Luke Durbin is a local lad who went missing a year ago. His disappearance has
had considerable media and internet coverage thanks to an excellent campaign to keep his profile raised.
Luke, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, was 19 when he vanished in the early hours of 12 May, 2006 following a night out with friends at the Zest nightclub in Ipswich. His disappearance was totally out of character. He is described as a happy and sociable boy with a huge circle of friends.
I assume that a reported sighting of Luke last month in Taunton, Somerset drew a blank as there has been no further mention of it. Luke’s mother Nicki was unable to be optimistic until she knew the results of CCTV footage which was being examined.
“Last year I was shown CCTV footage of a man in Devon and I was convinced it was Luke. He had the same mannerisms and clothes so I asked police to keep re-running it. When it was enhanced though I realised it wasn’t him.
“As soon as I heard this sighting was in Taunton, I thought it must be the same man as last year. My hopes have been raised so many times that I’m trying to stay incredibly grounded. I just want it to be Luke.â€?
In memory of those who are still missing.
This comment was posted by Luke’s mother on my first “missing post”.
Ellee, thank you so much for highlighting my son, Luke Durbin’s disappearance and also other missing people. With regard to Tom Paine’s comment re “solid police work� being the only way, I do agree that initially this is paramount, however, as with the police working on Luke’s case, when all avenues of enquiries have been exhausted, publicity is all that is left. Look at Crimewatch and crimes that are solved many years afterwards due to publicity. The difficulty the police have with many missing people is that as with Luke’s disappearance there is nothing to suggest a crime has or has not been committed.
Over the last year I have questioned every aspect of my motives as to the publicity I have created for Luke. I come back to the same conclusion, if someone has committed a heinous crime against my son, that person is hardly going to ring the police and confess all, however, as another mum said to me, whose son, Damien Nettles, has been missing for ten and a half years, that person may have family, friends or colleagues who are suspicious of that person and publicity may trigger their conscience.
As a parent to lose a child in anyway is devastating, to lose a child and not know their age anymore, to not know which tense to tslk about them is soul destroying.
For many parents, family and friends of the missing, publicity is the only proactive way for us, it stops us drowning in our own despair. Ellee, thank you again and I hope your coverage of the missing continues.
Nicki Durbin, I sympathise deeply and hope that one day soon you will hear good news. I would like to thank you for your comment and to tell you that I shall be continuing with my missing posts. If there is any way I can help, please let me know.
[…] Nicki Durbin knows only too well that prayers are not enough. She contacted me yesterday via facebook to discuss her son Luke’s mysterious disappearance. He vanished in May, 2006 after a night out in Ipswich aged 19. Astonishingly, she was offered bereavement counselling, an incredibly insensitve action when the family hope that he that he is still alive. She is hoping as many people as possible will sign up with Luke’s new facebook sites called Finding Luke and Find Luke Durbin to support their ongoing campaign. […]
[…] I imagine this is a time of year when families’ hopes soar that they will hear from missing loved ones who have inexplicably vanished from their lives. I asked Nicki Durbin to describe what it is like, how parents in her position cope. Her teenage son Luke has has not been seen since May 2006, aged 19. She sent me these two great photos which show Luke as a pensive 3-year-old and a fun loving guy celebrating his Christmas 10-years-ago with sister Alicia. […]
[…] I also met the devoted family of Raymond Scott, who still hope he will return to them one day, and Vinny Derrick’s loving family, as well as the two magnificent women who made the march happen – Nicki Durbin, mother of Luke who vanished in May 2006 aged 19, and Valerie Nettles, whose son Damien disappeared mysteriously in November 1996 when he was 16. […]
[…] I described in this post how Nicki Durbin, mother of Luke who vanished in May 2006 aged 19, and Valerie Nettles, whose son Damien disappeared mysteriously in November 1996 when he was 16, had joined forces with other families of missing people to hold a march in London to highlight their plight, as well as pleading with the government to provide much needed resources. […]
…heartbreaking.
Lady M, it always is.
Heart goes out to Nicki, these families have this to face everyday. They are forgotten ‘victims’ families, living ina ‘limbo’ world. Got my 100% support.x
Denise, I agree, they are forgotten “victims”. I don’t know how they get through the day.
Great piece of writing as usual Ellee. I am not reading it in a great frame of mind however, having just had to cancel our events for International Missing Day which would have profiled 19 missing persons, including Luke Durbin. Why? No support. It seems outside of the family’s affected by this and their immediate friends (and even that is lacking), no-one really cares.
What happened to the Early Day Motion proposed by Ann Winterton? It seemed to disappear.
The Government Taskforce for the Missing? What will happen to that now Labour is no longer in power? Because they didn’t actually involve any of the other parties. Will our new Co-Alition Government pick this up? I suspect not. Because outside of anniversaries with a brief new media interest on a story, where I’m sitting right now, I don’t see many people actually caring.
Best, Karen
Karen, I think the pressure on government needs to be renewed to support these families. I’m really sorry to hear about your events that have been cancelled. There must be something you can do to keep this in the media spotlight on International Missing Day.