Appeal to trace missing Annie Dryden shared in south-east London

Annie Dryden, 20, was initially reported missing to Cleveland Police with enquiries leading North Yorkshire Police to taking over primacy of the investigation on Wednesday, 10 January.

Today (Wednesday, January 24) officers have asked the Metropolitan Police Service to share their appeal with local media and their communities after links between Annie and Sidcup were established.

Annie is described as white, around 5ft 10ins tall and of slim build. She has dark hair with a distinctive blonde fringe and a scar above her top lip. When she was last seen Annie was carrying a black and green backpack.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Fionna McEwan, said: “The focus of our search is still very much in the North Yorkshire and Cleveland areas where the last confirmed sightings of Annie were.

"We do not want people in these areas to stop looking out for Annie or not report any potential sightings of her.

“However, as Annie has not yet been located in these areas and we know she has links to south east London we wanted to extend our appeal to those in this area."

He added: “Although the appeal to find Annie has been prominent in the North East of England and Yorkshire, if Annie has travelled south she may not be fully aware of the coverage, which is why we are now asking for our appeal to be shared in this area.

“If you know Annie and have heard from her or seen her since she was reported missing, please get in touch with our officers as a matter of urgency.

“Annie if you are in London and are reading this appeal for the first time, please do get in touch and let us know you are safe.”

“While Annie is very familiar with the outdoors and wild camping, she has now been missing for almost three weeks and we remain very concerned for her safety. If she is still outside, she is likely to be wet and muddy and in desperate need of supplies, especially after the recent adverse weather conditions across the country.”

An additional message from North Yorkshire Police: “Annie we know from speaking to your family, you would not like the media attention, or your photograph being published.

“We needed to do this to help find you. Once we know you are ok, we will remove your image from our website and social media channels and will work with the media to do the same.

Annie’s family made this emotional appeal to her: “Annie, we just want to know you are safe. You don’t need to come home, we just need to know you are ok.

“We love you and we miss you but we also understand there were events coming up at home which were causing you upset. These have now passed.

“So many people are worried about you, we are receiving so many messages from those concerned about you. Please just get in touch with someone.”

The message from Annie’s family is a direct message for her and the contents are personal to her and her loved ones – we will not be elaborating on these and we ask that you please do not speculate about this on social media.

The investigation so far The last confirmed sighting of Annie was on Thursday, 4 January when she boarded a train at 2.09pm from James Cook Train Station in Middlesbrough arriving in Battersby, North Yorkshire at 2.38pm.

Both Cleveland Police and North Yorkshire Police have been carrying out extensive searches in the rural area surrounding Battersby, including Clay Bank, Ingleby Greenhow, Kildale continuing east towards Blakey Ridge on the edge of the North York Moors.

They have been assisted by volunteers from Cleveland Mountain Rescue Service.

Following appeals for information members of the public reported sightings in Castleton and searches extended to this area.

Officers from both forces have carried out extensive searches including CCTV, house-to-house enquiries and searches of vast amounts of land, including outbuildings where Annie may have sought shelter. 

Contact with North Yorkshire Police can be made by calling 101, if you are calling from outside of North Yorkshire, then you will need to ask for this force when calling. If you know the current whereabouts of Annie, please call 999 immediately with information.

The charity Missing People can be contacted by either calling or texting 116000.