Father flies out to join in desperate hunt for backpacker Grace, 22
THE family of a British girl backpacker who went missing in New Zealand the day before her birthday issued an auguished plea to find her last night.
The alarm was raised when Grace Millane failed to respond to messages on her 22nd birthday on Sunday.
Her brother Michael, 29, said the last contact with the advertising and marketing graduate was on Thursday and her worrying silence was “completely out of character”.
He has appealed on social media, urging people to share her photograph, in the hunt for clues to her movements at the weekend.
Grace, from Wickford, Essex, who graduated from Lincoln University in September, had previously travelled as part of an organised group which had visited South America for six weeks.
But she was alone when she arrived in New Zealand two weeks ago. She was last seen by roommates leaving Base Backpackers hostel in Queen Street, Auckland, on Saturday.
Grace had taken two mobile phones with her on her travels but her brother said calls to both were going straight to voicemail.
New Zealand police are investigating her disappearance and her father is also flying out from Britain.
Her brother said: “They are trawling through her social media posts and emails to see if there are any clues but so far we have no news.
“We last had contact with her on Thursday but it had been daily before that.
“The last contact anyone else had with her was on Saturday, when her roommates asked what she was doing with her day.
“They were the last people to see her and said she seemed fine.
“But it was her birthday on Sunday and when she didn’t make any contact with us by Monday, we knew something was wrong.
“She hadn’t ‘liked’ any of the comments wishing her a happy birthday on Facebook or anything.” Mr Millane added: “She’s really independent – she was travelling alone – but she always let us know where she was and what she planned on doing next.
“She had made friends in New Zealand, even though she had gone on her own, but we have no idea who she could be with and neither do her roommates.
“She hasn’t been active on social media at all and both her UK and New Zealand phones are going straight to voicemail.”
Tony McLeod, consular manager of the British high commission in Wellington, said: “We are working with the family in the UK and New Zealand police. We are unable to make further comment while police are investigating the matter.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are in contact with New Zealand police and are providing consular support after a British woman was reported missing in Auckland.”