Tina Whittamore: Fresh appeal for missing Luton teenager who went missing 53 years ago

Police have launched a fresh appeal to find a teenager who vanished 53 years ago whilst on a walk.

On 31 May 1971, Tina Whittamore, who was 15 at the time, went for a walk in Luton and never returned.

There have been no confirmed sightings of her since.

Now Bedfordshire Police’s Missing Persons team are conducting a review of Ms Whittamore's disappearance and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Experts have also aged a photograph of her, to give an idea of what she might look like now, she would be 68.

Ms Whittamore, was born as Tina King, in Leighton Buzzard in 1955 and lived in Kempston in Bedfordshire under the name Tina Whittamore.

In 1971, Ms Whittamore was placed in the Whitaker Mother and Baby Unit in Grasmere Road, Luton.

She was last seen in Luton on 31 May at about 2.30pm when she said she was going for a walk and never returned.

In September 1971 Thames Valley Police issued a missing report for a woman called Christine King, who was 18 and had gone missing from High Wycombe.

It was established that Ms Whittamore and Christine were the same person.

In the early 1970s there was information to suggest she had lived and worked in Soho and Notting Hill in London but then there was no further reporting until 1990 when the Metropolitan Police believe she was in a London hospital, but discharged herself before she could be identified.

She was in Holland Park and in 1991 was reported to be sleeping rough in Notting Hill. Since then, there have been no reported sightings.

Ms Whittamore was described as 5’2”, fresh complexion, light brown hair, brown eyes and has a slight squint in the left eye. She was known to dye her hair blonde or wear a wig.

Detective Sergeant James Morgan of Bedfordshire Police said: “We realise this is a case from many years ago, but we never give up trying to find people reported as missing.

“Cases, such as these, are reviewed on an ongoing basis and are re-opened if any new information is shared with us. We would just like to know that Tina is safe.”