A distraught mother said she is “experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare” since her daughter went missing a month ago, but prays she will still “come home.”
Shyanne-Lee Tatnell, 14, has been missing since around 8.30pm Sunday, April 30, when she was last seen crossing the Henry St bridge in Launceston, Tasmania.
The teenager has not used her debit card or social media since her disappearance, leading her mother Bobbi-Lee Ketchell, 34, to fear the worst for her “funny, outgoing and compassionate” child.
Shyanne-Lee Tatnell (pictured) has been missing in Launceston, Tasmania since about 8:30pm Sunday, April 30
Shyanne (left), 14, is pictured with her distraught mother Bobbi-Lee Ketchell, 34
Ms Ketchell has barely been able to eat or sleep since her only daughter – she also has three boys aged 16, 10 and 4 – went missing.
Shyanne hadn’t been home in Burnie for two months before disappearing after absconding from an at-risk youth center she was staying at in Launceston.
“I am living every parent’s worst nightmare but all I can do is pray she is safe and comes home to my arms,” Ms Ketchell told the Mercury.
She has a hard time sleeping, thinks about Shyanne, and wonders if she’s warm enough. When she manages to sleep, her last thought is of her daughter.
The missing teenager is also the first thing Mrs. Ketchell thinks of every time she wakes up, a permanent reminder of the heartbreak the family is going through.
Their grief is compounded by the lack of a breakthrough. Police searched the North Esk River but found no body or even clues.
The Criminal Investigation Branch said the chances of finding Shyanne are getting smaller by the day, and they are still trying to track down four cars caught on CCTV around the time she disappeared.
The teenager (pictured) has not used her debit card or social media since her disappearance
Shyanne (pictured) lived in a center for at-risk youth in Launceston, Tasmania
Mrs. Ketchell clings to the hope that her precious child is still alive, though she “feels like she is no longer with us.”
Police said her daughter may have been taken against her will. Because of this, she knows to prepare for the worst.
The devastated mother spoke to Shyanne on the phone the night she disappeared, as she was about to break the rules and leave the center where she was staying.
They had an argument, with Mrs. Ketchell advising her not to go to her friend as she was already in trouble at the youth center for at risk for violating curfew.
She doesn’t blame the center and acknowledges that they did everything they could for Shyanne, who has behavioral issues and suffers from depression.
“The last thing I did was tell her I love her. She didn’t say it back. It was the last time I heard her voice,’ Mrs. Ketchell said.
Police are trying to trace four cars caught on CCTV around the time she disappeared. One of the cars is pictured
The mother also suffers from it anxiety and depression and sometimes had heated arguments with Shyanne, which led to her living in the youth center.
Ms Ketchell said that although they found it difficult to live under the same roof due to their mental health issues, Shyanne still called her every day until the calls stopped abruptly on April 30.
A vigil will be held in Launceston’s City Park on Sunday to support the family and SES volunteers who helped search for the missing girl.
The mother will turn 35 on June 12 and only wants one thing, ‘have my little girl in my arms again’.