An urgent search is under way for a 38-year-old mother after her children returned to their home in West Sussex to find her missing, police and relatives said.
Rebecca Holdham, known as Becky, was last seen at an address in the Ockley Park estate at about 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, Sussex Police said. Officers, volunteer searchers and local residents have combed fields and woodland around the village using drones, dogs and a police helicopter, and have carried out house-to-house enquiries and CCTV checks.
Family members said the situation was out of character and that they feared she may have been taken. "So far they've got no trace of Becky," her mother, Alison, told reporters. Her best friend, Kerry Malby, said the family had "no idea if she left of her own accord or if she's been taken" and added that "she's a devoted mum and this is completely out of character. She wouldn't just leave her children."
Detective Inspector Chris May of the West Sussex Missing Persons Team said the force was "growing increasingly concerned for Rebecca's welfare" and urged anyone who had seen or heard from her since Sunday morning to contact police. "Extensive enquiries are being completed including physical searches, house-to-house visits, and checks of CCTV and doorbell cameras in the area, and so residents will see an increased police presence in the area while this is ongoing," he said.
Sussex Police said they believe Holdham left the address on foot. She is described as about 5ft 4in, with shoulder-length brown hair and a tattoo on her ankle. Officers said it was not known what clothing she was wearing when she was last seen.
Local volunteers spent two nights searching the surrounding countryside, and friends said they continued to search the area. "We just want her home and safe, her girls need her. Every morning waking up and there's no news, it's awful," Malby said.
Police asked anyone with information to call Sussex Police on 999, quoting serial 1359 of 07/09. The force said Holdham has links to Hassocks, Burgess Hill, Horsham, Worthing and to areas in Devon and Dorset, and that enquiries were ongoing to check sightings and potential movements beyond the immediate search area.
Missing persons teams routinely use a combination of searches, witness appeals and digital checks when investigating unexplained disappearances. Sussex Police said all available lines of enquiry were being pursued and asked residents with doorbell or CCTV footage from the Ockley Park estate area on Sunday morning to come forward.
No arrests have been reported and the investigation remains live. Relatives and the local community have called for anyone with information to contact police to help establish Holdham's whereabouts and ensure her safety.