was a gentle, fun-loving young man who was loyal to his friends.
“We are desperately concerned for our son who seemed to have lost his way, we would dearly love for our son to return home to us.”
Yesterday, police officers, dogs and specialist search teams focused on areas around the Longman industrial estate where Adam was seen and Moray Firth coastline.
The searches on the coast focused on a stretch on the Black Isle side of the firth between Chanonry Point and Avoch.
A police spokeswoman said: “Police would like to thank everyone who has made contact to date and would continue to encourage anyone who has information and hasn’t already come forward to phone 101 as soon as possible.
“All information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, will be investigated and could greatly assist officers in locating Adam.”
Mr Mitchell lives in the Culduthel area of the city and is around 5ft 11in, of heavy build with long brown hair and a beard.
When he was last seen he was wearing a black leather jacket, his denim vest, black jeans and boots.