There has been a new sighting of a missing boy who was last seen on CCTV heading into the woods in a Kent village six days ago. James Gibbons, 16, vanished in Cuxton on Saturday (November 9), and cops later spotted him on footage walking down an alleyway in the village, before entering woods around 12.50pm on the same day.
After police appealed for information on James’ whereabouts on Facebook, a woman said she thinks she saw him in Welling, London – which is around 20 miles from Cuxton – on Thursday between 3.45pm and 4pm. The anonymous woman claimed that the teen “was swaying a little bit” and that she believes was James was wearing a flat cap.
(Image: Kent Police)
James’ concerned family and friends have not heard from him since Thursday and cops are scouring wooded areas with the help of hundreds of volunteers in a bid to find him. A ‘Help find James Gibbons’ group has been set up on Facebook so possible sightings of James can be shared and it has 4,000 members. Large banners and posters appealing for information on James’ whereabouts have also been put up in the village.
On the day he went missing, James is believed to have been wearing brown tracksuit bottoms, black socks, black trainers and a grey Hollister hooded pullover. He is also thought to be wearing a white shirt with a light brown and blue chequered pattern underneath his pullover.
James is described as being around 5ft11 with brown hair and braces on his teeth. He has a distinguishable scar on the right-hand side of the back of his head, which resembles a question mark.
Kent chief Inspector Garry Cook previously said: “We are continuing our search for James and have a number of specialist teams on the ground. We are also using expertise from partner agencies and volunteers from Kent Search and Rescue. Officers now know James walked along the alleyway towards Cuxton Woods and we are now seeking more sightings.
“I’d like to once again urge residents with private CCTV and drivers with dashcam to check for footage that may show him after 1pm on Saturday November 9. Our searches have included rural and wooded areas around the village. We are asking dog walkers, hikers and horse riders to continue looking out for James. Anyone who sees anything they think may be relevant is urged to call us urgently.”
If you have information on where James is call cops on 999, quoting reference number 09-1043.
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