Roger Claypath walked into the shot in his shiny suit. He mounted the steps, standing directly in front of the main entrance that Robin had used himself. He held no sheet of paper, no cue cards. He didn’t look happy, and as he looked at the camera, Robin couldn’t help but feel he was looking directly at him. “Thank you all for coming. This is a public statement about the circumstances surrounding the Standedge Incident, and the status of the investigation into what happened to the missing young people that the community and media have come to call the Standedge Five. Please refrain from asking questions, as I am not taking any at this time.

“In the early hours of yesterday morning, we received an anonymous phone call that led police to discover an alternative entrance to the disused railway tunnel that runs parallel to, and is explicitly connected to, Standedge Canal Tunnel. The caller stated that they saw a disheveled man leaving a crack in the side of the tunnel in distress. Police found what can only be described as a shelter of sorts inside the railway tunnel. It was sufficiently hidden by rocks, but the man seemed to have abandoned it, leaving in a hurry, and had not replaced them properly on this occasion. This is how he was able to evade the initial search.

“It appears that the shelter had been lived in for a long time, leading us to believe that this confirms the rumors of the individual colloquially referred to as the Standedge Monster. The tunnel will remain monitored, although we are mostly sure that he has abandoned his makeshift home for good. We are working hard to locate this individual as well as ascertain his actual identity. Who knows how long the man has actually called the tunnel his home or how well he knows the surrounding areas, but every hour we get closer to establishing the facts of this man’s life. If anyone believes they have sighted the Standedge Monster, please contact your local law enforcement. The anonymous call described him as a thin man of average height with unkempt long black hair and a long black beard. He is dressed in a ragged and dirty white T-shirt and muddy gray tracksuit trousers. I know that isn’t exactly a lot to go on, but when we have an official picture of the man, we will circulate it to all news outlets.