While he waited for the paramedics to arrive, knowing that there was nothing they could do other than confirm what he already knew, the policeman organised the closing of the road, called for the specialist team to investigate the crash and asked for a PNC check on the car to determine ownership. He grabbed a powerful torch from his boot and shone it around the lane, in the ditches, along the bank, searching for anybody who might have crawled out of the car and could be injured, or anything on the road that could have caused the car to swerve. There was nothing. The road was empty.
For the policeman, it was a relief when the silence was disturbed by the sound of sirens, growing ever nearer, and a few minutes later the ambulance pulled up, its lights picking out a lone cyclist who was approaching the scene hesitantly.
The man hopped off his bike and stood some distance away. The policeman walked towards him.
‘I’m sorry, sir – you need to keep back.’
‘Okay, officer. I’m just trying to get home.’
‘I understand, but I can’t let you along this stretch of road at the moment, sir. I’m sure you appreciate that.’
‘Is anybody hurt? That looks like Caroline Joseph’s car. Am I right?’ the cyclist asked.
‘I can’t confirm that at the moment, sir.’
The man peered around the policeman to get a better look at the car.
‘Is that her I can see? Oh my God. She’s dead, isn’t she?’ He looked at the policeman, his mouth half open in shock. ‘Poor David. That’s her husband. He’s going to be devastated.’
The policeman didn’t comment. All he could do was keep the man as far away as possible until reinforcements arrived, but even from this distance the woman’s head was all too visible.
‘She didn’t have Natasha with her, did she?’ the cyclist asked, his voice shaking. ‘Her little girl? Cutest kid.’
The policeman shook his head with some relief.
‘No, sir. The child seat is in the back but thankfully it’s empty. There was nobody else in the car.’
HUNT FOR MISSING GIRL SCALED DOWN
A police spokesperson has confirmed that, as of today, the search for missing Natasha Joseph has been scaled down.
Detective Inspector Philippa Stanley of the Greater Manchester Police gave the following statement.
‘Teams of professionals and volunteers have been searching the local area for over two weeks. We believe that every inch of the countryside surrounding the site of the accident has been covered. In addition to the teams on the ground checking any and every place that a young child might have crawled into to keep warm, we have employed sniffer dogs and helicopters with infrared detectors. I’m sorry to say that we have found nothing.’
Natasha Joseph – known to her family as Tasha – went missing after her mother’s car crashed on Littlebarn Lane as they returned from a family party. Caroline Joseph was driving, and no other cars were involved. When police arrived at the scene of the accident, there was no sign of the missing Natasha. Mrs Joseph was pronounced dead by the paramedics.
The police are now pursuing other lines of enquiry. In particular they are continuing to ask members of the public who were anywhere in the vicinity of the accident to come forward.
‘Whether people believe they know anything or not, it is always surprising how the smallest piece of information – the sighting of a specific car or a person acting in a suspicious way – can help, particularly when coupled with other intelligence that we have gathered. We are accessing the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) system where appropriate, and have also secured CCTV footage from petrol station forecourts and other cameras in the nearby town. But we would urge anybody who was out that night in the surrounding area to come forward. Our trained interviewers will help you to piece together each moment of that evening, and we are hopeful that the one vital piece of information we need is out there.’
The police have confirmed that while the physical search of the local area has been reduced, the team of detectives working the case remains at the highest level.
David Joseph, husband of Caroline and father of Natasha, and a successful Manchester businessman, issued an emotional plea on television last week.
‘Somebody must know where my little girl is. She has lost her mother, and poor Tasha must be heartbroken, confused and so very scared. Please help me to find her. I need my little girl. I have lost everything.’
To speak to somebody in confidence, please call 0800 6125736 or 0161 7913785.
1
Six years later
DCI Tom Douglas found himself humming a tune as he walked down the corridor to his office. He always enjoyed the first day back at work after a holiday, in much the same way as he had loved going back to school after the long summer break when he was a child. It was the sense of anticipation, the knowledge that the day would bring challenges that he was keen to face. He enjoyed the camaraderie of his team – not quite friends, but supportive allies who he knew had his back. It wasn’t the easiest job in the world, but he wasn’t often bored, and there was a lot to be said for that.