The lead detective in the case of a missing mother-of-two has written an open letter on the anniversary of her disappearance calling for anyone with any information to help end family’s ‘pain and heartbreak’.
Georgina Gharsallah, then 30, vanished without trace in Worthing, West Sussex on March 7 2018. The investigation was only upgraded to a murder probe in August 2019.
The mother-of-two had been staying with her mother Andrea, was reportedly in good spirits, and had plans to get her mobile phone fixed that day.
She set off towards Worthing town centre with two plastic bags and a shoulder bag before 9.30am.
A police reconstruction was able to trace her journey to a local cornershop where she enquired about SIM cards and was advised to go to a mobile shop in town. She gave no indication of being upset or worried.
She was next seen in an eight-second CCTV clip walking with another woman who has never come forward. That remains the last verified sighting.
Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme, the senior investigating officer on the case, has now made an impassioned fresh appeal for those who know what happened to Georgina to come forward.
In the letter he writes: ‘Seven years. Seven long years, you’ve kept a secret that is causing so much pain and heartbreak. Isn’t it time you gave it up?
Georgina Gharsallah vanished after leaving her mother’s West Sussex home in March 2018
Georgina left her mother’s home before walking to a corner shop. She was later spotted on nearby CCTV, but was never seen again
Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme, the senior investigating officer on the case, has now made an impassioned fresh appeal for those who know what happened to Georgina to come forward
‘Georgina is loved and missed by so many people – her mother, her father, her children, her sisters, and her friends.
‘They are desperate for answers about what happened to her on this day in March 2018. Don’t you think they deserve to know?
‘Put yourself in their shoes. They’ve endured sleepless nights waiting for Georgina to come home. They’ve replayed conversations and moments spent with Georgina, not realising at the time they would be the last ones before she disappeared.
‘They’ve not been able to move forward with their lives for fear of leaving Georgina behind. Imagine if that was someone you loved – how would you cope with such torment?
‘You have the power to change that. The information you have could bring an end to all the unanswered questions and provide some form of closure to Georgina’s family. Keeping that to yourself is a lot to have on your conscience, isn’t it?
‘We know you might be scared, but that’s why we give people the option to report anonymously through Crimestoppers. No one ever needs to know the information came from you.
‘You might not know the whole truth, and you might think the small snippet of information you have is irrelevant. It’s not.
‘Are you protecting someone? If so, ask yourself the question – would they do the same for you if things got tough or the tables were turned?
In the morning of March 7 2018 Georgina visited a local cornershop called Clifton Food and Wine to ask about getting a SIM card to fix her broken phone – before heading into the town centre
This eight-second CCTV clip of Georgina (centre left, with white fur rim on coat) walking with an unidentified woman towards the Guildbourne Centre shopping centre at around 4pm is the last verified sighting of her
‘We’re asking you to do the right thing and share the information with us. Do it for yourself, to be free from that burden of knowledge.
‘Do it for Georgina’s family and friends, to ease the anguish of not knowing what happened to her. Do it for Georgina, because she deserves justice. What’s stopping you?’
Speaking in 2020, Georgina’s mother Andrea spoke about her fears that her daughter had been murdered or sex trafficked and said her family had been forced to become the ‘lead investigators’.
After her disappearance two men were arrested on suspicion of murder but were released without charge.
The family put together a list of ’27 key failings’ made by the police, which included key CCTV footage not being reviewed for more than a year, and a failure to place Georgina on an Interpol watchlist for more than 18 months.
They also said nine potentially significant segments of CCTV were lost by Sussex Police, ‘without explanation.’
Mrs Gharsallah said it was ‘a role in which no mother or sister should be placed or want’, adding: ‘My daughter’s investigation should never have been a learning curve to the police.’
Georgina’s mother Andrea posted a loving tribute on the seventh anniversary of her daughter’s death
Ms Gharsallah was reported missing to Sussex Police on 17 March 2018 and has not accessed her phone, social media accounts or withdrawn any cash from her bank account since – the reward has since been increased to £20,000
Georgina Gharsallah (top) with her two children at Christmas time in 2014, with mother Andrea (bottom left)
A former Met Police inspector claims the probe would have been handled differently if Georgina ‘had blue eyes and was middle class’.
Sussex Police say anyone with information about the case can contact them directly either online or by calling 101 quoting Operation Pavo.
You can also share information via the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously online or by calling 0800 555 111.
