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<v Speaker 1>Hi, and welcome back to The Unseen Podcast, a podcast

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<v Speaker 1>dedicated to missing people, unresolved cases, and UK true crime.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's day eight of twelve days of missing person episodes

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<v Speaker 1>throughout December, and today we're looking into the disappearance of

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<v Speaker 1>seventy two year old Catherine Holdsworth in Halifax, in Yorkshire

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<v Speaker 1>in twenty seventeen. Her disappearance is very unusual and Catherine

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<v Speaker 1>is a vulnerable person, meaning that many people have been

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<v Speaker 1>invested in finding out where she went or what happened.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode is about a missing person and so does

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<v Speaker 1>not contain any descriptions of violence, but listener discretion is advised.

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<v Speaker 1>On the ninth of September twenty seventeen, seventy two year

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<v Speaker 1>old Catherine Holdsworth entered a Tesco supermarket in the town

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<v Speaker 1>of Halifax. Halifax is located in the borough of Calderdale

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<v Speaker 1>in West Yorkshire, at the foothills of the Pennine Mountains.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a town which has historically been associated with the

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<v Speaker 1>wool trade and is known for its older style buildings

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<v Speaker 1>and historic monuments. Today, Halifax is a popular town for

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<v Speaker 1>shopping and events at their Peace Hall. Catherine lived alone

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<v Speaker 1>in an area of Illingworth around three miles from the

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<v Speaker 1>town centre, and often caught the bus into the centre

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<v Speaker 1>to do her shopping. CCTV from the Tesco supermarket showed

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<v Speaker 1>that Catherine entered the shop wearing her coat, some pink earmuffs,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as her walking frame that she used for assistance.

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<v Speaker 1>Whenever she left home, Catherine usually went on the bus

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<v Speaker 1>to do her shopping, and therefore there was nothing out

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<v Speaker 1>of the ordinary about this activity. Despite living alone, Catherine's

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<v Speaker 1>neighbors often kept an eye on her and would speak

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<v Speaker 1>to her regularly when they saw her leaving or coming home.

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<v Speaker 1>Her neighbor Martina, has recently spoke to the Missing podcast

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<v Speaker 1>about Catherine's case, saying that by twenty seventeen they had

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<v Speaker 1>been neighbours and had known each other for many years.

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<v Speaker 1>Martina explained that Catherine was not the easiest to get

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<v Speaker 1>to know initially, but when you did, she was a

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<v Speaker 1>very kind and intelligent woman who wanted to talk out

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<v Speaker 1>for her neighbors. Catherine was living in the home that

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<v Speaker 1>had been her parents and had, as far as Martina knew,

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<v Speaker 1>lived in Halifax her whole life. She had previously been

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<v Speaker 1>married to her husband, Bill, whom she adored, but he

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<v Speaker 1>had passed away several years before. As a result of

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<v Speaker 1>living alone, Catherine got close with her neighbours and Martina,

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<v Speaker 1>who said that she enjoyed keeping an eye on her.

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<v Speaker 1>She had keys to her home, and Catherine asked Martina

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<v Speaker 1>to go in and check on things if she wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>going to be there. The fact that Martina had keys

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<v Speaker 1>gave her peace of mind in case something went wrong

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<v Speaker 1>or she fell ill, and she knew that there would

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<v Speaker 1>be someone there to help her. This community's spirit was

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<v Speaker 1>one of the reasons Catherine and many of her neighbors

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<v Speaker 1>enjoyed living in Illingworth. In the days following the ninth

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<v Speaker 1>of September, her neighbors began to get worried when they

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<v Speaker 1>hadn't seen or spoken to Katherine. A delivery driver attempted

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<v Speaker 1>to deliver a parcel to Catherine's home during this time. However,

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<v Speaker 1>no one answered, so the driver delivered it to the

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<v Speaker 1>neighbors instead. This further concerned them as nobody was able

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<v Speaker 1>to get in contact with Catherine, and after ten days

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<v Speaker 1>of being unable to get in touch with her, her

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<v Speaker 1>her neighbors were concerned enough that they contacted police and

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteenth of September. Catherine's neighbors would later say that

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<v Speaker 1>they kept an eye on her due to the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that she was vulnerable. They stated that she had had

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<v Speaker 1>falls in her home previously, and that she sometimes wore

