Family launch fresh appeal to find schoolgirl who vanished 50 years ago
The family of Suzanne Lawrence, who went missing almost 50 years ago, have launched a new appeal for any information that could help find her.
On 27 July, 1979, 14-year-old Suzanne and her younger sister Michelle left their Harold Hill home and told their parents they were going to stay with friends in Dagenham.
Five days later Michelle, then 13, returned alone, saying the sisters had been in an argument while out and they'd also met three boys aged between 14 and 17 at a fair in Highbury Fields.
Michelle said they boys had taken them to a nearby squat, though she couldn't find it when police officers took her on a search of the area, and officers investigated the possibility that Suzanne joined a travelling fair.
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Suzanne Lawrence was never found and her case was never closed, and now there's a fresh appeal for any information which could settle the matter once and for all.
Detectives have created an e-fit of how Suzanne would look nowadays at the age of 61 in the hopes it might lead to someone being able to provide information.
Michelle has also spoken out in support of the new appeal, saying that 'not a day goes by without wondering what happened to her' as she said that their elderly mother has 'lived for decades without knowing what became of her daughter' and 'no family should have to endure such uncertainty for so long'.
She said: "If anyone remembers seeing us, helping us, giving us somewhere to stay, or speaking to my sister during those days in the summer of 1979, please come forward.
"Even the smallest piece of information could be important.
"If my sister is alive, I want her to know that she has never been forgotten. If anyone knows what happened to her, I ask them to do the right thing and speak to the police.
"Our family simply wants the truth and the opportunity to finally understand what happened."
Detective Chief Inspector Kam Sodhi, who is leading the Met's investigation, said that the police were 'committed to getting answers for Suzanne’s family, even after all these years'.
The officer explained that Suzanne and Michelle 'are believed to have experienced a brief period of homelessness' when they left home in July 1979.
Chief Inspector Sodhi said that the boys they met and took the teenage girls to a squat 'may hold vital information about Suzanne's movements after her sister returned home' and urged them to come forward with what they know.
Police want to hear from those who knew the family, went to school with Suzanne and had any contact with either her or Michelle during the summer of 1979.
“Relationships and circumstances change over time. Information that may once have seemed insignificant could now be vital to finding answers for her family," the officer said.
"Someone knows what happened to Suzanne. If you have any information, however small, please contact us."
An appeal was also made to Suzanne if she was still there to hear it, to get in touch with police if she could.
Suzanne was described as a white girl with dark brown straight hair, who was around 5’3” to 5’5” in height and of slim build.
She spoke with a local, Essex accent.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 101, quoting Op Examen and the reference 01/1106320/24.
Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Joe Harker