16-year-old Damien Nettles went missing on a cold, rainy night on November 2, 1996, in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, an Island just off the southern coast of England. His movements were well documented by CCTV camera footage up to midnight on November 2.
That night, Damien had gone to a party with a friend. Later that evening, Damien and his friend left the party early and headed over to West Cowes, having bought some cider to drink. They wandered the streets for a few hours before parting company at around 10:30 p.m. He is last seen on High Street, in Cowes, just after midnight.
There are rumours that foul play may be involved in Damien's disappearance. After a local drug dealer died in 2002, rumours that he may have been responsible started to surface. In 2011, Hampshire Police made eight arrests for conspiracy to murder, but after an extensive bail period, all suspects were released without charge. When the police made the arrests, the case was elevated to suspected murder. They searched one property. Later, they reverted it to Missing Person status. Valerie, Damien's mother, says the police have been exceedingly hard to deal with and declined to get involved or assist with any searches by the public on the family's behalf or participate in a BBC Documentary which aired in 2016.
If you know anything about his disappearance, please contact Hampshire Police on 101, quoting 'Operation Ridgewood.' If you prefer to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Also, please check out damiennettles.uk, the website and the Facebook group "Justice for Damien Nettles." Valerie is also on Twitter at @Valnettles1 – I've linked to all of these in the description. Valerie has also written a heart-wrenching book about her experience titled "The Boy Who Disappeared," which you can find on Amazon.
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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are that of the creator and do not necessarily reflect that of any of the guests on this show. Assumptions or commentary made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the creator – and, since I am a critically-thinking human being, these views are always subject to change, revision, correction, or rethinking at any time.
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Theme Music: Premium Beat, Dark Woods by Colorfilm Music
Writing, Producing, Interviewing, and Editing: Tyler Hooper
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