Desperate anniversary appeal over missing Denise Jarvis as case goes cold

The search of a missing woman last seen a year ago at a park in Kingswood appears to have gone cold - as police release a new image in the hope it will lead to more information on her disappearance.

Denise Jarvis told her family she wanted ‘to get her head sorted’ before she was last seen entering Southey Park with five bags by her sister on Wednesday, August 3 last year.

She’d gone to camp at the park - but not a trace of her, or three of the bags, has been seen since despite a long police investigation which has seen investigators talk to more than 90 people who knew her.

Officers have also carried out extensive searches, including under-water and drone-led operations. CCTV from the area has also been reviewed - but there none has been discovered since the park sighting. Reported sightings in Kingswood in January and Cornwall in March have been ruled out.

Now, on the anniversary of her disappearance, police have again renewed their appeal by releasing a new image of Denise in the hope it will job someone’s memory and lead to fresh information. At the same time, the force appeared to suggest that the case had gone cold.

Senior Investigating Officer Det Chief Insp Ben Lavender said: “We know how devastating this continues to be for Denise’s loved ones and our thoughts remain very much with them.

“We want to use this first anniversary as a reminder that we’re still appealing for information from the public. People have annual routines and events they may attend, so we’d ask them to think back to the same time last year to see if that jogs their memories. Every piece of information is important in our efforts to find out what happened to Denise.

“Our investigation will be subject to regular reviews and we’re ready to respond to any new lines of enquiry which come in.”

On the day she went missing, Denise was wearing a coat when she was last seen in the park – a grey, thigh-length sleeveless coat. Two of her bags since been recovered; one containing essentials, the other with her ‘keep fit’ items.

Her family have recently spoken of their determination to find her, and not to give up. On Channel 5’s Vanished: The Hunt for Britain’s Missing, mother Bernadette said: “I’m worried she might have found somewhere, or someone picked her up - that’s my fear, someone has put her in a van and took her and thrown away those bags.

“I won’t stop searching, she’s our daughter and we love her.”

Anyone with information should visit an online portal using this link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/5222C16-PO1