Keeping Georgina Gharsallah at the forefront of the public's mind

It was a regular Wednesday morning when Georgina Gharsallah last popped to a local convenience store in Worthing.

That was March 7th 2018 - 1,359 days ago. She has neither been seen nor heard from since.

But how does a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend go missing without a trace? Someone, somewhere must know what happened to her.

That's the crucial information Sussex Police has been striving for in the years and months since Georgina's disappearance.

The force and Georgina's family have worked hard to keep her present in the public's mind. Posters were put up across Worthing, as Georgina's home town and the last place she was seen, and police have issued more than a dozen public appeals for information.

Most recently, police and Georgina's family have taken part in a documentary about her disappearance which aired on MTV on Wednesday (November 25).

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme said: "We continue to do what we can to keep Georgina in the thoughts and minds of the public.

"Since her disappearance, we have issued facts, photos and videos in the hope of triggering someone's memory. We have worked with her family to get their heartfelt appeals spread far and wide. We have explored ways we can reach out to different audiences and demographics.

"We know someone out there has the information we're looking for and as we have done since the day Georgina was last seen, we urge them to come forward - either to police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.

"Behind the scenes, we continue to actively investigate Georgina's disappearance and we will continue to follow all reasonable lines of enquiry that come into us."

The last confirmed sighting of Georgina was in Clifton Food and Wines in Clifton Road, Worthing. She was wearing a jacket with a faux fur collar and had her shoulder-length dark hair tied up. She also had a Monroe-style piercing above her lip, on the left side.

In August 2019, Georgina's disappearance was crimed as a homicide and Crimestoppers offered a £10,000 reward for any information which leads to the arrest and conviction of any person responsible for Georgina's death.

DCI Wolstenholme, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, added: "Sadly, I have had to consider the possibility that Georgina has come to harm at the hands of someone else.

"A number of vital enquiries to test 'proof of life' have been conducted but to date, none of these have been able to exclusively show that Georgina is alive.

"We know this has been incredibly difficult and upsetting for all of Georgina's loved ones to hear, but it doesn't mean we've given up on looking for her. We still have a dedicated team of officers who are committed to finding out what happened to Georgina and giving her family the answers they deserve."

Information can be passed to police online or by calling 101 quoting Operation Pavo. To contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, visit the website or call 0800 555 111.