Natalie Putt cops investigating disappearance of missing mum 14 years ago receive ‘crucial information’ from mystery man in telephone box
COPS investigating the disappearance of a young mum who vanished on her way to the shops 14 years ago claim to have received "crucial information" from a mystery caller.
Detectives received a phone call from a telephone box in Gornal, West Midlands, with specific information about the disapperance of Natalie Putt - which is being treated as a murder inquiry.
The new lead comes as exhumations of graves in Ruiton Cemetery in Upper Gornal, near Dudley, marked the latest attempt to trace Natalie, who was last seen in 2003.
Detective Inspector Ian Iliffe, of West Midlands Police, said: "We have received a phone call from a man in a telephone box in the Lake Street area of Gornal with specific information that has the potential to lead to the person responsible for Natalie's death.
"This crucial information could help us solve this mystery and give Natalie's family the answers they need.
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"I would urge that person to contact us again and we will ensure the information they have is treated with the strictest confidentiality."
Natalie was 17 when she left her home in Thornleigh, Lower Gornal, to go to a local shop in September 2003.
She was never seen again and left behind her baby son Rhys who was just 11 weeks old.
Since then officers have searched land near to her home, including underwater searches of rivers and lakes.
Officers also searched farmland in Wombourne, where she kept her horses.
But West Midlands Police said nothing significant has been found in the searches.
Now officers are acting on new information which they believe could help solve the mystery and have launched a murder enquiry.
In a statement to the media, the sisters of the missing teenager, Becky and Lowri, said: "To hear of the news and events regarding Natalie's disappearance is absolutely devastating to all of the family.
"We are obviously very upset about the developments and as such would ask that our family is left in peace until such time that we hear of definitive news from the police.
"In the near 14 years that Natalie has been missing, we have never given up hope of finding her safe and well. Until we know anything to the contrary, this remains the case."
Detective Inspector Ian Iliffe, from the force's cold case review team, said: "All cases are periodically reviewed and the disappearance of Natalie has led us to believe that we are looking at a murder enquiry.
"We have had no positive sightings of Natalie in all these years and there has never been any financial activity connected to her bank accounts or any access to health services across the country, which points to the fact that she is no longer alive.
"Following a review of the information we have received, we have been granted permission to exhume a number of graves in Ruiton Cemetery off Duke Street in Upper Gornal.
"We also believe that at least two people know what has led us to this site and they may have further information which could assist our search. We would very much like to hear from them."
The area will be sealed off for several days while the searches are conducted.
An 18-year-old local man was arrested in March 2004 in connection with Natalie's disappearance, but was later released without charge.
Anyone with information to help the investigation is urged to call police on 101 or 0121 428 6092.
The Crimestoppers service can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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