Death of Daniel Nolan

Daniel James Nolan, known as "Dan," was born on 5 February 1987 and was the eldest of five children. He grew up by the sea in the Hampshire harbour town of Hamble-le-Rice and was described as an avid and experienced fisherman.

On the evening of New Year's Day 2002, Daniel went fishing with a group of friends. He had told his parents he would return home around 2am. He was last seen outside the Victory Pub in the village, where he left the group to head back to the pontoon to collect his fishing gear. When he failed to arrive home after 2am, his parents reported him missing.

Police responded and searched the pontoon area where Daniel had been heading. Divers searched the waters for clues about his whereabouts, but failing light and a high tide made the search difficult. The search did not locate Daniel, and no trace of him was found at the time.

More than a year later, on 15 May 2003, human remains — feet encased in two socks — were discovered at Chapman's Pool, a remote area near Swanage, Dorset, located miles from where Daniel had disappeared. DNA evidence later positively identified the remains as Daniel's, confirming his death.

The case inspired a play by playwright Mark Wheeller, who was prompted to write it after seeing missing-person posters of Daniel outside his local Tesco. The play, titled "Dan Nolan: Missing," was first published in 2003 while the case remained open. Following the discovery of the remains later that year, the play was revised and retitled "Missing Dan Nolan."