Family of missing woman infuriated after learning of key update in her case through television programme
A family have said the police haven’t learned from their previous failures, as authorities look into the 2021 disappearance of their daughter.
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.
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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."
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.
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."
Gerrard Kaonga