- Guitarist Richey Edwards was 27 when he disappeared on February 1, 1995
- The last known sighting of Edwards was of him crossing the Severn Bridge
- For 23 years his devastated family believed he crossed the bridge at 2.55pm
- Now new evidence has suggested it was actually 2.55am – leaving a 12 hour gap
The family of missing Manic Street Preachers star Richey Edwards have a ‘vital’ new clue in the bid to solve his mystery disappearance – after spending 23 years appealing for information about the wrong times.
Guitarist and song-writer Richey, 27, went missing after driving from London to Cardiff over the Severn Bridge.
The family have spent over two decades believing the rocker crossed the bridge at 2.55pm on February 1, 1995.
But bombshell new evidence has now come to light suggesting Richey crossed the bridge at 2.55am – leaving a 12 hour gap in information.
Though it is unclear whether the crossing was 12 hours earlier or 12 hours later than previously thought.
Manic Street Preachers star Richey Edwards went missing in 1995. Bombshell new evidence suggests his family has been appealing for sightings of him at the wrong times for 23 years
Richey’s parents, Graham and Sherry Edwards have endured an agonising 23 years of not knowing what happened to their son. They hope the new evidence could shed light on his fate
Sister Rachel Edwards said: ‘We were told that Richard crossed the bridge at 2.55pm and we have the toll booth receipt that says 2.55.
‘So we were led to believe there was an eight-hour window between his time of departing the hotel to crossing the bridge on that same day.’
Richey went missing on February 1, 1995 and his family have spent 23 years searching for clues.
The Metropolitan Police told the family that he had checked out of a London hotel at 7am and driven across the Severn Bridge later that afternoon.
But his sister is now convinced those timings do not add up.
She said: ‘It’s since come to light by tracking down the person who made the bridge’s time recording machines and making inquiries that it was a 24-hour clock, it always was.
The family had believed Richey crossed the Severn Bridge at 2.55pm because there was a toll booth receipt saying ‘2.55’. But they now believe it may be 2.55am
The family has campaigned for 23 years in a desperate bid to find out what happened to Richey
‘That meant 2.55 was 2.55am. So we were appealing to people to have seen him at certain times that day when actually those times are meaningless now.
‘We are hoping that it will establish a new line of inquiry because this is vital information that changes everything and turns it all on its head and needs to be looked at again.’
Police say the case remains open and that his family’s findings are being looked into.
Richey’s car was later found abandoned at the Severn View service station.
His sister has been interviewed as part of ITV Cymru Wales programme – Wales This Week: The Left Behind tonight (Thurs) at 8.30pm.