Overview
- Michael Hewitt, 65, who was last heard from on June 21, has been found safe in Barcelona and is back in contact with his family.
- An off-duty British police officer on holiday recognised Hewitt by his Leeds United shirt and alerted Barcelona police who helped confirm his identity.
- The family had launched a major cross-border search that involved public social-media appeals, Spanish authorities, Interpol and the British Consulate.
- Hewitt had lost his phone after arriving in Barcelona and was unaware of the global search, and he only planned to continue to Boston if he secured a World Cup ticket.
- The case shows how public sightings, consular tracing and local policing can combine to locate missing nationals abroad and bring families rapid resolution.