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Two cavers have spoken about their “intuition” that led them to find the body of missing man Adam Perkins.

Adam Perkins was found dead at the Ayton Monument Mine on Friday March 24 after traveling from Sheffield. The 24-year-old was reported missing earlier that week after going camping, Teesside Live reports.

Bob Johnson and Peter Pink, who have years of experience exploring disused mines, traveled to the area after seeing the missing call on social media. Bob, 48, said: “Even though we weren’t in the same room, we both had a feeling we knew where it was.

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“We had planned to go in on Saturday but on Friday night when we finished working we decided to go down, we couldn’t rest. We arrived at about 4:30 p.m. and there were no detours, we went straight into the mine.”

Searches by the Cleveland Mountain Rescue team, Swaledale MRT and the Mine Rescue Service (MRS) were underway on Thursday and Friday, but they had yet to find him. It is understood that accurate maps of the mines, which closed in the 1930s, were sought to assist teams and ensure each area was recorded.

They headed towards one of three crevasses inside the mine with markers showing that mountain rescue teams had been inside. As they traveled deeper, more tapes showed where the search time had reached before turning back due to conditions and lack of oxygen.

Bob and Peter, from Saltburn and Guisborough respectively, continued inside and came to what they say is known in the mining community as the “wheel of death” as oxygen levels had dropped below 15%.

Digging deeper, they went deeper into the mine and were able to spot something up ahead in the middle of the road ahead. Bob describes how it took three tries after getting further out of the mine to regain his breath and energy, to reach the items, which appeared to be Adam’s bag and belongings.

They kept going and thought they could see something in the distance. “At this point the monitor was going crazy and the oxygen was down to 12%,” Bob said. “We came back, we were really struggling, we were absolutely broken.

“We went through the belongings and we could see that they were Adam’s. We called the police and used ‘what three words’ to tell them where we were.”

The Mine Rescue Service re-entered the mine with assisted breathing apparatus at the instructions of Bob and Peter. It was while giving a statement to the police that Bob and Peter heard that rescuers had discovered a body and it was believed to be Adam.

“It was a really traumatic night, I couldn’t even go up the stairs in my own house when I got back. I was having flashbacks, every time I started to fall asleep I would have flashbacks,” Bob said.

“We did it simply because we felt we knew where he would be. We have experience and I’ve been to that mine many times. He was where we both thought he would be. We did it for his family.” -It must have been very difficult for them not to know where she was. We knew we had to try to give them some kind of comfort.

“A family member reached out on Facebook and sent me a lovely message to say thank you. Our thoughts are with their loved ones.”

Bob, who first became interested in spelunking some 30 years ago, has ventured inside Monument Mine about half a dozen times and Peter had even more experience exploring the mine. Describing how it feels on the inside, Bob, who works as a fabricator, said: “It’s almost like you’re carrying someone while you’re running uphill.

“You are so out of breath, but you also feel very lethargic.

“We know what our limits are and we had said before we went in that we wouldn’t go below 12%. Below that it gets really dangerous and the body starts to shut down.”

“It’s a bit like being under the covers of your bed for an hour. We knew our limits and we knew we could help.”

Last week North Yorkshire Police said: “We are very saddened to report that we have found a body in the search for the missing Adam Perkins, 24, of Sheffield. He was found tonight in the Great Ayton area. Although still he hasn’t.” formally identified, Adam’s family has been informed.”

North Yorkshire Police located Adam’s car in the Great Ayton area on Thursday and believed he was nearby.

A spokesman for the force said at the time: “Adam, 24, was last seen and heard on Monday March 20 at around 8:00pm when he left his home in Sheffield to go camping. Officers have since located his car.” in the Great Ayton area and are conducting searches to find Adam. He has visited the area before to go caving.”

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