The Burns family has been grappling to come to terms with the situation, unsure of what to do and where to turn. The chain of events leading to Gary’s disappearance has left the family with more questions than answers.

The case also highlights the difficulties that can arise when dealing with authorities in foreign countries. Gary had been working in Turkey for several years before his family in the UK heard the devastating news that Gary had disappeared.

Initially, Gary’s brother, Terry, thought that he had gone looking for work elsewhere, as he did every year. Gary had met a girl in Turkey eight years ago and had decided to settle there. He would regularly contact the family and send pictures, keeping them updated about his life. Every winter, he would go job hunting in Turkey, but this time around, they heard nothing from him, which raised suspicions.

Staff at the bar where Gary worked informed Danielle, Gary’s sister, that he had not reported for work, which made the family even more concerned. They turned to social media to find out what had happened to him. While there have been some worrying leads, there has been no concrete evidence regarding Gary’s whereabouts or his condition. His family is gripped with anguish and despair, hoping and praying for good news.

Gary Burns’ family reported him missing after he failed to make contact over Christmas, which was very unusual for him. Friends who were set to visit him tried to look for him but were unable to find him. As a last resort, the Burns family took to social media to locate Gary. Unfortunately, they received a message, allegedly from a friend of Gary’s, asking them to pay £400 to provide more information regarding his disappearance. The message was bad enough, but another message sent later said that Gary was dead and that he was in the sea.

Despite the family’s attempts to engage with the Turkish authorities, they were left with little option but to undertake their own investigations. Two separate witnesses provided them with information that Gary had been killed and buried in the hills near Icmeler after being plied with alcohol and bundled into a car.

In a tribute on Facebook Terry said: “Happy birthday bruv, love and miss you so much ” whilst his sister Danielle said: “6 years today we received the message about our Gary  6 years on we are still waiting on the truth … and still 6 years on someone out there knows what happened  Each year gets harder and harder as it feels like we will never get the truth, but we will NEVER GIVE UP ”

Anybody with information can call the independent charity Missing People by calling 116 000 or by emailing [email protected].