Last CCTV shot of backpack girl revealed as alarm grows
CCTV footage of the last-known sighting of a missing backpacker in New Zealand has emerged.
Police have released the image of Grace Millane, who turned 22 on Sunday.
Her family has not heard from her in days, including on her birthday, which lead them to raise the alarm on Monday.
The tourist, from Wickford, near Basildon in Essex, was last spotted on Auckland’s Victoria Street near the SkyCity entertainment complex on Saturday at around 7.15pm.
She was wearing a black dress and what was believed to be white Converse trainers.
A 20-strong team of investigators has been scouring through CCTV footage to piece together her final movements before she disappeared.
Distraught
Several unconfirmed sightings have been reported to police.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said her disappearance was “out of character”.
He said her family were “distraught” and her father was travelling to New Zealand.
He said: “At the moment, we don’t have any evidence of foul play but we keep an open mind.
“This is a very stressful time for Grace’s family.
“The longer she remains missing, the more our concern grows for her safety and well-being.”
Solo traveller Ms Millane arrived in the country two weeks ago. She stayed at the Base Backpackers hostel in central Auckland.
She was in regular touch with her relatives through instant messenger and spoke to them
“most days”. But she failed to respond to her birthday messages on Sunday, fuelling concerns over her welfare.
Ms Millane last spoke to a relative on Thursday, according to her brother Michael, and has not been on social media since.
The University of Lincoln graduate, who planned to travel around the world, had two
mobile phones with her in New Zealand but calls to both are going through to voicemail.
She had previously been on a six-week group trip to South America and her plan was to go to Australia next. Michael said: “It was what she wanted – she wanted to see the world.”
An online appeal to help find the missing graduate has been
shared 37,000 times on Facebook. The family has established a Help Find Grace page.
Michael urged his sister to get in touch with the family.
He said: “Please, please pick up the phone and get in touch – we’re really worried about you.”
The Foreign Office confirmed it was lending its support to Auckland police.