4 clues Coronation Street's Joel is responsible for Lauren Bolton's disappearance

Coronation Street viewers are on the edge of their seats as the mystery surrounding Lauren Bolton's (Cait Fitton) disappearance continues to unfold.

Recently, lovable Roy Cropper (David Neilson) found himself in hot water, becoming the prime suspect in the alleged murder of missing teen Lauren. Fans will remember that Lauren, a troubled young girl, suddenly vanished from the cobbles earlier this year, leaving her friend Bobby Crawford (Jack Carroll) worried when he discovered her flat unlocked and empty.

Interestingly, Lauren's departure was never shown on screen, and it appears she didn't inform anyone about her plans to leave Weatherfield, except for Roy. After reporting Lauren missing, Roy has become a person of interest due to his kind-hearted nature.

This suspicion was further fuelled when he was spotted innocently tidying up Lauren's flat, leading some to believe he was guilty. As a result, online detectives have been bombarding him with a wave of internet abuse.

However, eagle-eyed fans believe the real culprit is still lurking on the cobbles, pointing the finger at solicitor Joel Deering (Calum Lill) . Fans took to social media to highlight a series of clues that they believe "prove" Joel is responsible for Lauren's disappearance.

Receipt clue

Soap enthusiasts remember when Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) was left puzzled earlier this year after discovering a jeweller's receipt that had fallen from Joel wallet, with a December date and a hefty price tag. Joel stumbled upon Dee-Dee, Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), and Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) chatting about the slip, where he brushed it off, claiming he'd splurged on some cufflinks for himself.

Roy was haunted by a flashback of Lauren at the café counter with Max Turner (Paddy Bever), but couldn't pinpoint why their exchange seemed important. Later in the week, Roy has an epiphany and reaches out to solicitor Dee-Dee, sharing his recollection of Lauren's necklace.

He suggests that if they can track down its origin, they might uncover her enigmatic boyfriend, who could hold clues to her disappearance. The earlier sighting of Joel with an extravagant jeweller's receipt is raising eyebrows could this be a mere coincidence, or does it hint at Joel's involvement with Lauren's necklace?

Fans are buzzing with theories, as one sleuthing viewer speculated on social media: "My guess is the jewellery receipt that Dee Dee found at Christmas will turn out to be Lauren's necklace, well that's what I think anyway."

Notorious comeback and DNA twist

Over the weekend, news broke that the vile Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper) is set to make a shocking return next week after a seven-year absence. Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) will find herself in turmoil when she sees Nathan, her former abuser, among the crowd at a re-enactment of Lauren's last known moments.

It soon becomes apparent that Nathan, whom Bethany believed to be still in jail, was released quite some time ago and is now working at a nearby construction site.

Given his history, Bethany can't help but believe that Nathan might be involved in Lauren's alleged murder. Fans on social media have already started speculating about connections between Joel and Nathan, suggesting that they could be siblings.

A viewer commented: "I wonder if Joel is a brother to Nathan Curtis? " Another agreed by responding: "That's what I begin to wonder myself too x" while another firmly stated: "Most definitely! " Meanwhile, someone else penned: "I so convince that Nathan Curtis and Joel Deering are brothers."

Another disappearance

Earlier in the month, fans noted another character had mysteriously gone "missing", fuelling rumours they could be linked with Lauren's sudden "murder". One pointed out: "Notice how Joel has disappeared and so has Lauren? #corrie".

Another user echoed this by adding: "Is there a possible link to Lauren's disappearance with Joel? " A further account questioned: "My theory is Joel killed Lauren on @itvcorrie because he was secretly seeing her #Corrie #WhoKilledLauren."

However, Joel has now made his re-emergence to the cobbles.

Secret family

Earlier this year, Dee-Dee was left heartbroken when she discovered the secret her new beau had been keeping from her for months. Joel was pushed into confessing the truth after weeks of dodgy behaviour, with clues hinting he was being unfaithful.

But after rendezvous with a mystery woman named Emily, Joel finally spilled the beans to Dee-Dee.

He dropped two massive revelations as he admitted he was secretly married to Emily and they also had a baby daughter. Joel claimed they separated 18 months ago, and that his little girl was a year old. He confessed to Dee-Dee that things were not going well between him and his wife before their split, but when she fell pregnant they gave it another shot.

Joel was then compelled to admit he'd been unfaithful to Emily while she was expecting his child, leading to her showing him the door. With fans speculating Nathan is Joel's brother, could there be another family bombshell on the horizon?