Find her phone, begs father of girl found dying on riverbank
A FATHER is appealing for help in finding his daughter’s mobile phone in the hope it can provide answers about her sudden death.
Pearl Bamford, 19, who was described by her family as ‘beautiful, unique and creative’, was found on a river bank on March 15 after a widespread search. She was pronounced dead in hospital a short while later.
Police say her death is being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious, and they are waiting for results of a post-mortem examination.
But her family say they are desperate to track down her white iPhone 5 which is believed to have been taken from her backpack at the scene.
Her wallet was also taken, but was later returned to police.
Her loved ones say the mobile phone could hold vital clues to what happened to her.
Her father, Johnny Bamford, said yesterday: ‘I want to square the circle. Did she contact someone on WhatsApp or did she talk to someone? There are also some poignant photographs that she’d taken with her boyfriend, who’s incredibly devastated.’
Mr Bamford, from Crackington Haven, near Bude, Cornwall, added: ‘My plea is that, if someone did take it from her rucksack outside Tesco, it’s got no real value and I’m happy to give them a new one just to have it back so that we can process our grief, no questions asked.
‘It may give me some answers, it may give me nothing.
‘It’s really just a plea from a dad who’s lost his daughter and needs to know what happened in the last hours. It would help me.’ Emergency services were called to the river bank near a Tesco store in Truro, Cornwall, about 10am on March 15.
Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘We are aware that some items belonging to Pearl have yet to have been located and we continue to review CCTV.’
Pearl’s family said: ‘Pearl was a beautiful, unique creative young woman with a great future ahead of her. She shone brightly and her light will be sorely missed.’
They added: ‘Her family and friends are mourning the tragic and untimely loss of their wonderful cherished daughter and friend.’