Suffolk schoolgirl Kennedy Palmer has now been missing from her Kesgrave home for three days as her anxious family await more news.
The 15-year-old left home on foot at around 8am on Thursday wearing her Kesgrave High School uniform and has not been seen since.
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Last night Superintendent David Cutler, from the Protecting Vulnerable People directorate said: “I am increasingly concerned for Kennedy’s safety and would ask that anyone who may have seen her, or anyone who has any information on her whereabouts, to contact police as a matter of urgency.
“We are continuing with extensive work to locate her at this time.”
Kennedy’s family released the following statement: “Come home Kennedy, you are not in trouble, please just come home we are all missing you, if anyone has seen her can they please call the police immediately.”
Her mother Nicola Palmer was joined by more than 25 volunteers in a widespread search around Grange Farm and Levington yesterday but failed to find any trace of her.
Officers searching for the teenager on the ground were helped by the police helicopter, which has been spotted over Foxhall, Rushmere and Kesgrave yesterday afternoon.
Detectives issued a picture of Kennedy’s black backpack with distinctive white pattern which they believe she is carrying.
The 15-year-old is described as around 5ft 3ins tall, with brown hair, and blue eyes.
She has a distinctive haircut, long on one side and shaved on the other.
When she left home she was wearing a sky blue shirt, a navy blue jumper, navy blue trousers and was wearing ankle boots.
Kennedy’s father, Jamie, told ITV News Anglia it was almost as if she had “evaporated” after leaving home on Thursday morning.
He said: “She walked out the door at 8am to go to school and that’s the last time anybody has heard from or seen her.
“Her mobile phone was turned off at 8.15am. That’s untraceable. Police can’t trace it. It’s like she’s just evaporated.”
Her disappearance was totally out of character: “She will argue with her mum and go to see her nan for a couple of hours – but that’s it. She never goes missing. She likes to be home where it’s warm and cosy.”
Mrs Palmer said she was overwhelmed by the support she had received from the community.
Yesterday morning she said: “We are going into Ipswich today. We have printed out 500 photos so we can hand them out. “There are a lot of people in town on a Saturday. “We are also going to the banger racing at Foxhall Road to hand out photos, it’s a place she hangs out with her friends.
“The family are distraught, everyone is just trying to be strong for me.
“We are all devastated, we just want her to come home.
“For people to come out and help look for her yesterday was wonderful.
“Everyone is keeping an eye out for her.”
She added: “We are asking people if they have got houses in Grange Farm with cameras that they can check between 8am and 9am.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Work is being done to try and locate her but we would ask anyone with information about where she is to contact Suffolk Police on 101.”
Police said there had been no further developments overnight despite the involvement of the police helicopter and the reneweed appeal.
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