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Nearly three decades after Carmel Fenech disappeared, her family is still out looking for her. Her sister Mandy often sleeps in her car, parking outside the places Carmel used to visit before she vanished in 1998, unwilling to give up the search.
Carmel is one of five siblings in a close-knit family in Peckham, and her absence has never loosened its grip on them. Time has passed, lives have moved on, but the unanswered question of what happened to her remains as raw as ever.
Her mother, Deirdre Fenech, told The Independent: “Even now, I’m still looking for a 16-year-old girl, not a 40-year-old woman.
“That’s my baby. That’s my child that I carried with me for nine months… She’s been gone longer than I held her in my arms. I’m never going to give up looking for her.”
The Independent has raised £165,000 to launch SafeCall, a free new service to help the 70,000 children reported missing each year to find support and safety no matter what, and continues to campaign for the cause. Ms Fenech knows how heartbreaking the pain is of having a child disappear.
Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give £10 to Missing People – enough for one child to get help.
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Carmel is one of five siblings from a close family in Peckham (Deirdre Fenech)
When Carmel, like many 14-year-olds, began making new friends, going to parties and staying out late, her mother didn’t think anything of it.
But what she didn’t know was that Carmel had been introduced to crack cocaine. She didn’t look like a drug addict and was never rude or moody. “She always had a great personality, always good fun,” her mother said.
It wasn’t until Ms Fenech went to look for her at a friend’s house that she was told Carmel had fallen in with a “bad crowd” and had become addicted to drugs.
“That hit me like a sledgehammer,” Ms Fenech said.
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Carmel’s disappearances became a routine part of their lives (Deirdre Fenech)
Carmel started going missing for days at a time, sleeping in derelict garages, strange houses or stairwells. “Me and my son, we searched everywhere… we kicked in crack house doors, we took on major drug dealers looking for her,” she added.
It became a routine part of their lives. Her family would find her, or she would return home with a beaming smile before disappearing again just days later.
“I was full of rage, not at her, at these people she was involved with. I used to drop my children off at school in the morning, go looking for her, then come back, take them home… then my son and myself would be walking the streets at one, two, three, four, five o’clock in the morning,” she explained.
Ms Fenech lost count of how many times she reported her missing.
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Carmel was last seen at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court in 1998 (Deirdre Fenech)
Although Carmel knew she could always go home, and her mother knew she’d make her way back, she would still go out looking for her, just to make sure she was OK.
Hoping to pull her away from the people she was surrounded by, Ms Fenech moved the family to Crawley in West Sussex.
But even then, Carmel continued to leave, spending days at a time in London before going back home again.
On the day her daughter vanished completely, Ms Fenech was told Carmel was at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court. A police officer spoke to Carmel on the stairs as she was leaving, but she told him to get lost.
It has been reported that Carmel was seen leaving the court with an unidentified man.
Chris Rambour, a detective inspector of the Surrey and Sussex major crime team, said: “We particularly want to identify and speak to a man seen with Carmel on 21 May 1998. There is currently no description of him, but he clearly knew her.”
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Two weeks after Carmel left the court, her mother had received no call from her (Deirdre Fenech)
He said this information has been established since the case opened, but her mother said she disputes this and believes Carmel was alone.
Ms Fenech never expected this to be the last time Carmel was seen. She had a caravan holiday planned for their family, and intended to give her daughter a week before searching.
But by the time she got back, two weeks after Carmel had left court, Ms Fenech had received no call from her.
Ms Fenech added: “That’s when I just knew. Deep down into the pit of your stomach, you can feel something is so wrong.”
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Carmel’s family feel left in limbo after her disappearance (Deirdre Fenech)
She said she has felt let down by the police responsible for Carmel’s case and fears she will never know what happened to her daughter.
Ms Fenech has a feeling of “limbo”, afraid to move houses, in case Carmel comes home. “It’s a strange, horrible world we live in, just not knowing,” she added.
Det Insp Rambour said: “Our search for Carmel continues, and our thoughts have remained with her and her family throughout this investigation as we look to find the answers they deserve.
“Carmel has not been forgotten, and we are appealing once again to the public for any information that could help us to locate her.”
Paul Joseph, the head of helplines at Missing People, said: “We continue to offer our full support to Deirdre Fenech, the mother of missing 16-year-old Carmel Fenech. Our thoughts remain firmly with Deirdre and her family during this incredibly difficult time, and we remain committed to standing alongside them for as long as they need us.
“No family should have to face the pain of a missing loved one alone, and we will continue to do everything we can to support their search and their wellbeing.”
Please donate now to The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which has raised £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.
For advice, support and options if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000. It’s free, confidential and non-judgemental. Or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
