When Francisco Garcia was just seven years old, his father left his family and has been missing ever since.
His new book ‘If You Were There: Missing People and the Marks They Leave Behind’ explores his emotional journey to find out what happened, one which takes him all across Britain and back to his father’s homeland of Spain. Francisco also shares the stories of those he meets along the way: the police investigators, the charity employees and volunteers, the once missing and those perilously at risk around us, the families, friends and all those left behind.
Missing People are pleased to support the launch of Francisco Garcia’s new book, ‘If You Were There.’ Francisco has been a friend to the charity and interviewed our very own, Kirsty Hillman, our Lost Contact Supervisor, for the book.
‘This book is a fascinating insight into the complex layers of what it is to be missing and the deep reverberations felt by the families waiting for news. The author shines light on the myriad of issues that result in someone disappearing, with the compassion and empathy of someone with true lived experience.’ – Kirsty Hillman, Missing People’s Lost Contact Supervisor.
Read the excerpt from If You Were There with Kirsty here.
‘Fransico Garcia captures the longing, the ‘left behindness’ and the eternal loss of missing. A simple story in many ways of a boy missing his dad. It gets way more complicated as he sets off on a journey to seek answers through the many stories of other missing people.’ – Jo Youle, CEO at Missing People
‘Francisco Garcia’s story starts and ends with the mystery of ‘missing’. His remarkable book is the tale of a search. It introduces you to the folk who are there, 24/7, to help: the selfless volunteers and the determined professionals whose job it is to help. At its heart it is a profoundly personal account of what it means to have a ‘missing’ father. You can begin to fathom that by reading this remarkable journalist’s remarkable book. It will help the thousands of others facing what he has faced ,and those who are yet to face it. I hope it also helps all those volunteers and professionals realise how vital they are and how loved they are.’ – Alistair Stewart, Missing People Ambassador
Click the link below to buy ‘If You Were There’ on Amazon.
Buy it nowWe have launched a regular email so that you can be aware of new missing person appeals and share them far and wide! We are also calling on all Heroes to be the eyes and ears for Missing People on the ground. Your sighting of a missing person could make a difference in a crucial time.
