The daughter of a man who vanished just before Christmas is making an appeal on the ninth anniversary of his disappearance - and will be making his favourite starter for the festive meal.
Damien Vernon loved Christmas, but in December 2014, he disappeared leaving his daughter, Courtney, now 22, and the rest of his family baffled. Now, nine years on, Courtney is pleading for information to give her closure at last. Mum of one Courtney, from Bridlington, said: “My dad was a big fan of Christmas. That year he disappeared, I’d already wrapped his presents, and we waited and waited for him to come home. We left the Christmas tree up for months hoping he’d come back.
Now, every Christmas, I wrap a gift and I make him a prawn cocktail – his traditional Christmas dinner starter. I have a glimmer of hope that he might just walk through the door. After he disappeared, my Grandma died from a broken heart. It was too much for her to cope with. Two years ago, I had a son – his first grandchild – and I wanted so much for Dad to be there. More than anything, nine years on, I just want the truth. I need to be able to tell my own son what happened to his granddad.”
Courtney was raised by her father’s parents, Margaret and Steve Fox, and was in daily contact with her father. She said: “Dad was a big personality, he was loads of fun. He really spoiled me, he took me to theme parks and on holiday. I adored him.” But on December 8 2014, when Courtney was just 13, Damien mysteriously disappeared aged 32.
Courtney said: “Dad was taking a friend to buy a car. But he didn’t come back that night and my grandparents were concerned as it just wasn’t like him. He was reported missing the next day.” The police began an investigation which included dredging a river near to where Damien had gone missing. His family did door to door searches, made posters, and organised appeals at football matches and in community hubs. Damien’s car was later found abandoned and he was last captured on CCTV in a bank. But then, the trail runs cold.
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Courtney said: “My dad had some mental health issues but he seemed positive and he was really looking forward to Christmas, it was his favourite time of year. It didn’t make sense that he just wouldn’t come home for Christmas. We had his presents ready and we kept the tree up for months. It was so upsetting when there was no word from him.”Damien’s mother, Margaret, died four months after his disappearance, after suffering an aneurysm. Her family believe she died from a broken heart.
Courtney said: “Losing her made me all the more determined to find Dad. As time went on we began to suspect he had come to some harm, yet there was no proof either way. The police said there was no reason to suspect criminal activity. It was a dead end. Each day with Dad was hard and Christmas was especially difficult.” In September 2020, Courtney gave birth to a son, Lennon, with her partner, Owen Watson. She said: “It was a bittersweet moment because I wanted Dad to be there to share it.”
With this Christmas marking nine years since Damien disappeared, police are once again their appeal for information – and Courtney herself is pleading for closure. She said: “In my heart I don’t think I will see him again. But I would like to be able to lay him to rest and I want to be able to tell my son the truth about what happened to him. This Christmas, I will buy him a gift and I will make him a prawn cocktail as usual – there is always a glimmer of hope.”
Detective Superintendent Matt Baldwin, of Humberside Police, said: “The past years have been an extremely difficult time for Damion’s family and we still are no further on in finding out what has happened to Damion. Despite conducting large area searches and completing extensive lines of enquiry since the time of Damion’s disappearance we are no clearer to understanding what has happened to him.”
“The media played a huge part in our appeals at the time, however every avenue has drawn a blank. There is no suggestion that criminal activity led to Damion going missing and we are keeping an open mind about his disappearance and the case will be kept open as a long term missing person enquiry.”
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