Appeal 23 years on from disappearance of mum

POLICE are refusing to rule out foul play in a missing person investigation which has spanned more than two decades.

Yesterday, 23 years to the day that she was reported missing, Avon and Somerset Police issued a new appeal for information about Linda Millard.

Linda, 48, was last seen in Portishead, where she was staying with friends, at about 9.30am on Friday, March 1, 1996. She previously lived in the Swanage area of Dorset.

Linda was reported as missing at about 10pm on March 1. A short time later, officers found her car – a white Austin Mini Metro – and some of her personal possessions near Battery Point in Portishead. She has not been seen since.

DI Lisa Jones, of the Major Crime Review Team, said: “We are treating this as a missing person inquiry but we’re keeping an open mind about the circumstances of Linda’s disappearance and we cannot rule out foul play.”

Linda’s family have issued a new statement for the anniversary appeal.

Her daughter Yvonne Cathrall said: “On behalf of myself and my two brothers, we would like to appeal to the public in relation to the disappearance of our mum. It has been 23 years since our mum went missing and we miss her very much.

“Not a day goes by when we don’t think about her and ask ourselves what happened that day.

“If anyone has any information (who may not have been confident at the time), please can they come forward to help. My brothers and I desperately wish to find out so that we can finally have some peace and closure.”

DI Jones added: “The case has never been closed and reviews have taken place in the time since the original investigation but sadly we’ve been unable to locate Linda or find out definitively what happened to her.

“We want to help Linda’s family find the truth as they’re left with so many unanswered questions and deserve to know what happened to her. The passage of time sometimes allows people to come forward with information they may have felt unable to give to the police at the time or

Not a day goes by when we don’t think about her and ask

ourselves what happened that day

YVONNE CATHRALL

they initially felt was not relevant.

“We would encourage anyone with information about Linda’s disappearance to come forward now and help her family find some form of closure.”

Linda has been described as being 48, 5ft 2ins tall, slim with blue eyes and having chestnut brown hair in a bob style. She was last seen wearing a navy blue and white checked shirt, black jeans and a black anorak with a vivid pink trim and collar.

Anyone with any information is urged to call the Major Crime Review Team on 101 and give the call handler the reference number MP4472/11.

Linda Millard, pictured right. Her car, above, was found in Portishead 23 years ago