Police have said they are considering looking back into the disappearance of Welsh woman Catrin Maguire – however the family isn’t entirely pleased with this outcome.
Catrin’s parents, Gerry and Wendy, from Holyhead, Wales, have said police have failed to keep them in the loop, and said they found out this update through a TV program, and not from the police directly.
The pair have said they have been frustrated by this move as that the police poorly communicated developments in the investigation when Catrin initially went missing.
Catrin’s parents have said they are ‘livid’ with the police for how they have proceeded (MEDIA WALES)
Last year, the North Wales Police produced a damning report into its own work into the case, ultimately finding six ‘unacceptable’ failings.
Most notable of those failings was poor communication and the lack of a family liaison officer.
Catrin was a student at Bangor University, Wales, and went missing in November 2021 aged 22 after buying a return ticket to Holyhead, Anglesey.
She was last seen on CCTV on the afternoon of November 15 that year and was spotted walking near the South Stack Cliffs RSPB nature reserve.
Speaking on Welsh TV program The World on Four, the North Wales Police assistant chief constable Gareth Evans said the force was considering reopening the appeal for Catrin.
He said: “We are looking to relaunch the appeal [into Catrin’s case] to try to get more information out of the community.”
North Wales Police produced a damning report on its own failings into the case last year (Media Wales)
Gerry and Wendy only learned the news when they read an article previewing the program.
Speaking about this discovery, Gerry said: “We are livid.
“There is nothing worse than having to read it online. Communication is the key thing they say they’ve now addressed in cases like this, and we’re thinking, ‘No you haven’t’. We’re finding things out second-hand and it’s upset the family again.
“Poor communication has run through everything like a stick of rock.”
The family has gone as far to say that this new focus on Catrin’s disappearance is only a ‘token gesture’ driven by media pressure.
Gerry continued: “They have to be seen to be doing something, but I think if it wasn’t for us bringing their failings into the open through the program and WalesOnline, this would not have happened.”
A spokesperson for North Wales Police defended the renewed appeal for information, however.
Catrin was last seen on CCTV on the afternoon of November 15 (Media Wales)
They said: “Whilst no ongoing missing person case is ever ‘closed’, a renewed appeal is something the force will often consider and is in no way out of the ordinary.
“In the context of the wider interview, ACC Gareth Evans did make clear the force would respect the wishes of the Maguire family in respect of appeals, and during the interview he also said he was prepared to meet [the family] to discuss any concerns they had.
“The force is actively seeking to facilitate this. However, as there has been a short amount of time between recording and transmission, this is still ongoing.”
Those caring for a young schoolgirl who was left orphaned in heartbreaking circumstances have issued an update on how she’s doing.
Back in July, Shane Roller, his partner Shannen Morgan, and two of their daughters, Lillie and Rubie, died in a car crash in West Yorkshire, UK.
The family’s vehicle collided with a motorcycle, sadly killing both bike riders as well.
Poppie wasn’t in the car at the time of the ordeal and has since been left without any parents and siblings.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the 11-year-old afterwards to help pay for the young girl’s immediate needs, and now over £400,000 has been raised.
In an update shared to the fundraiser earlier this month, it was confirmed that Poppie has recently returned to school 12-weeks on from her family’s death.
Paul Hepple, the GoFundMe page creator, also shared some insight into how Poppie’s doing.
Discussing the staggering amount of money that’s been raised for Poppie, Paul wrote: “I want to mention that not a single penny of the funds has been touched yet. GoFundMe is currently awaiting the transfer instructions, and after careful consideration, it has been decided that every single penny will go into a trust fund for Poppie, this ensures that your incredible generosity will continue to support her long into the future.
“Her aunt Faye has been added as the beneficiary to handle the funds, and she will transfer them to the trust fund.”
The devastating car crash killed six people in total (Sky News)
He went on to say that the 11-year-old girl is ‘doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances’.
“She has bravely returned to school and, although she was nervous at first, she is slowly settling in,” the update went on.
“She is receiving therapy at school, which is helping her navigate her loss. Poppie and her Aunt, Faye, have also received invaluable support from Brake, the road safety charity, who have been instrumental in helping them manage the legal side of things and providing guidance.”
Poppie, whose face has been blurred, lost her entire family during a horrific accident in July (West Yorkshire Police)
On behalf of Poppie’s aunt, Paul wrote that she wished to thank the Barnsley Mental Health Support Team, Compass Be, for its help, as well as other organizations that have assisted them.
The update concluded: “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your continued kindness, patience, and support. Your generosity has not only secured Poppie’s future but has also brought light during a very dark time.”
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
In an appearance on UK morning show This Morning, the guest explained that they have a condition called chionoandrophobia.
But for those of us who don’t speak Ancient Greek, here’s a quick breakdown for you.
The word contains ‘chiono’ meaning snow, and ‘andro’ meaning man or masculine, so ‘chionoandrophobia’ is the fear of snowmen.
Taking to This Morning in 2011, the woman sat with Nik and Eva Speakman and This Morning hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.
They tried to get to the bottom of the fear in order to help her confront it and to overcome it.
The guest said: “I want it gone,” she told the stars. “I don’t want to have to walk down the street and worry.”
In an attempt to help the poor guest overcome her fear, they had someone dressed in a snowman costume.
ITV
Once the guest was ready, they drew back the curtain and revealed the snowman there.
Unfortunately it didn’t go well, with the guest immediately turning away from the snowman, hiding her face, and starting to cry.
The snowman was a large onesie, similar to a sports mascot, and a large head with a snowman’s face stitched on.
And after seeing the video, many people were saying the same thing in the comments – that the snowman they chose was probably not the best one as even people without the phobia thought it was creepy.
