After three decades of hurt, Nicola Payne's mother dies without finding out what happened to her missing daughter
CONVERTY, ENGLAND: Nicola Payne's mother, who was devastated by her disappearance 30 years ago, died without learning what happened to her daughter. On December 14, 1991, Nicola, aged 18, disappeared while traveling to her parent's home in Coventry through a barren expanse of land.
The trip should have taken her five minutes but no sign of her body has ever been discovered despite years of extensive searches of homes, rivers, and wooded areas, as reported by BBC. Marilyn and John, her parents, never lost hope and continued to make public pleas for assistance in finding their daughter. But recently, it was revealed that Marilyn, 77, died without knowing what really happened to Nicola.
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'Nicola's family are devastated'
Her relatives posted an update on the Locate Nicola Payne Facebook page. The family wrote, "Nicola's family are devastated to announce the death of her mum, Marilyn Payne. A tenacious woman who never gave up on finding her daughter and laying her to rest. The bravery she showed was extraordinary, and now her determination will continue through her family and many friends in order to finally bring Nicola home."
$120K prize by unknown donor
The most recent public appeal for information was made by Marilyn and her 77-year-old husband, John, in 2021 on the occasion of Nicola's 30th birthday. Nicola walked five minutes to see her mother and father after leaving her seven-month-old kid Owen with her boyfriend Jason Cooke at his house. She traveled through the barren area known as Black Pad, but she never arrived at her parents' house. Traces of her have yet to be discovered in the Coventry region between 1996 and 2014, despite excavations and searches of gardens, land, a canal, and a lake. A £100,000 ($120,000) prize from an unnamed donor has rekindled interest in discovering what happened to Nicola, as reported by DailyMail.
Private investigators volunteered to assist the family in 2018 after learning of their frantic efforts. Investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas and forensic search expert Peter Faulding — who this year tried to help find mother-of-two Nicola Bulley — offered their skills without charge. But despite numerous searches, nothing was found in the case, as reported by Lancashire Telegraph.
Although there have been a number of arrests over the years, two individuals were exonerated as a consequence of a botched police investigation and a 2015 court decision. Nicola's brothers Scott, 55, and Nigel, 57, as well as her cousin Amanda Eales, 42, will now spearhead the family's quest to find Nicola, as per reports.
