Help bring Gaia home Mother’s plea to find missing daughter
THIS is missing teenager Gaia Pope buying an ice cream at a petrol station less than an hour before she was last seen more than a week ago.
Concern is mounting for Gaia, 19, who has severe epilepsy, amid fears she may have been murdered or kidnapped.
The new CCTV surveillance image was made available yesterday as her increasingly desperate mother pleaded for information about Gaia’s whereabouts.
The CCTV shows Gaia at the garage shortly before 3pm on November 7, in Swanage, Dorset.
She bought the ice cream as a relative gave her a lift from her home village, nearby Langton Matravers, to the seaside resort.
She is shown wearing a black jacket which was later recovered from an address in Manor Gardens, Swanage.
The last known sighting of Gaia was in Manor Gardens as darkness fell nearly 45 minutes after the garage stop. Her actress mother Natasha Pope, who has appeared in Inspector Morse and The Bill, urged people on Facebook to check “backs of vans, garages, somewhere she could be hidden against her will”.
She said: “Keep looking, be bold with respect. Keep senses sharp. Help us bring her back.
“Deepest gratitude and thanks. Desperation accumulative. Keep our heads and never give up.
“Gaia is dynamic fun, exceptionally intelligent, compassionate and loving.
“Gaia is special indeed, so we best crack on to discover the truth of things so we may bring her home very soon.”
Sister Clara Pope-Sutherland, 21, added: “My beautiful, beautiful Gaia. Time to come home, please.
“Just want you to squish my cheeks and roll around on the floor giggling with me.”
Nathan Elsey, 19, an aspiring actor and his 71-year-old grandmother, Rosemary Dinch, both Manor Gardens residents, were arrested earlier this week over the mystery but have since been released.
Mrs Dinch’s ex-husband Greg Elsey, 69, said she had taken Gaia in when she called at her home upset and crying, only to see her run away without her coat.
He said: “Gaia ran out the front door with no coat on, on a freezing night, and disappeared into fresh air.
“If she had an epileptic fit on a night like that, she would not have survived.
“There are only two possible scenarios. Either she went voluntarily with somebody or somebody pulled her into a car. I hope she’s not dead.”
Medium-built Gaia, 5ft 7in and with long, mousey-blonde hair, was last seen wearing a red checked shirt, grey and white leggings and white trainers.
Police have been seeking clues all over the area, including searching a Swanage canal.
Neil Devoto, of Dorset’s Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Our search efforts are continuing.
“I appeal to the public. If they have any information, please get in touch.”
‘Keep looking... Gaia is dynamic fun... she is loving and special’