As the search for missing student Libby Squire enters its sixth day, Humberside Police continues to pore over hundreds of hours of CCTV footage in an attempt to trace her movements and unravel the mystery of where she is.
It follows unsettling claims that a neighbour heard a “blood-curdling” scream on the night she vanished. The scream “sounded like someone being attacked”, according to a woman living in a street close to Squire’s student house in Hull.
In the words of her family, the 21-year-old from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, is a “very thoughtful and caring young woman who puts others before herself” and her disappearance has been described as “very out of character”.
What we know so far is that Squire was dropped off in a taxi near her home in Wellesley Avenue at 11.29pm on Thursday and was seen 10 minutes later on CCTV near a bench on Beverley Road, where a motorist stopped to offer her help.
She is believed to have remained in that area until 12.09am on Friday. Police said the motorist in question had contacted them and “really helped” with the search.
Anyone else who was driving around the area between 11pm on Thursday and 3am on Friday and has dash cam footage has been asked to come forward by contacting the force on 101.
Though police had at first suggested Squire did not enter her home after being dropped off, her mother Lisa reportedly clarified in a Facebook post that she had entered the property before subsequently vanishing.
She wrote: “She got out of the taxi at her house. She was home… simple.”
‘Too drunk’
It is believed Squire had earlier tried to get into the Welly nightclub, but was “turned away by door staff who thought she was too drunk”.
Tom Tully, 20, was waiting for a taxi when he spotted Squire arriving back home.
He told the Sun: “On the night of her disappearance we were going to the Welly too. It was below zero. The taxi dropped her off. She got out and was walking down the street. She fell over a couple of times. We asked her if she was all right and she mumbled something incomprehensible… she was stumbling and fell over. We were going to help but the taxi driver got out and helped her up.”
Police revealed on Monday that they had found Squire’s mobile phone at her home, but that it had not helped to provide any information about where she went on Thursday night. Friends have said she didn’t have it with her during the day before she went missing.
Lip gloss
A lip gloss, a screwdriver and a hammer were found in the area Squire was last seen, but police have determined they have no connection to the investigation.
They say there is a possibility that Squire may have tried to take shelter from the cold weather and are urging people who live in the area to check their gardens and outbuildings.
On Tuesday, staff from the police regional marine unit searched a pond at Oak Road Playing Fields, near to Squire’s home.
Four officers waded through the waist-deep water, using sticks to break the ice and search beneath the surface.
Ice
Police have also scoured nearby Barmston Drain, which runs from Driffield to the River Hull and is partially iced over. According to the Hull Daily Mail, the 23-mile drain has seen hundreds of tragedies over the years, including drownings and suicides.
The Coastguard and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service also have joined the search around the River Hull.
Squire’s parents, Russell and Lisa, have made an emotional appeal for her safe return.
Squire called her daughter her “darling pie” and said: “It’s breaking my heart not knowing where you are.”
Both have urged Squire to contact them.
Her mother added: “We just want to know that you are safe. Please get in touch with us any way you can.”
The student’s father said: “We just want you home.”
On Tuesday evening, around 200 students and staff gathered in the rain at the University of Hull to show solidarity and support for Squire, her family and friends.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Susan Lea thanked the crowd for all their help in searching for Squire.
Student Union president Osaro Otabo told the students that support was available for anyone who needed it.
She said: “This real sense of community is something I think is quite special here in Hull.”
Squire is described as being 5ft 7in, with shoulder-length brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved top, a leather jacket and a black denim skirt with lace.