Steven Clark: Missing man's parents say murder arrest 'was hell'

Steven Clark was hit by a truck when he was a child which left him with disabilities

An elderly couple arrested over the disappearance of their son nearly 30 years ago have said being accused of his murder was "hell".

Steven Clark was last seen close to his home in Marske, near Redcar, on 28 December, 1992, when he was aged 23.

Doris and Charles Clark were detained in September as part of a murder probe following a cold case review. They were released without charge on Tuesday.

Mr Clark said he believed his son is "still out there, somewhere".

"[It's been] 28 years and we haven't heard a thing from him," he added.

Steven's body has never been found and police said the investigation was ongoing.

'No proof of life'

Speaking about their arrest, Mr Clark said his wife was accused of murdering Steven while he was alleged to have buried him in the garden at the family home.

"They dug everything up," he said.

"They moved the shed and everything.

"The police have got a job to do, Why they pick on us, I haven't got a clue. Why it took so long to free us, I don't know."

Cleveland Police has declined to comment.

Charles and Doris Clark have been released without charge

Mrs Clark said the couple were held in police cells, an experience she described as "scary" and "ludicrous".

"How did they know he had been murdered? As far as we know there's no evidence," she said.

Mr Clark said the couple have had "17 weeks of being ignored".

"After 28 years of Steven being missing, why suddenly pounce on us like that and within 24 hours take us out of our home and lock us away?

"I thought it was a joke, I was looking for the cameras, I thought it was a TV stunt or something where they were playing a trick on us, but it wasn't, it was horrible."

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The couple told the BBC they had ruled out taking any legal action against the police.

The disappearance is being treated as murder following a cold case review by the Cleveland and North Yorkshire police forces.

Det Ch Insp Shaun Page said detectives have followed "a significant number of lines of inquiry" since the launch of the murder investigation in 2020.

"We are continuing to investigate Steven's disappearance and people can continue to contact us with information," he said on Tuesday.

"There is no proof of life and we believe Steven has come to serious harm. The case continues to be classified as one of suspected murder."

Steven Clark appeared in a video which was shown in TV appeals after he disappeared

Steven Clark was left with disabilities following a childhood road accident, including a severely damaged left arm, a damaged leg and pronounced limp.

Detectives originally believed he was last seen going into toilets near Saltburn Pier, but in September Cleveland Police said he had been sighted later the same day near his home.

At the time of his disappearance he was attending the Rathbone Society in Redcar which helped people with disabilities find employment.

He had also taken part in a training video, which was first shown in television appeals after he went missing.