A grieving father has revealed heartbreaking pictures of his daughter – almost 18 years after she vanished while on holiday in Germany.
The case of missing student nurse Louise Kerton, from Broadstairs, Kent, has frustrated police and private investigators since she went missing on her way home from Germany in 2001.
Now her father Phil has released new images of her growing up and enjoying life before she disappeared.
A grieving father has revealed heartbreaking pictures of his daughter Louise Kerton – almost 18 years after she vanished while on holiday in Germany. Above: Ms Kerton aged nine
Phil Kerton has released new images of Ms Kerton growing up and enjoying life before she disappeared
The snaps show Louise on family holidays with her siblings, doing her homework, eating ice cream, playing on the beach and having dinner at home.
She had been studying to be a nurse but failed her final year and had gone to stay with her fiance Peter Simon and his mother Ramana in remote Strassfeld, near Bonn.
The 24-year-old was supposed to board a train at Aachen Station on July 30 and then go via the Belgian port of Ostend to board a hovercraft to return to the flat she and Mr Simon shared in Broadstairs, Kent.
But something happened to her and she either never boarded the train or disappeared en route.
Some assumed she had an accident, while others said she could have fallen victim to French serial killer Michel Fourniret, nicknamed the Ogre of Ardennes.
The case of the missing student nurse (left), from Broadstairs, Kent, has frustrated police and private investigators since she went missing on her way home from Germany in 2001. Above: Louise (left) on holiday with her siblings, father Phil (centre) and mother Kath (centre right)
The snaps show Louise on family holidays with her siblings, doing her homework, eating ice cream, playing on the beach and having dinner at home
He was jailed for life for raping and murdering nine girls between 1987 and 2001 and is suspected of killing more.
Mr Kerton, of New Ash Green, Kent, said the case still affected his family even now.
He said: ‘We still miss her, even today. That never fades.
She had been studying to be a nurse but failed her final year and had gone to stay with her fiance Peter Simon and his mother Ramana in remote Strassfeld, near Bonn. Above: Louise on the beach at Bexhill-on-Sea
‘It affects everybody differently. The way one person copes with it is not necessarily in the least helpful to another person.
‘One thing we are all in agreement on is that we want to know what happened.’
Ms Kerton had been living in the seaside town of Broadstairs with her half-German fiance, care worker Peter Simon.
Ms Kerton was supposed to board a train at Aachen Station on July 30 and then go via the Belgian port of Ostend to board a hovercraft to return to the flat she and Mr Simon shared in Broadstairs, Kent. Above: Louise at home aged nine (left) and playing tennis a year later (right)
She chose to spend a long summer holiday with Mr Simon’s family overseas after failing her last year of nursing training.
The Kertons received a final letter apparently from their daughter, dated July 20, 2001, telling them: ‘It is very beautiful here with all the trees and the flowers.’
And mentioning her nursing course, she added: ‘I am keeping an open mind about everything to do with the nursing and I am sure all will turn out well in the end.’
Something happened to her and she either never boarded the train or disappeared en route. Some assumed she had an accident, while others said she could have fallen victim to French serial killer Michel Fourniret, nicknamed the Ogre of Ardennes
Mr Simon returned to the UK two days before his fiancee, telling investigators he had to come back early to accept a delivery as the pair were renovating their flat.
But when he went to collect her from Dover, she was not on the boat and he panicked.
Private investigator Bob Moffat – a former senior homicide detective – was drafted in in late 2001 by Mr Kerton to look at the case and visited Germany.
He says he is now throwing open his files in the hope that any extra information will help solve the case.
Ms Kerton had been living in the seaside town of Broadstairs with her half-German fiance, care worker Peter Simon
In his opinion, there are several lines of inquiry that should be re-investigated.
Mr Moffat said: ‘It is 18 years this year since Louise disappeared and I would very much love some closure for her family.
‘It has always been a case that stayed with me and I kept all the files because I have always felt that one day it will be solved.
‘I am certain that Louise is dead. however it would be a great breakthrough to find out exactly how that came to occur.’
Mr Moffat and his colleague Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection, travelled to Germany to look into Ms Kerton’s last movements in November 2001.
Mr Simon returned to the UK two days before his fiancee, telling investigators he had to come back early to accept a delivery as the pair were renovating their flat. Above: Ms Kerton doing her homework aged 12
But when Mr Simon went to collect her from Dover, she was not on the boat and he panicked. Louise aged eight with her sister Marie
There, they found several things that struck them.
There had hardly been any sightings of Louise in Strassfeld despite the fact she had told friends she was keen to see the local sights.
The Simon family never cooperated with them, refusing to even open the door let alone answer questions.
Statements reveal that Peter Simon telephoned Louise’s family home when he discovered she was missing and during a rambling conversation told her sister that she had a bad character and had been sleeping around.
A disabled woman who lived with the Simons in Germany was never questioned.
There was no CCTV of Peter’s mother Ramana dropping Louise at Aachen Station, which she said was because she hadn’t pulled into the car park.
Private investigator Bob Moffat – a former senior homicide detective – was drafted in in late 2001 by Mr Kerton to look at the case and visited Germany. Above: Louise, centre, with her family aged 7
And Peter Simon’s older brother Michael – who had lived next door to the pair in Broadstairs but was in Germany that summer – was never interviewed either, despite the fact he suffered from schizophrenia and was acquitted of murdering a woman with a champagne bottle in Kent eight years earlier.
The Kerton family were repeatedly left frustrated with police inaction.
It was only in 2002 that detectives in Kent persuaded their German counterparts to treat the case as a potential criminal investigation.
Statements reveal that Peter Simon telephoned Louise’s family home when he discovered she was missing and during a rambling conversation told her sister that she had a bad character and had been sleeping around
The Kerton family were repeatedly left frustrated with police inaction. Above: Ms Kerton in a school photo
However no trace of Ms Kerton has ever come to light and no-one has seen her since Mrs Simon said she dropped her at Aachen Station on the day she vanished.
The case was made particularly frustrating because police were unable to pinpoint exactly where she had disappeared.
As memories have now faded, Mr Kerton and Mr Moffat now believe their only hope is that Ms Kerton’s body will one day be found.
Mr Kerton’s wife Kath sadly died of stomach cancer in 2010.
Mr Kerton says the family live in hope. ‘There is always hope we will one day find out where she is,’ he said
As memories have now faded, Mr Kerton and Mr Moffat now believe their only hope is that Ms Kerton’s body will one day be found. Above: The family with Ms Kerton (centre)
Kent Police now say they have done all they can and the case was closed by German police in 2011 because they were unable to prove that a crime had been committed.
Now Mr Kerton says the family live in hope.
‘There is always hope we will one day find out where she is,’ he added.
‘We live in hope that that day will come.’