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<v Speaker 1>an alarm around her neck, which would alert anyone if

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<v Speaker 1>she needed help. This is part of the reason why

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<v Speaker 1>her neighbors and then subsequently the police, were concerned about

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<v Speaker 1>her welfare when no one could contact her. Martina explained

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<v Speaker 1>on the Missing podcast that she became worried when she

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<v Speaker 1>hadn't seen her sat in her armchair in the window,

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<v Speaker 1>which was her usual spot. Her husband phoned the police

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<v Speaker 1>and they initially asked if Martina would go in, as

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<v Speaker 1>she had keys for the property. Martina was hesitant as

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<v Speaker 1>she didn't want to invade Catherine's privacy like that, and

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<v Speaker 1>she was also worried about what she was going to

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<v Speaker 1>find in the home. Martina explained that when she went

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<v Speaker 1>into the house, it was clear that Catherine had not

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<v Speaker 1>been there for a few days, given that there was

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<v Speaker 1>a buildup of posts behind the door. There was also

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<v Speaker 1>something odd found in the house. Her working frame was

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<v Speaker 1>found there, along with the coat and ear muffs that

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<v Speaker 1>she had last been seen wearing on CCTV in the

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<v Speaker 1>Tesco supermarket ten days earlier. Neighbors confirmed that she didn't

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<v Speaker 1>go out without her walking frame, as she found it

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<v Speaker 1>hard to get around without it. Despite finding these objects,

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<v Speaker 1>there was no sign of Catherine and it appeared that

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<v Speaker 1>she hadn't been there for a while. Martina reported this

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<v Speaker 1>to police, who attended the scene and took charge of

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<v Speaker 1>the property. The discovery of important belongings such as her

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<v Speaker 1>working frame and her medication did confirm one thing, though

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<v Speaker 1>she had arrived home on the ninth of September after

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<v Speaker 1>she had been out to the supermarket. This helped them

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<v Speaker 1>form more of a timeline for her day. Police began

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<v Speaker 1>an extensive investigation into Catherine's whereabouts, with a large scale

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<v Speaker 1>search of her property and the area around it in

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<v Speaker 1>the hope that they would find out more about where

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<v Speaker 1>she went. They were able to establish that Catherine caught

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<v Speaker 1>the bus in the direction of her home that day,

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<v Speaker 1>as the log showed that her bus pass had been used.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no CCTV on the bus, so they didn't

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<v Speaker 1>know which stop she had got off at, but they

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<v Speaker 1>believed that due to her belongings being in the house,

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<v Speaker 1>she must have made it home that day. What happened

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<v Speaker 1>after this, though, Where did she go and why had

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<v Speaker 1>she left home without her walking frame. Police looked into

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<v Speaker 1>Catherine's life to try and establish what her usual pattern

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<v Speaker 1>of behavior was like and how she normally lived her

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<v Speaker 1>day to day life. Martina explained that Catherine was a

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<v Speaker 1>sharp woman who was organized and knew what was going on.

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<v Speaker 1>She didn't often misappointments, and she was clued up. She

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<v Speaker 1>would inform Martina if she was going to be out

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<v Speaker 1>for the whole day or if she was going on holiday.

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<v Speaker 1>She didn't think it was likely that she would have

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<v Speaker 1>got lost, got confused, or simply wandered off. Catherine had

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<v Speaker 1>reportedly not been acting strange or unusual in the time

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<v Speaker 1>before she disappeared, and there was nothing to suggest anything

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<v Speaker 1>was wrong. There was a period of around ten days

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<v Speaker 1>that police were investigating where Catherine had not been seen,

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<v Speaker 1>and they made an appeal asking for information from the public.

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<v Speaker 1>Catherine's description was issued, describing her as five feet two

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<v Speaker 1>inches tall, with a medium build and very sharp, speckled

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<v Speaker 1>gray hair. They also explained that Catherine had links to

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<v Speaker 1>Brick House, where she owned a property, as well as

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<v Speaker 1>Blackpool and Cornwall. Her connection to Blackpool had reportedly been

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<v Speaker 1>a source of confusion in the police investigation, as they

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<v Speaker 1>had initially believed Catherine had been missing on a previous

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<v Speaker 1>occasion as several years before she couldn't be located. It

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<v Speaker 1>had turned out, however, that she had simply been on

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<v Speaker 1>a holiday and this was not a pattern of behavior

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<v Speaker 1>of going missing. Despite an investigation which was extensive and

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<v Speaker 1>searched in many of the areas where Catherine may have

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<v Speaker 1>been or visited, no sign or evidence of her was found.

