Canterbury family appeals to find missing man 30 years on

Trevor O'Donnell disappeared in 1994

The family of a man who went missing nearly 30 years ago have made a fresh appeal for information to try to find out what happened to him.

Trevor O'Donnell, from Canterbury, was 23 when he vanished in 1994.

His mother Tina O'Donnell said she knew something happened to him in London but he never revealed to her what it was.

Kent Police have said there are currently 285 cold cases involving missing people in Kent and the oldest dates back to 1966.

Tina O'Donnell said the most difficult part was not knowing what had happened

Remembering how her son disappeared, Mrs O'Donnell, 82, said: "It didn't occur to me that he'd just gone off on a drink or anything like that, I knew he'd gone. He hadn't been well, I don't think, mentally - although it took us a long time to realise."

She said: "That's the difficult thing to deal with, the not knowing."

She said she would love to see him "just carrying on life".

Kevin O'Donnell, 56, who remembers his brother as quiet and private, said initially there were many questions, but added: "The more that goes on, the more you realise that he has actually gone missing and that's then very difficult."

Kevin's wife Marlena O'Donnell said he had missed key milestones including their wedding and his father's funeral, adding: "His absence is a presence. He's constantly part of our lives."

Paul Joseph, who runs the helpline at Missing People, said Christmas was particularly hard.

He said: "When it's somebody who's missing, there's a real sense of that absence that's there, a place at the table where someone should be."

Police said technology had advanced but officers still relied on friends, family and the public

Sgt Jay Langshaw, from Kent Police, said technology had advanced since 1994 and if Mr O'Donnell was reported missing today "CCTV inquiries, banking, financial and other elements that we would use, have increased".

But he said: "We're still very reliant on traditional methods as we were then, as we are now, and that's speaking to family, friends, and the support of the public."

Mrs O'Donnell said: "Somebody knows something, however far back it goes."

The family has appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

The family said Trevor O'Donnell's absence was a constant presence

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