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Police investigating the disappearance of student Richard Okorogheye are conducting searches in Essex after a new confirmed sighting placed him in the area for the last time.
Metropolitan Police have released CCTV footage of the 19-year-old in Loughton in the early hours of Tuesday, March 23.
Okorogheye, a student at Oxford Brookes University, left his family home in the Ladbroke Grove area of West London on the night of Monday March 22nd and was reported missing two days later.
After initial inquiries, it was identified that he had left his home address and was heading in the direction of Ladbroke Grove around 8:30 pm.
In a previously confirmed sighting on Monday, March 22, Okorogheye was seen boarding bus 23 heading south in Ladbroke Grove at 8.44 p.m.
Police said further investigations had established that he then took a taxi from the W2 area of London to a residential street in Loughton, Essex. He was captured on CCTV walking alone down Smarts Lane into Epping Forest at 12:39 am on Tuesday, March 23.
The Met said detectives were working around the clock to track their next steps after this sighting and searches in and around the forest, as well as door-to-door investigations, had begun. They were also working alongside specialist search teams and colleagues from the Essex police.
Okorogheye’s mother, Evidence Joel, previously said that her son had spoken of “struggling to cope” with college pressures and that he had been protecting himself during the Covid-19 shutdown.
As someone with sickle cell disease, Okorogheye would only leave the house to go to the hospital to receive regular blood transfusions for her condition.
DCI Nicki Beecher, from the Met’s West Area Public Protection Unit, said: “It has been nine days since Richard was last seen in person and we remain as committed as ever to locating him and bringing him home to his family.” .
Beecher added: “I would like to once again renew our call to the public for any information that may help with our inquiries. If you may have seen Richard, especially in the Loughton area, or have any information, please contact the police. “
Anyone with information should call the police at 101 quoting 21MIS008134.
