Louise Kerton | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1977 |
| Disappeared | July 30, 2001 Aachen Hauptbahnhof, Aachen, Germany |
| Status | Missing for 24 years, 1 month and 1 day |
| Nationality | British |
| Parents |
|
Louise Kerton is a British woman from Broadstairs, Kent who went missing in Germany in July 2001. At the time of her disappearance she was a student nurse.
Louise Kerton, the daughter of Phil and Kathleen Kerton, had four siblings: a younger sister, two older sisters and an older brother. [1] [2] She was born prematurely at 27 weeks and spent 8 to 10 weeks in an incubator. [2] She had an artistic side and teachers were puzzled that she was attentive but had difficulty presenting work, describing it as a mess. [2] She was diagnosed with dyslexia. [2] She had attended the same school as murder victim Lucie Blackman and was friendly with her. [2]
She was living with her boyfriend Peter Simon in Broadstairs at the time of her disappearance. [2]
She spent five weeks with Peter's family in Straßfeld near Bonn after failing nursing exams. [2] Peter had travelled to the UK two days before she was to pick up some building materials. [2] Peter's mother Ramona said she had dropped her off at Aachen Hauptbahnhof on 30 July 2001. [2] Louise had planned to take a train to Ostend and then travel to Dover. [2]
German police treated her disappearance as routine - they received unconfirmed reports that she was living in a hostel for the homeless in Aachen. [3]
Her father believes that authorities were slow to act as she was 24 and therefore considered an adult. [2] He said her disappearance was out of character. [2]
In late 2001 her family hired Bob Moffatt, a former Scotland Yard Superintendent as a private investigator. [2] They have also hired Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection. [2] Moffatt and her family have criticised the Simon family for failing to cooperate with police and for alleged inconsistencies in their statements. [2] The Simon family deny her disappearance has anything to do with them. [2]
Police found photos on film in her camera at Peter's home in Germany. [3] When developed they showed scenes that police believe had been photographed in a village in the region of Bad Zwischenahn. [3]
As of late 2010 or early 2011 German police had closed the case. [4]
Her mother died of stomach cancer in 2011. [2]
The Simon family have moved out of Straßfeld. [2]