The mother of a missing 16-year-old boy whose girlfriend feared he was walking 280 miles to see her during lockdown has revealed her heartache at the thought of telling his five-year-old sister ‘he’s never coming back’.
Owen Harding vanished four weeks and a day ago, around 6pm on March 26.
He was last seen on CCTV heading towards a well-known cliffside path about half-a-mile from his home in Saltdean, East Sussex, following an argument with his mother.
Owen, who was unsettled by the lockdown, had just confronted her over getting a train to see his girlfriend Meg Wells Rhodes, also 16, who lives in Pocklington, Yorkshire.
He called Meg as he walked towards the cliffs and they ‘cheered each other up’ before he said he would watch the sunset. He hasn’t been heard from since.
Mother Stella Harding has revealed her heartache at the thought of telling her five-year-old daughter that her son, Owen Harding, isn’t coming home. The family live on the coast at Saltdean, East Sussex
It is feared the teenager, pictured left, had a tragedy at the cliffs. He is pictured with girlfriend Meg Wells Rhodes, also 16, who lives in Pocklington, Yorkshire
The boy was last seen on CCTV walking towards the cliffs on March 26
Stella has revealed she and his girlfriend have been preparing for the possibility there had been a tragedy at the cliffs, reports the BBC:.
‘I think we’ve all been prepared for that since the moment he went missing,’ she said.
‘He has a five-year-old sister who adores him, and is aware of his absence.
‘She keeps asking when is Owen coming back, and my heart is aching at the possible thought of having to tell her that he is not ever coming back.
‘What it feels like is that i’m kind of teetering on the edge of the precipice above a massive bottomless canyon of grief.
‘And I don’t know if I can actually allow myself to jump into it, you know, like, I want to.’
Owen was last seen on CCTV heading towards the cliffs at 6.13pm. His phone disconnected from the mast at 6.23pm.
There have been fears the teenager could be trying to walk to see his girlfriend, who lives in Pocklington, Yorkshire. His mother said at the beginning of this month he had been badly affected by the lockdown.
Revealing her heartache, mother Stella said: ‘He has a five-year-old sister who adores him and is aware of his absence. She keeps asking when is Owen coming back.’
The teenager’s phone disconnected from a telephone mast at 6.23pm on March 26
Meg, 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)
‘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,’ she said.
‘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.’
She added: ‘It is very unlike Owen to go missing and to not be in contact with friends, family or his girlfriend.
‘Clearly, it is a really difficult time at the moment and we’re all desperately worried, especially since this is so out of character.
‘We need to be open to investigating all avenues at this critical time, when the clock is ticking and Owen still hasn’t been found.
‘We want to ask anyone who lives in the Yorkshire area to keep an eye out for him and report any information they have to the police.’
Owen is pictured above on a skiing holiday, left, and with his mother Stella, right
A massive search has been launched in the area in a desperate attempt to locate the teenager. More than 80 police officers have taken part along with hundreds of volunteers from the community.
Celebrities have also appealed for help finding the boy including BBC Radio 2 Breakfast presenter Zoe Ball and YouTuber PewDiePie. They both live in Brighton and Hove.
It was low tide when he vanished. Oceanographer Dr Simon Boxall, from the University of Southampton and who was enlisted by Sussex Police in the search, said the conditions at the time would have carried a body out to sea.
Officers have searched as far as Dungeness, Kent, and have sent alerts to forces in Europe.
Owen is 6ft tall with short dark brown hair.
He normally wears white trainers, tracksuit trousers and a dark hoodie.
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.