One wrote: “They picked a very creepy looking snowman though to be fair to her!” while another replied: “tbf they couldn’t have picked a creepier snowman costume.”
ITV
A third took things even further, posting: “They couldn’t have picked a more sinister looking snowman if they gave it an AK47.”
Another person pointed out that while it’s clearly an unusual thing to be afraid of, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a valid fear that can have a bad impact on someone’s life.
They wrote: “Each persons fears are valid and unique, deserving of empathy and understanding. It’s important to support individuals facing challenges, regardless of how uncommon they may seem at first glance.”
The cause of a phobia can vary a lot from case to case, and it’s not clear exactly what causes them.
The NHS website says that life experiences, for example a traumatic event, brain chemistry, and even genetics can all be a factor.
Amy Lynn Bradley went missing while she was on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship with her family, parents Iva and Ron and brother Bradley back in 1998.
The then 23-year-old was parting in the Rhapsody of the Seas’ club on March 24 and was last seen sleeping in a chair on her cabin’s private balcony at around 5.30am.
This would be the last time the woman would ever be seen again.
Within half an hour, Bradley had vanished and her father couldn’t find her.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information related to her disappearance (FBI)
The simplest explanation to her disappearance was that between 5.30am and her father trying to find her, she had fallen overboard.
However, her family is reluctant to believe this, stating that she was an excellent swimmer, was a trained lifeguard and the boat was not far from shore.
Over the years have held on to hope that their daughter is still alive, but an episode of TV show Dr Phill suggested a rather dark suggestion as to what happened to the young woman.
In 2005, the family received a tip off that Amy may have been sex trafficked. It is not clear at what point this would have happened and Royal Caribbean staff state they searched every inch of the vessel when they were made aware of her disappearance.
An aged up photo of Amy aged 60 (FBI)
With that being said, while on the TV show, the family were shown haunting images of a woman who strongly resembled Bradley. She was scantily-clad and posing uncomfortably in lingerie in the picture.
The internet archive has a cached version of the images being promoted on a defunct website advertising adult holidays in the Caribbean.
It identified the woman as “Jas” – and includes two pictures of a woman with long black hair.
Iva said: “When I first looked at the picture, it wasn’t the Amy I know. The picture looks like a harsh and tormented Amy.”
The FBI appeal also included aged up images of Bradley to better help people identify the missing woman. (FBI)
These alleged leads failed to result in the mystery of her disappearance being completely unfurled.
The family has since issued a fresh appeal for information regarding her disappearance on what would have been Bradley’s 50th birthday.
The FBI appeal for information described Bradley as being a white 5 foot 6 woman weighing 120 pounds with short brown hair and green eyes from Petersburg, Virginia.
The FBI appeal also included aged up images of Bradley to better help people identify the missing woman.
The release states: “The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of Amy Lynn Bradley and information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.”
Janet, a schoolteacher, and NASA engineer John traveled to Argentina in a bid to climb the mountain alongside a team of other keen explorers, many of whom were part of the Mazamas climbing club.
The team set off on January 19, 1973, and they successfully went on to make it to Camp 3 – which was over 19,000 feet high.
They continued their travels the next day, but one member of the party became unwell so he and another went back to camp.
Around 3,500 climbers attempt to go up Mount Aconcagua each year (Christopher Pillitz/Getty Images)
Janet and John were some of the last people standing on the expedition, and they managed to travel a further 2,000 feet before setting up camp once more.
How did Janet Johnson and John Cooper die?
John went on to decide that he couldn’t make it to the summit, and proceeded to make his way back down the mountain to Camp 3.
But he never made it and the engineer sadly died on the glacier.
Janet’s untimely passing followed shortly after.
The remaining explorers made it to the summit and in interviews conducted after John and Janet’s deaths, they claimed that it was dark when they got there and turned round to find Janet wasn’t there.
They went on to find her 100 feet away from the snow trail and while she just wanted to ‘lay [there] and die’, one man roped himself to her to help Janet.
Eventually Janet’s hands went on to become ‘black and swollen’, likely from frostbite caused by the mountain’s below-freezing temperatures.
After much difficulty, they safely made it back to Camp 3 and stayed the night. But the next morning, Janet was nowhere to be seen.
Explorers set up camps on route to the summit (Rafa Samano/Cover/Getty Images)
They went down without her and her body wasn’t found on the glacier until two years later.
Questions of foul play
Both Janet and John’s deaths went on to be ruled as accidental and it was presumed that they both fell and fell victim to the elements, but there has long been questions of if foul play was involved.
“There is sufficient mystery and enough unanswered questions surrounding the death of Janet Johnson and NASA engineer John Cooper on the same 1973 expedition to have raised the suspicion of foul play,” William Montalbano wrote in a 1976 article for the Miami Herald.
New evidence uncovered
The mystery is still yet to be solved, and in 2020 – with the help of global warming – Janet’s camera was unearthed from the snow.
Ulises Corvalan was part of the expedition that found her camera that had 24 photographs on it, which have helped piece together the timeline of her death.
One of the photos on the roll is Janet with John and fellow explorer Arnold McMillen.
One of the last photos of Janet Johnson and John Cooper (John Shelton)
Corvalan is an experienced guide and has analyzed Janet’s photographs. He has one key question – why were Janet and John’s bodies intact if they’d suffered a fall?
“[Corvalan] has seen bodies ravaged by even short falls. Bones are broken. Clothing and equipment are shredded,” wrote The New York Times.
“Why, Corvalan wondered, did so little of that appear to have happened to Johnson and Cooper? Why was the damage confined mostly to their faces?”
He told the publication the long fall that was said to have killed them was ‘improbable, maybe impossible’ thanks to the shallow slops and uncharacteristically soft snow.
The mystery continues.
