Georgina Gharsallah disappearance: Fresh appeal on fifth anniversary

  • Published
Georgina GharsallahImage source, Family handout
Image caption,

Georgina Gharsallah has been missing since 7 March 2018

The mother of a woman who vanished in 2018 has described the five years since then as "a lifetime" for her family.

Mother-of-two Georgina Gharsallah was last seen in her home town of Worthing, West Sussex, on 7 March 2018. A murder inquiry began in August 2019.

On the fifth anniversary, her mother Andrea said "not a day goes by that we don't think about you".

A vigil will be held on Tuesday to mark her disappearance, along with a fresh appeal by the charity Missing People.

In a direct appeal to her daughter, Andrea Gharsallah said: "It's been a lifetime for us.

"Your boys miss you so so much and wait for their mummy at the window. Wherever you are we send our love."

On the day she went missing, Ms Gharsallah had arranged to meet her father, Gasem, after collecting a mobile phone, but she did not turn up.

She was last seen on CCTV, in a shop on Clifton Road at 10:30 GMT, with a second unconfirmed sighting at about 16:00 walking down Chapel Road with an as yet unidentified woman.

Image source, Sussex Police
Image caption,

The last confirmed sighting of Georgina Gharsallah on the day she vanished was at a shop in Clifton Road

Image source, Sussex Police
Image caption,

The last possible CCTV sighting of Georgina was with a mystery woman in Worthing

Two men were arrested on suspicion of murder but released with no further action.

The charity Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for information.

In 2019, the Gharsallah family organised their own reconstruction of her last known movements, and also created a Facebook page dedicated to the search.

Image source, Famiy handout
Image caption,

Georgina was on her way to meet her father when she vanished

She is described as 5ft 4in (1.62m) tall, with shoulder-length dark hair often worn in a top knot, and a piercing above her left lip.

She speaks both English and Arabic.

Sussex Police had previously admitted mistakes were made in its investigation, and referred itself to a watchdog.

Det Supt Andy Wolstenholme said: "We are as committed today as we were on day one to finding out what happened to Georgina.

"Five years is a really long time. People may have moved away from Worthing and then come back, or after this long period of time when perhaps they weren't able to speak to the police before, they might feel ready and able to do so now."

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