'Vital information' uncovered by family of missing Manics guitarist Richey Edwards

It’s a mystery that has cast a long shadow over Wales’ biggest band. 23 years ago this month, Richey Edwards from The Manic Street Preachers disappeared without trace.

But in an exclusive interview with ITV Cymru Wales, his family say they’ve now discovered “vital information” that sheds new light on his last known movements and could provide police with a fresh line of enquiry.

Edwards went missing on 1st February 1995. He was 27 years old.

For two decades his family has made appeals for information, based on what they believed were his last known movements on the day he went missing.

Throughout the police investigation they had been told that Edwards had checked out of a London hotel at 7am and had driven across the Severn Bridge to Cardiff later that afternoon.

But his sister Rachel is now convinced those timings don’t add up.

“We were told that Richard crossed the bridge at 2:55pm,” she says. “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.

“But it’s since come to light by tracking down the person who made the [bridge’s time recording] machines and making enquiries that that was a 24 hour clock, it always was. So 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 enquiry because this is vital information that changes everything and turns it all on its head and needs to be looked at again.”

The Metropolitan Police, who are handling the investigation into Edwards’ disappearance, say the case remains open and that his family’s findings are being looked into.

Catch up with the full programme Wales This Week: The Left Behind below.