Public join second big search for missing man with dementia not seen for a week on Costa del Sol

Eugenio Cabezas

Nerja

Monday, 7 April 2025, 15:48

There is still no trace of Miguel Ramírez Fortes, the 66-year-old man from Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol who has dementia and was reported missing on Saturday 29 March, after disappearing from his home in Maro.

The second search, in which around a hundred people participated, including local residents, family, friends and members of the Civil Guard, Local Police and Civil Protection, took place between 10am and 1pm on Sunday 6 April, failed to shed any light on his disappearance. The last search took place on Thursday 3 April.

Volunteers were once again divided into groups of 12 to comb the more than 300 hectares of land comprising the so-called 'vega de Maro' and Tetuán areas. They checked rural lanes, irrigation channels, ravines and agricultural areas. Most of the land is agricultural, but there are also steep mountain areas and large cliffs.

Related articles

Search for missing man on Costa del Sol: 'It is like looking for a needle in a haystack'

Daughter flies in from UK to help in search for missing man on Costa del Sol

Ramírez Fortes was last seen after spending the afternoon of Saturday 29 March with one of his sons in a house in Maro. The son initially claimed that his father had taken a bus to Nerja. However, it is not clear that he took public transport. At least the driver of the vehicle has told the Guardia Civil that he did not see him.

Another person claims they saw him in a taxi heading in the direction of Nerja afterwards and another claims they saw him in a bar in Maro. There are also witnesses who said they saw him last Sunday near his house in Nerja. All the leads have so far been unsuccessful. The Guardia Civil is in charge of coordinating the search for Miguel Ramírez Fortes, with the help of the Local Police and Civil Protection, as well as volunteers.

Sources consulted by SUR have pointed out that it has not yet been decided whether new citizen searches will be carried out in the coming days. However, new specialised search units, including canine teams, will be incorporated into the work, in addition to the drones which have also been working in the area in recent days.