Missing Irish man found after 2 months

Irishman Stephen Warde. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Stephen Warde, the Irish man who had been missing in Malaysia for over two months, has been found “safe and well”, an Irish news website, Joe, reported today.

The 32-year-old was last seen on Dec 28, a day before his tenancy at a unit in the Mercu Summer Suites along Jalan Sultan Ismail was to expire.

Joe, quoting councillor Joe Byrne, a Fine Gael member of the Galway County Council, Ireland, confirmed that Stephen had been found in the last few hours, adding an official statement could be released soon.

Stephen, who lived in the Irish city of Galway, had arrived in Malaysia on Nov 15 and was reportedly in touch with the family till Jan 1.

The police had on Jan 25 said the man was still in the country because his passport had not been used to exit the country.

A Facebook page titled “Help Find Stephen Warde – in Malaysia” which had been organising fundraising events for the search efforts also confirmed the news, posting “Stephen Warde has been found safe and well in Malaysia. More information to follow when we have it.”

A GoFundMe page for Stephen had reached over €19,000 (RM88,000), Joe reported.

The money went to financing the search, “including potential medical expenses when he is found, accommodation for his family while in Kuala Lumpur, the cost of a private investigator (as recommended by the KL police), and a reward for any information leading to his whereabouts”, the website said.

Any spare money will be donated to a missing persons charity, it added. - FMT