A DEVASTATED man believes his brother, who has been missing for more than three weeks, has been murdered.
Damion Vernon, 32, of Bridlington, has not been seen since Monday, December 8, when he was spotted in Wakefield.
At the time, he was supposed to be heading to Sheffield with a friend to pick up a car.
There has been no word from Damion since then and his bank cards have not been used.
His brother Aaron Vernon, 35, also of Bridlington, believes Damion may have unwittingly got involved in a drug-related dispute in the days leading up to his disappearance. He also had £2,000 on him when he disappeared.
Mr Vernon said: "For me, there is no hope. We have been told by drug users in the town that Damion was with the wrong people.
"Rather than going to pick up a car, we have been told he was going to pick up drugs.
"Damion has never been involved in drugs before but he is easily led.
"I know Damion is not alive. I felt that on the second day he was missing.
"None of us feel he is around anymore. I'm sure he has been killed and we want justice. We need his body to be found."
Mr Vernon has criticised Humberside Police for the way it had so far handled the case.
He said: "Damion is a high-risk case who is vulnerable with mental health issues.
"That, coupled with the circumstances of his disappearance, we believe search and rescue teams should have been out straight away.
"This should never have been treated as a normal missing persons case.
"The car and the house of the man Damion was with should have been searched by forensic teams.
"The CCTV from a garage where Damion filled up has also been lost.
"Now the police say they are going over everything again but we are three weeks down the line now."
Humberside Police insists the force is doing all it can to find Damion. Officers are still treating it as a missing person case.
Several appeals have been issued by officers investigating his disappearance, including new CCTV images from the day he disappeared.
However, the appeals have not provided any new leads.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Baldwin, who is investigating the disappearance of Damion, said: "We have a dedicated team of detectives from our major incident team on this case.
"Family liaison officers have been allocated to support the family of Damion while extensive enquiries continue to locate him in both Humberside and West Yorkshire police areas."
Mr Vernon says the festive period has been difficult for the family.
He said: "It has been indescribable. There are no words to say how we feel.
"Christmas was more or less cancelled and we haven't celebrated the new year."
Mr Vernon has set up a Facebook page to gather information and to appeal for his safe return.
Engaged and loves being centre of attention
DAMION Vernon is engaged to Kerry Helm and has two young daughters, Courtney and Vada.
He is a keen musician and plays the guitar and keyboards. He auditioned for ITV's X Factor last year.
His brother Aaran Vernon said: "Damion is always at the centre of attention at parties and he always makes people laugh.
"Damion plays the piano and guitar and also used to dance. He hasn't got any enemies."
Mr Vernon is described as white, 6ft and of slim build, with short brown hair.
He was wearing a light brown body warmer with grey sleeves and a grey hood, dark blue jeans and shoes.
