A teenage girl believes her missing boyfriend could be walking hundreds of miles to see her amid the Covid-19 lockdown, as his mother launches a nationwide appeal to help find him.
Meg Rhodes, 16, has pleaded for her partner Owen Harding, also 16, to ‘come home’ after he went missing last Thursday.
The couple have been in a long distance relationship for two years as Ms Rhodes, from Pocklington, near York, East Yorkshire, lives 280 miles away from Mr Harding who is from Saltdean, East Sussex.
Owen Harding, pictured left, has been missing from Sussex since last Thursday, and girlfriend Meg Rhodes, pictured right, believes he could be walking 280 miles to her home in Pocklington, near York to see her
Meg Rhodes, 16, believes her missing boyfriend could be walking hundreds of miles to see her amid the Covid-19 lockdown (he would have had to travel from Saltdean, East Sussex to Pocklington, Yorkshire)
She said because of travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak, he hasn’t been able to take the train to see her and he may have attempted to walk the distance to see her.
He was last seen leaving his home between 6pm and 7pm last Thursday and his mother, Stella Harding, has now launched a plea for information.
‘We’re all desperately worried about him and the situation is an emergency as it is now six days since he went missing,’ she said.
‘When Owen left, he was upset that he wasn’t going to be able to get a train to visit his girlfriend, Meg, in East Yorkshire due to the lockdown.
‘While it is extremely out of character for Owen to leave and not be in contact, Covid-19 has put everyone under lots of strain and we don’t want to rule anything out. Some of his friends believe that he may have attempted to walk from Saltdean to the North.
Owen, pictured left, is believed to have taken the travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19 ‘quite hard’ and his mother Stella, pictured right, has urged people across the country to look out for her son whilst out on their daily walks
‘Because search activity and resources are limited right now, I’m begging the UK public to look out for him whilst out on their daily walks.
‘But please make sure that, in doing so, you adhere to social distancing and government guidance and do not put yourself or anyone else at risk.’
Ms Rhodes said: ‘Owen and I have known each other since we were 11, and, in the last two years it developed from a friendship to a relationship.
‘We’ve maintained it over the distance, but he has taken the travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19 quite hard.
‘Living in different cities, it was going to be tough for us to see each other for a while and he wasn’t going to be able to take a train to see me.
‘He left home on Thursday night and we think there is a possibility he is trying to walk to York.’
Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha has appealed for help as Owen is a friend of daughter Maddie (pictured together in 2019)
The hunt for Owen has been publicly backed by the likes of Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha, whose daughter is a close friend of the teenager, and TV and radio presenter Zoe Ball.
Sussex Police said he was last seen leaving his home address at about 7pm, and has not been in touch with any friends or family since then.
Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Alasdair Henry, of Sussex Police, said: ‘We have been conducting a number of enquiries into the disappearance of Owen which have included extensive local searches and house to house enquiries.
‘We also investigated a potential line of enquiry in regards to information that Owen’s phone was in the Bromley area of London, however further enquiries have ruled this out as a possibility.
‘We, alongside Owen’s friends and family, are keen for information to assist our investigation which can assist us in locating Owen.
‘In particular, we would like to hear from anyone who was driving in the Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs area the evening of Owen’s disappearance to check their dashcam footage.’
Owen is described as white, 6ft tall, of athletic build, and with short brown hair.
He was wearing a black or dark hooded top, grey tracksuit trousers and white trainers.
If you have information about Owen’s whereabouts, report it to Sussex Police immediately either online or call 101, quoting Operation Chartwell.
If you see Owen dial 999.