Man Disappears Mysteriously….But It’s Not The Last We See From Him Or His Wife

The Darwins seemed like a normal family to anyone on the outside. John Darwin worked as a teacher and prison guard while his wife was a normal everyday housewife raising her children. The couple had two children in addition to their own small business renting bedsits. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary until the day that John Darwin seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, and things got even stranger when he turned up one day years after he disappeared. The mystery surrounding the events of the story has captivated audiences around the world and left everyone wondering one question: why?

John Darwin was born on August 14th, 1950 in Hartlepool, England. As a young boy, he attended St. Francis RC Grammar School and would attend college in Lancashire at De La Salle College. When he was in college, Darwin studied biology and chemistry. It was in Blackhall in 1973 that John Darwin got married to his then wife and future co-conspirator Anne Stephenson. After getting married, John went and worked for nearly 18 years at Derwentside as a teacher of science and mathematics.

After his considerably long stint as a teacher, Darwin went to go work for Barclays Bank. After working there, John again switched careers. His next job was as a prison officer in HM Prison Holme House. John’s wife Anne found work as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, but the two also had a side business of their own. They would rent out bedsits in County Durham, but would run into serious financial difficulties in 2000 after purchasing two homes in Seaton Carew.

It’s no surprise that the debt that the family was enduring was bringing about serious stress for John. In an interview, Anne explained that, “John was so intent on appearing “well off” that he ended up sending them into a spiral of debt”.  The debt itself was said to be in the tens of thousands range. Because of this, John began to discuss quick and easy ways of getting out of debt. One of the ideas he began considering was faking his own death in order to make a claim on the insurance.

On the 21st of March, Darwin decided to take his canoe out in the sea at Seaton Carew. After failing to show up for work later that day, Darwin was reported as missing to the authorities. As a result, a massive search operation was launched. The search took place over an area of 62 square miles of coastline. The searchers were able to recover the paddle and the canoe on separate occasions. However, they were unsure as to how such an incident was possible as conditions were nearly perfect.

The early months after the disappearance was a tricky time for both Anne and John. The couple had even decided to keep the secret from their sons. He had initially found refuge in the bedsit right next door to the family home. However, he finally moved back in with Anne in 2003; all this was done in secret of course. During this time, Anne was waiting to receive John’s death certificate which finally came stating that he had passed the day he went missing.

Once she had obtained the death certificate, it was easy for Anne to begin the process of claiming the life insurance. It is said that Anne received approximately £25,000 from the AIG subsidiary Unat Direct Insurance Management Limited in addition to a larger amount that was then used to pay off the couple’s mortgage. It was at that point that a lot of the stress that had accumulated, with regard to the debt was that was left by John, was relieved.

At some point in 2003, John Darwin was recognized by one of the tenants on the block of the bedsits owned by Darwin. The man who recognized John Darwin is named Lee Wadrop. After the initial recognition, he essentially asked Darwin why he was not dead. Darwin supposedly responded by telling Lee not to talk about this encounter with anyone. Lee, not wanting to get tangled up in this mess, took Darwin’s advice and did not go to the police. It was at this point that Darwin knew he had to consider moving.

While considering possible locations for them to go to, Darwin thought Cyprus might be a viable option. In 2004, he began the process by applying for a passport. He applied using the fake name “John Jones”, but he also took a risk and used the real home address. He eventually received the passport without a hitch, and by 2004 the couple had made the journey to Cyprus. The purpose of the trip was to decide if they would like to purchase property there.

By 2005, Darwin had been able to avoid being caught. However, that does not mean that he was not completely recognized by anyone. A man named Matt Autie is believed to have met Darwin while fishing at a lake in Penzance, Cornwall. When introducing himself, Darwin reportedly used the name John Williams. By the time he was back home, Darwin was in the process of planning his next outlandish adventures. He appeared to have full confidence that no one would recognize him.

While Darwin was back in the UK, he had begun to spend more and more time on the internet. While surfing the web, he engaged with a few individuals. Among them was a woman from Kansas in the United States, whom Darwin would eventually fly out to meet in person. Upon his return, he would go and make yet another trip. However, this time he was meeting with boat dealer Robert Hopkin in Spain to view a 42 ft. catamaran that he was thinking of purchasing.

The next time Darwin’s paper trail would be picked up would be in 2006. Up until this point, he had been able to maintain a very low profile, with the exception of a few people initially recognizing him, but not reporting him to any authorities. This time a neighbor of Darwin had begun to do some building work. Darwin was certainly not too happy about his. He filed a planning objection, but, of course, he signed his objection using a false name.

In July of 2006, both Darwin and his wife decided they would go to Panama. While they were there, they again considered purchasing property in order to begin their business there. They met with a property agent in an effort to evaluate viable property locations. The property agent was insisting that the couple take a photo with him in order to be used for promotional purposes. It was this photo that was then posted to the internet and would later become infamous.

John and Anne Darwin both moved to Panama in 2007. Back in 2006, the bedsit next to their home, where John was staying for most of the time he was in hiding, was transferred into their son’s name. The bedsit was then sold, and the resulting money was then transferred to Panama to fund the couple’s venture once they moved. The couple started a company called Jaguar Properties. Under this company name, they purchased a £50,000 two bedroom apartment in El Dorado.

Anne Darwin decided to return to the UK in April of 2007 while John stayed in Panama. She wanted to be there in order to sell the family house. A month later, the couple decided to move forward with the purchase of a £200,000 estate in Escobal, Colón, Panama which is near to the Panama Canal. It was at that location that the couple were considering building a hotel where travelers would be able to take canoeing vacations from.

