A legendary elderly DJ and friend of Massive Attack feared dead may have been spotted at a train station – five MONTHS after he was last seen.
DJ Derek, 73, – Derek Serpell-Morris – was the first man to play reggae in the UK, had a career spanning 40 years and appeared in a Dizzie Rascal video.
He was last seen by friends in a pub in central Bristol on July 10 when he is reported to have been suffering severe head pain – and then vanished.
But his family are now searching homeless shelters and hostels after a photo of a man who is his spitting image was posted on social media.
There has been no bank account activity since he disappeared – and police found a bottle of milk in the fridge of his home in St Pauls, Bristol, which expired on July 13.
But Derek’s family say the latest sighting has given them hope – because he owned a stripey scarf, hat and shoes identical to the ones being worn in the picture.
The man in the photo, who is the spitting image of Derek, is also pulling a suitcase on a roller chair and wearing a smart suit beneath his coat – which is “how Derek dressed”.
The photo was taken at 10pm on Monday at Waterloo station London by a man unaware of the search for Derek, who posted it on Instagram.
It was later spotted by another user who alerted the family.
The man who took the photo said the Derek lookalike seemed “out of it” at the time.
Derek’s niece, Jennifer Griffiths, who has been publicly heading up the search for her uncle, said the family have been in touch with police about the picture.
She said: “We are trying to get up to Waterloo station and speak to as many homeless shelters in that area as possible.
“We called the station, but they say police need to put up the posters, not them.
“Most of the officers we’ve been in contact with are now on annual leave, but we’re desperate to do something.”
Jennifer said the photo was the most positive development since CCTV images of Derek in a pub near his home in St Paul’s were released by police in August.
She said the man in the photo is wearing the same shoes Derek has, the same spcific scarf and the same hat, and he wears it in the same way.
“The only thing is that camouflage coat and the walking stick,” she said.
“I think if he has fallen over, he could be using a stick to get around.
“We are still unsure, but we can only hope. If it really is him, and we can find him, that would be the best Christmas present.
“We can bring him home.”
DJ Derek is a local Bristol legend and is widely renowned in the music industry for playing a 60s blend of rocksteady, reggae, ska, dancehall and soul music.
He has collaborated with Massive Attack and Dizzee Rascal among others, and has performed at Glastonbury Festival.
