With GMP enquiries in to the disappearance of 22 year old Christopher Brahney continuing, and with what can only be described as a massive media appeal gaining momentum all the time (Including television, radio, press and social media sites) Greater Manchester Police today switched the focus of their search from Heaton Park to the Bowlee area of Middleton.

Chris Brahney, aged 22, from Timperley, was last seen by friends around 23:30hrs on Friday night, 29th June, in Heaton Park, where he was attending the first of three Stone Roses concerts at the venue.

At the end of the concert he had become separated from his friends, and was subsequently reported missing.

With growing concern to establish his whereabouts, Greater Manchester Police had requested that mountain rescue undertake a thorough search of the very extensive grounds of Heaton Park on the evening of Monday 2nd July. (Please see website ‘News’ report Incident 48-2012)

GMP continued their search efforts focusing again on Heaton Park today, including Officers from the North West Regional Underwater Search and Marine Unit (Police) searching the lake areas in the park.

News was then received and investigated, regarding what turned out to be a credible sighting of Christopher in the very early hours of Saturday morning, 30th June 2012, in the Bowlee Park area of Bowlee, Middleton.

This site was one of the designated park and ride bus areas in connection with the Stone Roses concert.

The Police search effort then ‘moved’ to the Bowlee Park area, which has extensive grasslands, scrub and wooded areas.

At 16.50hrs our Team Leader, Garry Rhodes MBE was contacted by a GMP Missing Person Search Manager, for the teams assistance in searching this area.

Oldham MRT (This being their operational area) and Rossendale and Pendle MRT, were also contacted for their assistance.

A full team pager call out was made at 17.06hrs and by 19.10hrs most of our responding members had arrived at the Bowlee Park RVP,situated off the A6045.
Our members joined a very large number of MRT searchers and Police Officers, swelled by members of the public (Many from the adjacent Langley Estate) and friends of Christopher, in an extensive and thorough search of the Bowlee Park area.

Two of our members, Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon and Steve Fletcher, in appropriate water search and rescue PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) were specifically tasked with searching nearby water filled ditches and marsh areas.
Our members commenced their allocated search areas at 20.00hrs, completing by 21.30hrs, followed by debriefing, with all the Bolton MRT personnel having left the search RVP by 22.00hrs.

Sadly despite the intensive search effort this evening, Christopher was not located, and GMP enquiries are continuing.

The following resources were involved in the search this evening at Bowlee Park;

• Oldham Mountain Rescue Team; Mobile Search Control vehicle, Team Minibus and two Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, with twenty eight team members in attendance.
• Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team; Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance and eight team members present.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Four Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, Team minibus, with twenty four team members present.
• Greater Manchester Police; Two Missing Person Search Managers, Vehicles and fifteen Officers from the Tactical Aid Unit, Divisional resources.
• Merseyside Police; One Specialist Police Search Dog Unit.
• Members of the public (Many from the adjacent Langley Estate) and friends of Christopher Brahney.