Costa Rica to Seek British Police Help Over Mysterious Disappearance

LONDON, November 8, 2011 -

- Costa Rica has promised to ask for British police help on the vanishing of British journalist Michael Dixon, following a personal intervention by UK consular affairs minister Jeremy Browne

Costa Rica’s Vice President and Vice Foreign Minister promised to take the step at a face-to-face meeting in San Jose with Jeremy Browne in  October.

Browne in a letter to the Dixon family dated 27 October confirmed that: “I raised Michael’s case with the Vice President and Vice Foreign Minister at my meeting … [they] expressed their sympathy with you and your family and confirmed again that any new evidence would be investigated. They also agreed to ask the Costa Rican police to issue a formal invitation to the Metropolitan Police to help review the information available.”

The Dixon family wants UK police to send investigators to Costa Rica as they did to Portugal in September in the Madeleine McCann case.

Browne in his letter warned, however: “It is … for the Metropolitan Police to decide the extent to which they can become involved.”

Michael Dixon, a British journalist resident in Belgium, vanished after leaving his hotel room in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, on 18 October 2009. The Costa Rica police initially claimed he drowned. It later put the investigation on hold despite indications he was the victim of a violent crime.

Michael’s mother, Lynn Dixon, said: “We want to thank Costa Rica for this important decision. I can’t imagine that the Met would let us down by saying No.”

Michael’s brother, David Dixon, added: “We’ve been trying to look for Michael on our own for the last two years. I’ve been to Tamarindo several times. I’ve spoken to witnesses who say they saw him that night. But it’s a dangerous place - I’m concerned for my own safety and I don’t have the resources to do this properly. The Met is our only hope.”

According to the British foreign office, 28,000 UK nationals visit Costa Rica each year. Twelve other foreign nationals have either gone missing or were murdered there in the past two years. Most of the cases have gone unsolved.

BROWNE letter to Dixon family: www.helpfindmichaeldixon.com/sites/default/files/J_Browne_letter_27_10_11.pdf

LINKS

BBC documentary on Michael Dixon
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/fast_track/9478002.stm

Download COME HOME - charity single in support of missing people
helpfindmichaeldixon.com/content/music-campaign

David Dixon, 0044.7920.792-204, info at helpfindmichaeldixon.com, or helpfindmichaeldixon.com, or Andrew Rettman, Dixon family spokesman, 0032-485-754-741, ar at euobs.com