This Is Guernsey

By Thom Ogier

Jonny Dorey pictured in Guernsey two-and-a-half years ago. (P1010003)

A GUERNSEY student has gone missing in America.

Jonny Dorey, 22, was last seen at Virginia Commonwealth University on Tuesday.

Parents Alan and Debbie have flown out and a Facebook appeal to help find him has attracted more than 5,000 members.

Police in Richmond, Virginia, where Jonny is a geography major, searched areas including bike tracks because his mountain bike is also missing.

American Channels including NBC have begun running news features on the case and posters have been distributed to raise awareness.

Jonny, a University of the West of England student on an exchange, has not been to classes and his phone has been uncontactable for days.

Mr and Mrs Dorey flew out to the States yesterday. Before the couple’s departure Mr Dorey spoke of their anxiety over their son’s disappearance.

‘We are hoping he is just finding it a bit stressful and decided to take a bit of time out.

‘It is a very stressful time – we are hoping it will turn out OK.’

When last seen, Jonny was wearing a white and blue plaid jacket, a navy blue Eastpack backpack, dark skinny jeans and black leather trainers.

He is described as 5ft 10in to 6ft tall and weighing between 180 and 200lb. He has brown hair.

Virginia police have said that they do not suspect foul play.

Of the thousands of people who have joined the Facebook campaign ‘Help Find Jonny’ in the last few days, hundreds made public comments suggesting avenues to investigate and have pledged their support.

His mother, Debbie, who asked for the page to be set up, used it to express her gratitude for all the interest. ‘Thank you to everyone for everything you are doing from the bottom of my heart,’ she said.

Local man Mark Battle was among the many who wished they could do more from a distance.

‘I am from Guernsey too and Jonny is a good mate of mine. Let me know if there’s anything I can do, not that I imagine there is, but spreading the word,’ he wrote.

Other friends in Virginia have been updating the site to inform those back home of any progress.

‘We are working closely with the police, have created a Facebook page, have contacted everyone we know that he had or could have contact with in the last few days, are daily contacting hospitals in the Greater Richmond area, have checked all the bike trails we know that he uses, and we have searched his room,’ said Roiseann McArdle.

From that, she said, they knew he had did not have his passport.

‘The police and some of us went down to Belle Isle and did an extensive search and we are going downtown to check the bars and distribute flyers,’ she said.

Article posted on 8th March, 2010 - 2.30pm