Charlene Elizabeth Caroline Downes was a young girl who vanished from England in 2003. Her age progression depicts her at 16 years old.
Background[]
Charlene was born in Coventry, England on 25 March 1989 to parents Robert and Karen Downes. She lived with her parents, brother and two sisters in Coventry until she was ten when the family moved to Blackpool, England. Charlene was known to be a happy child but had a “chaotic life” after being expelled from St George’s School. Her parents were also members of the EDL, a British Far Right party and after Charlene vanished one of her sisters would be arrested for racially aggravated assault.
After her disappearance, police uncovered that Charlene was one of the numerous local girls who were the victims of a child grooming ring. Fast food outlets in Blackpool had been offering these girls food and cigarettes in return for sex acts with male employees. It is unclear if this abuse played a role in what later happened to Charlene.
Case[]
Disappearance[]
Charlene was last seen in her hometown of Blackpool, Lancashire on 1 November 2003. That day Charlene ate breakfast as usual and went to her friend's house. She then returned home at around midday but she either wanted to go out again at around 5:00 p.m. with her sister Becky so they could meet another friend and left at around 5:30 p.m. that evening or went back into town with Becky earlier that day. According to the latter version of events, the sisters were captured on CCTV footage at 3:25 p.m. while they were walking along Bank Hey Street in Blackpool. Charlene and Becky spent the following hours playing on the fruit machines at the Coral Island Amusement Arcade before going to McDonalds.
At approximately 6:45 p.m. Karen Downes was handing out flyers for an Indian restaurant when she saw Charlene and her sister walking on the other side of the road drinking McDonald’s milkshakes. They spoke to their mother for a few minutes and explained that Becky was planning to go home but Charlene wanted to meet up with her friends Natalie and Ashley. While they spoke, Karen repeatedly reminded Charlene that she needed to be home by her curfew of 10:00 p.m. Charlene called her friends at a local telephone box and waited with Karen until they arrived. Charlene then hugged her mother and walked away with her friends in the direction of the Winter Gardens.
Charlene spent some time talking with her friends before walking away in the direction of Caunce Street. There is an hour wherein she is unaccounted for but at 9:00 p.m. CCTV footage shows a girl who is believed to be Charlene, although this has never been conclusively confirmed to be the case, walking along the junction of Dickson Road and the North Pier. The girl was in the company of an unidentified woman. The woman is believed to be in her 30s with dyed hair and a three-quarter-length coat.
At 9:30 p.m. Charlene met up with another friend. The duo visited the Carousel Bar on the North Pier before returning to the town center by 10:00 p.m. Charlene was last seen at around 11:00 p.m. when her friend left her alone close to Talbot Road and Abingdon Street.
Investigation[]
Charlene's parents didn't report her missing the next morning because they initially believed that she may have stayed with a friend. This was supported by the fact that she had previously stayed out past her curfew and had always returned home safe in the end. However, after contacting her friends and learning that she was left alone late that night and hadn’t been since, they became alarmed and immediately contacted the police. Unfortunately, the authorities refused to let them file a police report for a further 24 hours because they thought Charlene might return home of her own accord.
When the police finally began investigating Charlene’s disappearance, they searched the local area but failed to find her or any of her possessions. They also received multiple tips, particularly after her story was circulated in the local news. These included multiple possible sightings of Charlene sleeping on the side of the road, in the shopping center, on a train and even lying dead on railway tracks. All leads were followed up on but came to nothing.
Suspects[]
In 2007, Iyad Albattikhi, the owner of a local fast-food establishment called "Funny Boyz", was charged with Charlene's murder and his business partner, Mohammed Reveshi, was charged with disposing of her remains. Albattikhi also was accused of having sex with Charlene before her death. In an audio recording of the men, they allegedly boasted about killing a girl, believed to be Charlene, and keeping her body in a car for some time before dismembering her remains and selling them as kebab meat. However, there was no physical evidence tying the men to Charlene, her body had never been found and even in the recording, they had never mentioned Charlene by name.
The jury failed to determine whether the men were innocent or guilty, so a retrial was scheduled for April 2008. However, in the time leading up to the retrial, significant issues were found with the audio recording that made them inadmissible in court. As a result, the prosecution was unable to provide any evidence against the men and they were released without charges. Albattikhi and Reveshi were both given £250,000 as compensation for false arrest.
In August 2017 a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of Charlene's murder. The man, who had lived in Blackpool at the time of her disappearance, was held in police custody and questioned for 48 hours before being released without charges. This man remains under investigation.
Police believe Charlene was murdered within hours of her disappearance. There is a reward of £100,000 for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Charlene’s killers or the discovery of her remains.
Characteristics[]
- Shoulder length brown hair.
- Blue eyes.
- She had a slim build.
Clothing and accessories[]
- A black long-sleeved shirt or jumper with a white diamond pattern on it.
- She may have been wearing a white cardigan or top with a hood on it.
- Black jeans with a gold eagle design on the front.
- Black boots.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Charlene Downes on Wikipedia
- Charlene Downes at the Doe Network
- Lancashire Police
- Medium