Friends, family and police intensified searches on Saturday for a 38-year-old mother-of-two who went missing six days earlier after her children returned to find her absent from the family home.
Rebecca Holdham, known to friends as Becky, was last seen at about 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, at an address on the Ockley Park estate near the village of Hassocks in West Sussex, Sussex Police said. Officers and volunteers have searched nearby fields and woodlands with drones, search dogs and a police helicopter, and friends have organised multiple local search parties and distributed missing-person posters.
Those organising the searches said volunteers have been conducting door-to-door enquiries and placing posters across local businesses. The poster describing Holdham lists her as slim, about 5ft 4in, with shoulder-length brown hair and a tattoo on her ankle, and notes possible links to Burgess Hill, Horsham, Worthing, Devon and Dorset. Friends launched a call for a “large search group” to sweep the village’s surrounding areas on Monday night.
"She's a devoted mum and this is completely out of character. She wouldn't just leave her children," said Kerry Malby, a close friend. "We can't understand it. In a very short space of time, she has just completely vanished. We've no idea if she left of her own accord or if she's been taken."
Holdham's mother, Alison, said police had found no trace so far and that the family remained desperate for information. Sussex Police said they were growing increasingly concerned for Holdham's welfare and were working to trace her movements since she was last seen.
Detective Inspector Chris May, of the West Sussex Missing Persons Team, said extensive enquiries were under way, including physical searches, house-to-house visits and checks of CCTV and doorbell cameras in the area. "We believe Rebecca to have left the address on foot," he said. "At this stage, it's not known what clothing she is wearing. We continue to ask the public to be vigilant and to report any possible sightings or pieces of information they believe may be relevant in helping us find Rebecca."
Local residents have reported seeing increased police activity in Hassocks while searches continue. Organisers of the volunteer effort urged people in surrounding communities to attend coordinated sweeps of footpaths, bridleways and woodland edges. Holdham is described by friends as a keen horsewoman.
Anyone with information about Holdham's whereabouts has been asked to contact Sussex Police on 999, quoting serial 1359 of 07/09. Media representatives said Sussex Police had been approached for further comment on Saturday.