Has anyone seen Cole? A family’s search for missing teenager

When 19-year-old Cole Cooper stepped out on a crisp May night earlier this year, no one could have imagined he was in the final hours of his life.

He was in a pub near his home in central Scotland with friends.

However, hours later his phone went dead; There was neither message nor social media post.

When no trace of him was found five days later, his family called the police.

“I was told he was a lost teenage boy who was probably out and drunk,” said Cole’s mother, Wendy Stewart.

He said he was told Cole was not a high risk.

Police risk assessment is a critical part of a missing person investigation. It is a series of questions that reveal the possibility that someone may have been harmed.

Questions include any known risk of suicide and whether it would be out of character for the person to disappear.

The risk rating given by the police determines the level of resourcing for the case.

Police Scotland said the decision to make a public appeal depends on the circumstances and a person’s age, gender or sobriety is not a factor.

Warning: This article contains distressing details and references to suicide

Cole’s family told the BBC’s Disclosure program they had told police from the beginning that Cole’s disappearance was not typical behavior and that he was struggling with his mental health.

“We told the police about Cole’s mental health. Even though Cole had not been diagnosed with depression or anything like that, he struggled,” Wendy said.

“And yet they didn’t see Cole as a high risk.

“He never ran away… The police never got involved in my son’s life until he went missing.”

Police initially thought Cole was medium risk after conducting an assessment and speaking with family and friends.

They said Cole moved between addresses regularly and that it was not unusual for him to lose contact with his family periodically.

Cole’s family felt they had no choice but to investigate and file their own objections.

“When they didn’t listen to us, we decided to do it ourselves,” said her aunt Aimee Tennee.

They wrote a simple post on social media: “Has anyone seen Cole?”

“As soon as it continued there, it kind of started to spiral,” Aimee said.

Cole’s story began to spread across Scotland and beyond. His face was featured in many TikToks, Instagram stories and Facebook updates.

The family created an expert page and opinions and information were shared among thousands of people online.

Aimee said they received hundreds of messages from people who thought they saw Cole.

The family organized search parties, at times involving up to 300 people, during the later stages of the search.

The disappearance shocked the close-knit community of Banknock, a former mining village on the banks of the Forth-Clyde canal, near where Cole lived. Nearby residents who helped with the search efforts also scanned the area.

The family also began going door to door asking people to check security cameras.

“It’s pretty sad that we’ve gotten to the point where we have to do this,” Aimee said.

“Instead of focusing on your grief, your despair, and the helplessness you feel for that person, you are now in a different role.”

Police Scotland said the family had expressed a wish to carry out their own searches and objections and they had the right to do so.

A spokesman said: “We advised them on this. However, at no time did Police Scotland ask or encourage the family to lead the investigation or provide updates.”

Police were also looking for Cole.

They made the first public announcement five days after he was reported missing and subsequently upgraded his risk rating from medium to high.

In addition to victim rescue dog teams and unmanned aerial vehicles, a police helicopter and divers were also brought in.

The family pieced together the final hours of Cole’s life and created a timeline of where the teenager went in hopes of clues.

They found footage of him just after leaving the bar in Denny’s in Stirlingshire on Saturday night.

She was caught on camera going to a house party, then a doorbell camera caught her walking to and from her father’s house, even though he wasn’t inside.

The family obtained CCTV footage from a mechanic’s garage which captured Cole standing next to a bus stop as he headed towards the main street in Longcroft.

He was seen walking past a row of houses near Banknock at 6am, then running down Cumbernauld Road.

This was the last confirmed sighting of Cole.

Yes approximately 15,000 missing person reports to Police Scotland every year – around 40 people a day.

Although the vast majority are found or return, up to 20 individuals each year are not found within 12 months.

It is estimated that 75 per cent of adults have suffered loss while missing, and last year it was estimated that 97 people were found dead after being reported missing.

According to organizations specializing in missing persons, men are the group most at risk of serious harm in the hours and days after they go missing.

Families regularly tell campaigners of a similar experience: that their sons were not seen as vulnerable.

They say age and gender act as a buffer that eases the urgency of their disappearance.

Campaigners say the assumption that young men are hardy, unpredictable and prone to disappearing and therefore less vulnerable could cost lives.

Josie Allan is head of policy at Missing People, the UK’s only charity dedicated to reuniting missing people with their loved ones.

“We hear from families that because the missing person is a young man, there is an assumption that they will be okay, that boys will be boys and that they will return of their own accord.

“There is a perceived lack of sensitivity for boys and young men, when in fact we would be really concerned if it was a young woman who disappeared for a few days.

“We don’t fully understand the risks they may face and families feel that this can inform the risk assessment, inform the amount of resources that are put into it and ultimately mean they are deemed unsafe.”

Cole’s body was found by a member of the public in a small, wooded area next to a children’s playground, about a kilometer from his mother’s home, five weeks after he was last seen. He was leaning against a tree with a tie around his neck.

The exact cause of death could not be determined in the autopsy examination.

Police told the family there was no evidence that anyone else was involved in Cole’s death and it was not disclosed.

“What can’t be explained?” asks Wendy. “If you’re saying you think my son committed suicide, why is it still unexplained?”

Josie Allan says this often happens when police resources are not subjected to a thorough investigation.

“This could certainly contribute to an unexplained result because unfortunately some evidence has been lost,” he says.

“If young men are less likely to feel this sense of urgency, and therefore less likely to be found immediately when something bad happens, this may mean that answers to what is happening to them are less likely to be found.”

Police Scotland told the BBC that all deaths with unknown circumstances or cause are being treated with caution.

“Similar initial protocols for suspicious deaths are being implemented until further information becomes available.”

The Scottish government recently updated the National Missing Persons Framework, strengthening risk assessment and promising better engagement with families.

But campaigners argue gaps will remain unless deeper cultural assumptions about young men are addressed.

If you are affected by any issues in this story, you can contact us. BBC Action Line for help and advice.