‘IT’S the not knowing that’s the worst” – the partner of missing Stourbridge man Matthew Gill today told the News as efforts to find him continued, two weeks after he vanished.

Annette Woodhouse said she’s “just waiting and hoping” her partner of three years will return home.

Mr Gill, a manager at Kidderminster’s B&Q store, failed to arrive at work on Friday October 6 and has not been seen since despite extensive search efforts to try and find him.

Stourbridge News:

The 43-year-old’s car – a distinctive silver Smart Roadster Brabus which Annette said was his pride and joy - was found on the car park at Petzone off the A449, at Prestwood, three days later.

Stourbridge News:

But mystery surrounds what has happened to Mr Gill, who left home without his wallet and credit cards and whose phone has been switched off.

Annette, who runs Arena Hairdressing salon in Amblecote, described the day he went missing as “just the same as any other day”.

She said: “I got ready for work. There was nothing out of the ordinary to make you think it’s not right.

The night before he had helped her to prepare dinner, she recalled, and she said as she left for work at 9am he said – ‘see you later beautiful’.

The couple also exchanged text messages between 9.30am and 9.40am.

She said: “The last text I sent was a heart, and he sent me two kisses and a heart. That’s the last I heard from him.”

Struggling to make sense of where he went and why that morning, Annette, aged 45, said: “It’s bizarre. Everything was normal. When I left for work he was still in bed.

"There was nothing to really to understand why he would leave or why he would go missing.”

Stourbridge News:

She described Mr Gill, a keen mountain biker, as “funny” and someone who “likes to have a laugh and a joke” and she added: “You just don’t think it’s going to happen to you. It’s something that happens to somebody else.”

Since his disappearance she’s mainly been staying at home – “just hoping he’ll come back”.

She said: “It’s just a waiting game. We just want some news.”

Police have said they are “very concerned” about Mr Gill, who is known as Liggy, and have described his disappearance as "completely out of character”.

Stourbridge News:

He is described as white, five feet 10 inches tall, of medium build and with short cropped hair. He may have been wearing a blue Superdry T-shirt when he vanished.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact the Locate team on 01902 649150 or the charity Missing People on 116 000.

Stourbridge News:

Donations to help the search and rescue efforts can be made online at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/andrew-gill-1.

Friends and family will be meeting tomorrow morning (Saturday October 21) at 10am at the White Harte pub in Kinver High Street to co-ordinate further search efforts.

Members of the public can turn up, or stay up-to-date with their search efforts on the Facebook page Find Liggy.