Antigua's disturbing disappearances

Worried families, baffled authorities and growing concern as the island searches for answers to its missing persons epidemic

Abstract image of silhouettes of faces against a backdrop of leaves and a "missing" sign
On an island of 108 square miles, the disproportionate number of disappearances is 'particularly perplexing'
(Image credit: Marian Femenias-Moratinos / Getty Images)

A Caribbean island, home to fewer than 100,000 people, is grappling with an unexplained rise in missing persons, leaving families desperate and police scrambling for leads.

In recent years, an "ever-increasing number of people" on Antigua have vanished "without trace" in what some residents are calling an "epidemic" of disappearances, said the BBC.

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Rebekah Evans joined The Week as newsletter editor in 2023 and has written on subjects ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to fast fashion and "brotox". She started her career at Reach plc, where she cut her teeth on news, before pivoting into personal finance at the height of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Social affairs is another of her passions, and she has interviewed people from across the world and from all walks of life. Rebekah completed an NCTJ with the Press Association and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Week magazine, the Press Association and local newspapers.