Full Name: Shaun Ritchie

Alternative Name:

Case Status: Missing

Record ID#: 0201

*The names “Jane Doe”  and “John Doe” are English names used when the person’s true name is not known. If used above, the name refers to a person of unknown identity.

Date of Birth*: May 16, 1994
Birthplace: Scotland
Age at the Time: 20
Age Group: 20s
Biological Sex: Male
Hair: Short Hair, Brunette
Eyes: Blue
Skin Complexion:
Shoe Size:
Ethnicity: Caucasian or White
Nationality: Scotland
Languages Spoken:

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Physical Build:

Height:

Weight

Distinguishing Marks:

• Stubble / Beard

Medical Condition:
Physical Abnormality:
Dental Condition:
Scars & Other Marks:
Piercings:
Tattoos:

Other Descriptors:

Clothing

• Dark Grey Skinny Jeans
• White T-Shirt
• Grey Hoodie
• Brown Trainers (Sneakers)
• Belt

Possessions:

Date of the Disappearance*: October 31, 2014

Description: Shaun Ritchie was a vibrant 20-year-old from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Described by his family as a bright, funny young man with a deep passion for music, Shaun was close to his parents and sister. He lived at home on Watermill Road and had recently secured a promising job in the gas and oil industry through his father, who was working abroad in Saudi Arabia at the time. Shaun was set to start this new career soon, marking a positive turn in his life. Just days before his disappearance, on October 26, 2014, he called his father to excitedly plan a meet-up upon Charlie’s return from his business trip.

Halloween 2014 was meant to be a lighthearted night out for Shaun and his friends; nothing too outrageous. . . just a casual gathering to celebrate the holiday. He spent the day at home with his family, enjoying a relaxed Friday before heading out. His mother last saw him that evening as he left the house. Earlier that afternoon, CCTV footage captured Shaun at a nearby convenience store in Fraserburgh, dressed in dark grey skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, a grey hoodie, and brown trainers—the clothes he was wearing when he vanished. The image from this footage, showing a smiling Shaun with his hands in his pockets, became a haunting reminder released by police in the weeks that followed.

After grabbing supplies, Shaun met up with a small group of seven friends at a local pub along the port in Fraserburgh. Around 10 p.m., the group piled into a van (driven by an unidentified individual) and drove west along the A981 road toward the remote Kersiehill Farm, a five-bedroom farmhouse tucked away in the Greenburn area near Strichen, less than 10 miles from Fraserburgh.

The farmhouse, owned by a local family including a man named Robertson and his brother, was surrounded by dense woodland, marshy bogs, and challenging terrain between Strichen and the A98 Fraserburgh-to-Banff highway. Details about the party remain murky: it is not clear how many people participated in the Halloween party or what all the event entailed. It is likely the event involved alcohol, but whether more illicit activities were involved has not been disclosed.

As the evening wore on into the early hours of November 1, a disturbance erupted at the farmhouse involving an alleged axe attack during a heated altercation. Amid the chaos, the group fled the property, splitting into two subgroups that each mistakenly believed Shaun was with the other. No one realized he was missing until they returned to Fraserburgh.

The last confirmed sighting of Shaun came from an unidentified witness who saw him running from the farmhouse into the adjacent woods for reasons unknown. Adding to the mystery, two anonymous phone calls were made from the Greenburn area to Police Scotland that night: the first from a man urgently requesting assistance at a farm, the second retracting the request shortly after. The calls, traced to the same location as the party, were not flagged as suspicious at the time and received no immediate follow-up. The caller’s identity has never been publicly confirmed.

Shaun failed to return home by Saturday morning, but it wasn’t until Sunday, November 2 that his family realized and reported him missing around 8:45 p.m.

The disappearance sparked one of Scotland’s largest ground search investigations into a missing person’s case, but very little information has been recovered. Substantial portions of the surrounding areas were combed with hundreds of police officers examining more than a dozen miles of difficult topography. The search included ground units, K-9 units, various rescue groups, and extensive advanced technology in an effort to maximize coverage despite the difficult geography.

On November 6, five days after his disappearance, search teams located his brown trainers, belt, and grey hoodie in a nearby boggy marsh scattered in a way that suggested they may have been discarded hastily, though no definitive signs of struggle or multiple individuals were reported. It is unclear if there were any signs that more than one person was in the area, nor whether Shaun seemingly removed his clothes there or if the clothes had simply been dumped.

The case quickly became a focal point of heartbreak and suspicion in the tight-knit Fraserburgh community, known locally as “The Broch.” Shaun’s father, Charlie, returned from Saudi Arabia on day three of the search and has since been vocal about his conviction that foul play was involved, possibly tied to a debt Shaun owed or the presence of “unsavory characters” at the party. He offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to answers and criticized the police investigation, believing his son was murdered. Shaun’s mother and sister have echoed these fears, making emotional public pleas on anniversaries and birthdays. The family has endured immense strain; tragically, Carol-Ann faced charges in 2016 (later detailed in 2023 court proceedings) for allegedly wasting police time through false reports and messages related to the case, stemming from her desperate push for a murder inquiry—charges she denied, attributing them to her grief.

Despite the family’s suspicions, Police Scotland has consistently maintained that this remains an open missing persons inquiry with “no evidence to suggest Shaun has been the victim of any crime.” Multiple reviews by the Major Investigation Team in Glasgow, specialist search advisors, and even the National Crime Agency have upheld this stance. The farmhouse itself was put up for sale in 2015 for £350,000, with tributes to Shaun left at its gates.

Now, over a decade later—on the 10th anniversary in October 2024—Shaun’s family clings to hope for closure, with Charlie penning a poignant message: “We can only live in hope that one day you are found, and are at peace like you deserve.” What happened in those woods on Halloween night remains one of Scotland’s most baffling unsolved mysteries, leaving a young man’s family in perpetual limbo.

• October 31

  Shaun leaves his home on Watermill Road, the last sighting by his family

• October 31

  Shaun stops by a convenience store and is seen on CCTV

• October 31

  Some reports say Shaun was seen with his friends at a pub along the port.

• October 31

  Shaun and his friends head to a farmhouse in the Greenburn area for a Halloween Party

• October 31 | November 1

  An unknown male calls police twice from the same area in Greenburn. Once asking for police assistance; once cancelling the request

• November 1

  At some point, in the early hours, Shaun is seen at the party for a final time as he ran from the farmhouse into the woods.

• November 2

  Shaun is reported missing at approximately 8:45pm (20:45). Police launch their investigation

• November 6

  Part of Shaun’s clothing is found in a nearby marshy area.

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings:

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered:

Description: Unknown

Time of Death:

Cause of Death:

Recovered Remains (if partial):

Suspected Homicide?:

Multiple Victims?: No

DNA Tested (No Match):

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

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License Plate:

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