The father of a woman who suddenly disappeared more than five months ago has shared his family’s torment waiting for answers.
Catrin Maguire, 22, was last seen on November 13 when she joined friends for a movie night and the alarm was raised two days later when she failed to arrive at the signing of a flat tenancy.
The mystery deepened as police found the Bangor University student had bought a return ticket that day to Holyhead, where her family live, but she never arrived, Wales Online reports.
Dad Gerry, 51, says it has been “horrible” for the family not knowing her whereabouts.
He added: “Some people can go away a long time and then come back. We just don't know.
“The horrible thing for our family is we don't know what's happened. Catrin's younger brother thinks the world of her. The two of them would sometimes sit up until the early hours just chatting rubbish. He's devastated.
"How have we coped? It's a surreal thing. We keep thinking this sort of thing happens to other people. It doesn't make any sense. We've had problems sleeping, everyday functioning is very difficult.
“People from the outside looking in think, 'They're doing OK.' But we're not doing OK. It's just a brave front."
"Sometimes people go missing after broken marriages or backgrounds in care.
"There was nothing like that with Catrin. As far as we're aware there were no issues with Catrin whatsoever.
“We can't understand why she would go missing out of the blue."
The friends who joined Catrin for the movie night are the last people known to have talked to her.
Gerry last spoke to his daughter over the phone the previous Tuesday, when Catrin had seemed happy with her new accommodation.
She had told him: "I love it here, it's nice and cosy and toasty, there are no problems."
Although Catrin and her friend had moved into the Hill Street flat, they had yet to sign a tenancy contract with the provider, First Living.
They were due to finalise the paperwork at 3pm on the Monday but Catrin did not arrive at the company's office.
Her friend assumed she had gone home to her family but when they did not hear they contacted them to ask if she was ok.
The last reported sighting of Catrin came at 1.18pm outside the cafe of the RSPB nature reserve in Holyhead.
Catrin's family and their friends have spent a huge amount of time searching for her, both in Holyhead and Bangor.
They have distributed countless flyers and posters around both areas and spoken to students at the university, but the disappearance remains a mystery.
Catrin is around 5ft 5ins tall with a slim build. Gerry is keen for the appeal to reach anyone who may have been on holiday in Holyhead and seen Catrin around the time of her disappearance.
A police spokeswoman said: " North Wales Police confirm that Catrin remains missing and continue to encourage anyone who saw Catrin at South Stack, Holyhead on the afternoon of November 15, 2021, or who may have any further information on this missing person to contact us.
“If you have information, call North Wales Police on 101 quoting reference Z167766.”