By June, Anne was back in Panama spending a month and a half with John. However, after she returned to the UK, a coworker overheard her speaking on the phone and became suspicious after realizing that she was speaking to John. The coworker reported her suspicions to the authorities who shortly after opened up an investigation into the matter. However, it did not stop Anne from continuing her actions. She would join John on a Costa Rican holiday in November.

Panama had made a change that tossed a wrench into Darwin’s plans. The new “investor visa” required that the identities of the people applying for the visas be verified by the police from their country of origin. Thus, Darwin would need official UK police verification which would be nearly impossible using his fake names and aliases. After flying back to the UK, he hatched a plan that he figured would give him the best chance at getting the required paperwork before allowing him to return to Panama.

On the first of December, John Darwin proceeded with his master plan to fool the police. He walked into a police station in London, and simply declared that he had no memory of the previous five years. Upon hearing the news, Anne acted with surprise, shock and happiness. However, the police were not buying the act she was putting up. The facts of the matter were simply too suspicious; she was transferring huge sums of money abroad, taking several vacations and selling the family home.

It was only five days later that a story came out about the Darwins. Someone had randomly stumbled across the picture of them with the property agent in Panama through a Google search. When asked about the photo, Anne reportedly responded by saying, “Yes, that’s him. My sons will never forgive me.” The photo was brought to the attention of the Cleveland Police who, at that point, came to the house of Darwin’s son Anthony to arrest John.

Similar to Anne, the sons were overjoyed when they found out that their father was alive. However, it did not take long for them to start learning some of the details of the case. Once more information began to become clear, they both realized that they had been conned by both of their parents. After the shocking revelation, their sons decided to drop all contact with both John and Anne. This is not surprising considering what they put their children through.

As previously mentioned, Darwin had used the fake name “John Jones” in order to apply for his passport and on other important documents. Using this information, the police were able to follow his movements in an effort to accurately track the previous five years. They uncovered all his trips and realized that he was using the identity of a baby that had died weeks after its birth. This is the same method of obtaining a false identity used if Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal.

When Anne Darwin was interviewed about the her side of the story, she explained that she originally did believe that John had passed away. However, he showed up at the home in 2003 and they decided to move him in secretly between the home and nextdoor bedsit. From the bedsit, there was a secret hole in the wall. The hole accessed the home through a false back wardrobe. Anne was at an inquest into John’s death only two months after he had already moved back in.

Anne had originally stated that her husband, John, had “disappeared” in an effort for the couple to cash in on the life insurance policy that he had taken out on himself. After the inquest, Anne was granted the claim on the life insurance policy. Yet, because a body was not found, they did not pay out on the policy in full. Instead, the insurance company only paid out half of the policy which amounted to a total of £25000.

After Anne’s story broke, John was arrested and charged with making a false statement to obtain a passport in addition to receiving life insurance money by deception. The next day, Anne was arrested as she returned to the UK. After another couple of days, both Anne and John were faced with charges of fraud. Both were remanded in custody and had yet another court date set for a month from then where they would again face more charges of fraud.

In July of 2008, both Anne and John Darwin were convicted of fraud. John had some additional charges, because he had used the fake name when he was applying for a passport. As a result, he received a period of six years and three months. Oddly enough, Anne received more time than John. She actually got a total of six years and six months to serve. Although the couple appealed against both of their sentences, neither appeals were granted.

Although having all their debts repaid by April 2014, there were still rumors of unrecovered funds. CPS had stated the total of £541,762.39 was repaid between both of them as most of the assets were actually in Anne’s name. The couple also had two Panamanian bank accounts. There were claims that it contained more than half a million dollars, but this is unconfirmed. The UK authorities have explained that they run into a lot of trouble when dealing with the Panamanian authorities on this issue.

John and Anne divorced after the entire ordeal had unfolded. John Darwin ended up remarrying at the age of 64. He married a women called Mercy May Avila, a 30-something year old Filipina women, who he had a short courtship with. He is now living in the Philippines and it would appear that he is not having what he would exactly call a good time. According to an interview that he gave, John Darwin would like to move back to Panama.

As previously mentioned, John Darwin was struggling while living in the Philippines. It just does not seem like the place Darwin wanted to end up. He is said to be helping his wife sell t-shirts and underwear at a stall on the road. He is also struggling with respiratory problems as the city is filled with dust and fumes from the cars. The high pollution environment has forced Darwin to retreat to his home for the majority of the day.

In an interview, his landlord has come out saying that she feels bad for Darwin. It is unclear whether she and Darwin’s new wife know of John’s criminal record either. They also explain that Darwin does not wish to return to the UK. It is clear that he only wishes to return to Panama or somewhere similar. Yet, he is still collecting his pension checks from the UK which help keep him and his wife financially afloat.

Mark, one of the sons who was deceived by both parents, has decided to leave the years of anger behind. He has somehow found a way to “mend” the relationship he had with his mother. In an interview, he explains that he did not expect to reconcile his relationship so quickly after so many years, but he could not hold the anger any longer. It was very difficult for him to come to a point where he forgave his mother, but he finally did.

The damage created by this fraudulent story is incomprehensible, and the greatest victims here are the children. Although Mark has been able to find a way to “mend” relationship with his mother, he explains that he still find the whole ordeal “unbelievable”. He says  he finds it overwhelming to think about the fact that his father conceived of this whole plan just for the sake of making some extra money. It truly is a horror story from the perspective of the children, but as Mark says, “the love is there” and that is how he is able to move forward and on with his life.