Tuesday 2nd November marked the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of 16-year-old Isle of Wight teenager, Damien Nettles.
There have been police investigations, arrests, police blunders, an eight-part mini series, a book, an online investigation for intelligence by undergraduates and postgraduates who formed the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) first Missing Persons Community Investigation Team.
However, the family remains convinced Damien was murdered and that there are several people still living on the Isle of Wight who are aware of what happened.
Valerie: “Still hope for that one piece of the puzzle”
The 25th anniversary of Damien’s disappearance saw an outpouring of love and concern for Damien’s family.
His mother, Valerie, was touched by all the messages of support she received, as well as comments on social media. She said,
“Thank you to everyone who texted, message or emailed me today with words of encouragement. Thank you to those who kept me company via text etc.
” I am truly humbled at how many people care about Damien and our family.
“We still hope for that one piece of the puzzle!”
Share information in confidence
If you have information relating to the disappearance of Damien, you can share it in confidence with the Local International charity.
Read Val’s story
In 2019 Valerie published The Boy Who Disappeared, her story of Damien’s disappearance and the following years, including the “initial botched police investigation”, the untimely death of a key suspect from a drug overdose and rumour and speculation about the Island’s drug culture.
To date over 5,000 copies (paperback and downloads) have been sold.
The book is available to buy via Amazon. A Kindle edition is also available.
Follow Val’s Blog, or the Facebook Page for more info.
