What difference does 40 years make?
(Trigger warning: abuse; missing people; grief and loss)
On this day, 40 years ago a family received devastating news. Their daughter and sister, estate agent Suzy Lamplugh was reported missing after she didn’t return from a house viewing in Fulham.
When Suzy disappeared, aged 25, there was no support for families with a missing loved one. And no way for a missing person to reach out for help in confidence, if they could. And there was a lot of stigma and misunderstanding – how and why could someone ‘simply vanish’?
Suzy’s disappearance caught the public’s attention. People wanted to help.
Her disappearance became a catalyst for change. Sisters Mary Asprey and Janet Newman and a team of volunteers founded from a spare room what would become Missing People.
From humble beginnings rose a solution – of care, human kindness and connection. As the message got ‘out there’ about the new charity, people who’d never had support came forward, including Natalie Cumming MBE who would go on to be one of the charity’s first Trustees.
“My son, 16, was missing, and a friend had heard on the radio about a new charity for missing people. I contacted them, and someone spoke to me every day during the six months my son was missing. My son escaped from a house where he had been taken by force and kept with other children. They were sexually abused in the most heinous way. He was later found by the charity living rough near Charing Cross. Because he could give a good description of the property he had been held in, the police raided it, and arrests were made.”
Today, Missing People continues that same mission - supporting and campaigning with children and adults who are missing, and their loved ones. Today, some of the same myths and stigma are still there – that people disappear for no reason, speculation about why and who was involved, that you need to wait 24 hours to report someone missing.
And today, sadly, families of missing people face horrendous new challenges. Inequality in the response, AI scams and social media intrusion plague people who are already vulnerable.
Every family we support, every missing person we safely reach, every campaign with the community, is part of Suzy’s legacy. Our supporters, donors, and partners, make that possible. Among our partners is the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, who are pushing for a society where people are safer and feel safer, so deeply honours Suzy's memory,
Natalie Cumming MBE concludes: “What made Missing People so special was that we were the only charity in this field. Other countries were inspired to set up their own charities to help – Spain, Germany, France, and Belgium, all asking for our assistance, which we happily provided.”
As we remember Suzy today, we recognise the legacy her disappearance started for others. We also remember the stark reality - Suzy is still missing and her family are still in pain.
