British chef who ‘ghosted pregnant wife’ found in less than a day after online manhunt

A British chef accused of leaving his pregnant wife and disappearing “without a trace” has been found by social media sleuths in less than 24 hours following an online manhunt.

Charles Withers, a London-born chef who moved to the US in 2012, became the subject of speculation when Ashley McGuire, claiming to be his wife, posted on Facebook in a search for her allegedly estranged husband.

Ms McGuire claims she was abandoned while pregnant by 30-year-old Mr Withers, who left their Massachusetts home, never to be seen again.

After repeated failed attempts to begin divorce proceedings, Ms McGuire took to social media a year later to appeal for help.

She said: “I’m really about to test the power of Facebook with this one… Last year, when I was pregnant with our youngest baby, he decided being a husband and a dad wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted any more and he ghosted – like gone without a trace.”

The couple have a one-year-old child and a newborn that Ms McGuire alleged Mr Withers has never met.

She added to the “Are we dating the same guy” Texas group: “Divorcing someone who is completely unreached is really tough and drawn out, so I’m trying to track him down to get his signature on a few papers so I can finally close this chapter and move on with my life.”

Ms McGuire claimed she was forced to turn to social media after attempts to locate and contact Mr Withers privately failed. She is believed to have used a number of different online groups in an attempt to find him.

It took women in the Facebook group less than 16 hours to locate an address and phone number for the father-of-two, who is believed to be living in Texas – a 30-hour drive from Massachusetts – after also spending time working in Rhode Island.

The Facebook post was quickly picked up on TikTok and Twitter, with posts about the manhunt receiving upwards of 1.5 million views.

Mr Withers moved to the US from London in 2012 to attend Middlebury College in Vermont before going to Boston College, Massachusetts, and starting work as a chef, according to a LinkedIn profile.

The Facebook group Ms McGuire used currently has 12,000 members and described itself as “a place to protect and empower women”, specifically to “warn each other about dangers and inquire about partners”.

Amid the social media frenzy, Ms McGuire posted an update to the group, describing the situation as unexpected and “absolutely insane” and urging users not to issue threats or physically go out and find Mr Withers.

In an interview with Jam N 94.5, a Boston radio station, following the viral post, Ms McGuire said: “My goal was not to disrupt his whole life. I just want to have this door closed and move on. I don’t want any ties. I don’t want any connections. I just want the next chapter of my life to start.”

She claimed her intention was only to reach those in her local area she believed may still be in contact with him.

Mr Withers and Ms McGuire were contacted for comment.