Concerns for missing woman last seen leaving Soho night out a week ago

Concerns are growing for an “icon of Soho” who has been missing for a week after she was last seen heading home alone from a night out.

Natasha Reddington-Romanov, 55, was last seen leaving a night out in Soho around 2am last Friday (September 20).

She has not been seen since, which friends describe as “very out of character”.

“It’s honestly a nightmare,” close friend Tracy Kawalik told The Standard.

Friends fear Natasha may have come to harm, and could have been targeted as a trans woman.

Last Friday, Natasha had dinner in Chinatown with a friend before going for a drink in Little Italy, then heading to old Soho jazz club Trisha’s - also known as The Hideout and New Evaristo Club.

Natasha previously spent around a decade working behind the bar of the long-running club where she was hugely well-known - even appearing in Anthony Bourdain’s show The Layover - but now works in an office.

After Trisha’s closed around 1.30am, Natasha and friends headed to nearby bar Raincall for more drinks.

But when they arrived to find a queue of people waiting to get in, Natasha decided to head home to her flat on the Old Kent Road. But she is not believed to have made it there.

She told her friends she was going to catch a bus home, but her phone was reportedly out of battery, meaning she did not have access to her bank card.

“She often walks home if her phone is dead,” explained Ms Kawalik.

“For fact we know she was between Greek Street and Bateman Street around 2am, and that was the last time she was spotted. And then it’s all up to guessing.”

Ms Kawalik was not concerned when Natasha failed to respond to a message the following day, saying this was not unusual following a night out.

My friend Natasha has been missing for 7 days

She is 55 yr old transwoman, last seen in Soho on Friday at 2am wearing a white Chanel suit.

I am asking if any editors or publications would be up for reposting or perhaps covering a small news story about her disappearance 🙏 pic.twitter.com/xOXDc8U3hJ

— Tracy Kawalik (@TracyKawalik) September 26, 2024

But concerns were raised when Natasha failed to turn up to work on Monday - something Ms Kawalik described as “completely not like her”.

When she again failed to come in on Tuesday morning, her workplace began calling her next of kin.

The Metropolitan Police is understood to be investigating her disappearance, but Natasha’s friends say they are frustrated by what they perceive to be a lack of urgency from the force.

“It just seems that something’s happened to her,” said Ms Kawalik.

“The first thing that came to mind was that it could have been a hate crime.

“She’s incredibly vivacious. She’s a tough cookie. Did someone go to rob her? Did she say the wrong thing to the wrong person?

“She often falls asleep on the bus. Did she get on the wrong bus and fall asleep and end up somewhere? Is she in a hospital? Does she have no ID, because her phone was stolen or something?

“Did someone harm her? Did she fall? She would never, ever just go away for seven days. It would be so out of character.

“I just have no idea. We’re all sort of preparing for the worst now. The police have done really nothing.

“We’re all thinking the worst. It’s so difficult. She’s not the type to go home with someone. It’s all just very, very out of character.”

Ms Kawalik says Natasha had seemed her usual self on the day she went missing. She had had a long phone call with a friend, when they discussed Christmas plans and how she was planning to cook a lasagne for an event the following weekend.

Natasha was wearing a white Chanel trouser suit and carrying a Dior bag when she was last seen.

“She’s incredibly glamorous, and very, very funny,” said Ms Kawalik.

“She’s a bit of an icon of Soho. She’s been around Soho for some time.

“She was formerly a dancer at Madame Jojo’s. She also famously worked behind the bar at Trisha’s for years. She’s Trisha’s best friend.

“She’s an incredible human being. She’s so kind to everybody.”

Ms Kawalik says there has been “tremendous” support from the LGBTQ and Soho communities since Natasha’s disappearance.

Ms Kawalik says she has been inundated with messages from women who have been helped by Natasha over the years.

“So many women have messaged and said ‘a guy was talking to me one night and Natasha told them to f*** off’,” she said. “She did that to me. She’s the type that really would protect anyone.”

The Met has been approached by The Standard.