Parents appeal for help in search for missing student Karen Buckley
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Version 0 of 1. The parents of a student who went missing after leaving a Glasgow nightclub have appealed for help in finding her, saying they are desperate for her to come home safely. A search was launched for Karen Buckley, 24, after she was seen on CCTV footage in the early hours of Sunday morning talking to a man outside the Sanctuary in Dumbarton Road. The family of Buckley, who is from Cork in the Republic of Ireland, have flown to Scotland to help with the search. Her mother, Marion, told a press conference in Glasgow: “We just want Karen home safely. We are desperate. She is our only daughter, we love her dearly. If anybody has any information please come forward, we would dearly appreciate it.” Buckley arrived at the club with friends at about 11.45pm on Saturday and at about 1am she told them she was going to the toilet. She failed to return and did not take her jacket. She was seen outside on CCTV talking to a man and then walking west along Dumbarton Road towards Church Street. The pair left in the man’s car and travelled to his flat in Dorchester Avenue. It is said that she left the flat at around 4am and was planning to walk home to her flat in Hill Street. Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr, from Police Scotland’s major investigations teams, stressed that the man was “not a suspect” and that he was helping them with inquiries. A handbag which officers believe belongs to Buckley was found in Dawsholm Park, near Dorchester Avenue, today. An entrance to the park was later cordoned off as officers and a police helicopter searched the area. Kerr said: “We’ve traced the man she was with in Dorchester Avenue. He believes he was intimate with her at his flat consensually in the early hours of Sunday.” The police officer added: “From what we can see, she does not appear to be under duress, there’s no signs of a struggle or reluctance on her part to leave the club. “However, that does not mean that something untoward has happened to her at a later stage.” There has been no activity on her social media accounts in the last couple of days and her mobile phone is believed to be out of battery. Friends of the Glasgow Caledonian University student raised the alarm on Sunday, saying it was very out of character for her not to return home. Police were carrying out a major search, with a large presence in the west end of Glasgow, where officers are conducting door-to-door inquiries. CCTV footage is also being scanned. A Facebook page titled “Please help find Karen missing in Glasgow” has been set up urging people to look out for the missing student, and by Tuesday afternoon had garnered more than 27,000 likes. Insp Gavin Smith, of Police Scotland, said: “Friends reported Karen missing on Sunday 12 April after feeling her behaviour to not return home was very out of character. Her friends say she would always contact them by text or phone to let them know where she was and she doesn’t appear to have contacted anyone. “We are interested in speaking to anyone who may have seen Karen in the early hours of Sunday morning in the west end of Glasgow in order to help with our inquiries to locate her. “Karen had been drinking alcohol with her friends but they say she was not drunk and are very worried about her. Her parents have also flown over from Ireland as they believe this behaviour is very unusual and not like Karen at all. “I would urge anyone who may have seen Karen at all on Saturday night into Sunday morning to get in touch with the police on 101 with any information at all.” Buckley is described as white and about 5ft to 5ft 2in. She has brown eyes and dark hair which, on the day of her disappearance, had long black curly extensions in it. When last seen she was wearing a black jumpsuit with red high heels and was carrying a black handbag. She speaks with an Irish accent. She lives with three other student friends in a flat in Garnethill, Glasgow, and earlier on Saturday evening had drinks with friends there before going to the nightclub. Kerr said police are “gravely concerned” for her safety and officers are treating her disappearance as a high-risk missing person inquiry. Her father John Buckley, 62, was also at the press conference today. He said: “We are extremely concerned for her. We are desperate to get her back and safe with her family - she is our only daughter, we love her dearly and just want her to come home safe and sound.” He added: “She always keeps in contact with her family and friends to let them know where she is and what she is up to. To not return to her flat or be in contact with her pals - not responding to texts and calls to her mobile is very, very worrying as it is so out of character.” Buckley is a first year occupational therapy student at Glasgow Caledonian University. She moved to Glasgow in February and before that was a nurse at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex. |