It’s been 12 years since this man disappeared without a trace

It has been 12 years since the car of 24-year-old Kyle Vaughan was found on the A467 between Crosskeys and Risca. Following that discovery on December 30, 2012, no sign of its owner has been seen ever since.

Kyle, from Newbridge in Caerphilly left home that morning but there are still no answers as to what happened to him. His silver Peugeot 306 was in a single-vehicle crash on the day of his disappearance. What followed was one of the biggest police searches Wales has seen with a total of eight people at one point arrested with various alleged offences linked to his disappearance including murder.

Over the years police have searched around 40 areas, interviewed more than 200 people, received more than 180 intelligence logs, and taken nearly 900 witness statements. The missing person inquiry eventually became a murder investigation.

On October 14, 2016, Kyle was officially presumed legally dead by the High Court and his parents received a presumption of death certificate. Now Gwent Police have issued a renewed appeal for information about what happened to Kyle whose own mother died without knowing what became of him. You can read the full timeline of Kyle’s disappearance and the subsequent murder investigation here.

Missing Kyle Vaughan
(Image: Gwent Police)

Kyle’s family told WalesOnline in 2021 that he was a “family-orientated, larger than life, fun-loving young man” who was nicknamed Jabbers. The former Cwmcarn High School pupil was a keen rock music fan and had many friends. He regularly attended legendary Newport venue TJs where he would put on gigs and book bands from as far afield as Germany. At the time of his disappearance he was working for Unilever in production technology.

Kyle’s father Alan Vaughan said in 2021: “When it came to work Kyle always tried to give 110% all the time and if he was stuck he would give me a call and I would tell him what to do. If Kyle was still here he would be going round the world now. Kyle was a party animal and he loved astonishing us. He did a lot of charity work for cancer charities because of his mum and he was very brainy with computers. He also taught himself to play drums. He had a charisma about him with all his friends and he was like a magnet.”

Kyle was 5ft 8ins tall with short dark hair and brown eyes. Police believe that when he went missing he was wearing a dark beanie hat, dark T-shirt, three-quarter-length denim shorts, white trainers, and a gold chain.

Kyle’s dad Alan Vaughan
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

In an update on the 12th anniversary of Kyle’s disappearance a spokesman for Gwent Police said: “We’re continuing to appeal for information to find out what happened to Kyle Vaughan 12 years on from his last known sighting.

“The Newbridge man, who was aged 24 at the time, was last seen at about 11.45pm on December 30, 2012. The car he was driving, a silver Peugeot 306, was involved in a single-vehicle collision on the A467 between Crosskeys and Risca.

“Initially we launched a missing person investigation, which became a murder inquiry after eight people were arrested in connection with his disappearance. All were later released without charge.”