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<v Speaker 1>It was as though she had just vanished into thin air.

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<v Speaker 1>Those that knew Catherine and cared about her continued to

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<v Speaker 1>appeal for information and look for any evidence of her.

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<v Speaker 1>They knew that she would not have just left without

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<v Speaker 1>her belongings and that she was most probably not capable

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<v Speaker 1>of doing that. In the years that passed, further appeals

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<v Speaker 1>were made for information about Catherine, and in twenty twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>Labour MP for Halifax, Holly Lynch, took her missing person

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<v Speaker 1>case to Westminster to raise awareness for the disappearance of

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<v Speaker 1>one of her constituents. Holly Lynch later explained to the

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<v Speaker 1>Telegraph and argus, I'm concerned and saddened that we still

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what has happened to Catherine as a vulnerable

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<v Speaker 1>older woman, more than six years after her disappearance. Last

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<v Speaker 1>year I arranged a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament as

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<v Speaker 1>a direct appeal to the general public to think back

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<v Speaker 1>to twenty seventeen. It was hoped that by highlighting Catherine's

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<v Speaker 1>disappearance in the community and to a wider audience nationally,

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<v Speaker 1>this would help to jog someone's memory of that time

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<v Speaker 1>where Catherine went missing and someone would remember seeing the

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<v Speaker 1>seventy two year old. It has now been over seven

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<v Speaker 1>years since Catherine went missing, without any sign of her

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<v Speaker 1>and no evidence as to where she went. A West

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<v Speaker 1>Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the investigation into the whereabouts of

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<v Speaker 1>Catherine Holdsworth, who was reported missing on September nineteenth, twenty seventeen,

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<v Speaker 1>remains ongoing and is subject to regular reviews. Police have

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<v Speaker 1>urged anyone to come forward who might have information regarding

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<v Speaker 1>sightings of Catherine, or anyone with information on her current

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<v Speaker 1>whereabouts is asked to contact police via w W dot

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<v Speaker 1>West Yorkshire dot Police dot UK, forward slash one zero one,

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<v Speaker 1>live chat or by calling one oh one. I will

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<v Speaker 1>link these in the show notes. Catherine's disappearance is so

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<v Speaker 1>strange for someone of her age to simply disappear, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's clearly a concern now so much time has elapsed.

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<v Speaker 1>Polly Lynch has stated that this highlights the issue of

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<v Speaker 1>elderly and vulnerable people in the community and their isolation.

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<v Speaker 1>Catherine had people around her cared about her and looked

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<v Speaker 1>after her, but on this occasion they didn't see or

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<v Speaker 1>know where she went or what happened. Her behavior had

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<v Speaker 1>not been out of the ordinary and there were no

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<v Speaker 1>signs that there was anything wrong. So what made her

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<v Speaker 1>leave home without her walking frame or her medication that

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<v Speaker 1>she needed day to day. This case is baffling and

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<v Speaker 1>there's very little evidence to point to any conclusion. It

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<v Speaker 1>seems to be a tragic story of someone simply vanishing

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<v Speaker 1>without trace. The more people who share the story, the

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<v Speaker 1>more we may find out. I will link the Missing

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<v Speaker 1>podcast episode in the show notes if you want to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from Martina and Holly Lynch about the case directly.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for listening to today's episode. Listening in a

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<v Speaker 1>few days to day nine, where we will cover another

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<v Speaker 1>missing or unidentified person case. If you'd like to support

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast further, then you can on Patreon and contribute

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<v Speaker 1>to exclusive polls to get extra bonus episodes every months.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also get access to new episodes early in

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<v Speaker 1>ad free. You can use the link in the show

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<v Speaker 1>notes to visit Patreon and see what we offer. You

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<v Speaker 1>can also support us by reviewing the podcast wherever you listen,

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<v Speaker 1>including Spotify, and also just share the episodes. You can

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<v Speaker 1>subscribe on YouTube and follow us on social media. As always,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Caprice and this has been unseen speak