Disappearing is something “all boys do at the age of 16.” That’s what police told Valerie Nettles when she discovered her 16-year-old son, Damien, hadn’t come home the night before. The teenager had been at a party with friends on November 2, 1996, but missed his midnight curfew, and couldn’t be found the next day. The Nettles family was frantic, but police treated Damien as a runaway. 

This early misstep, one that we see so often in missing persons cases, meant that potential witnesses were missed, evidence was lost, and now, nearly thirty years on, no concrete answers have ever come in Damien’s disappearance. The Nettles family, however, hasn’t given up, and they’re hopeful that someone out there is still willing to do the right thing.

If you have any information about Damien Nettles, you can contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by calling 101 and asking for the Major Investigation Team and referencing Operation Ridgewood. You can provide information anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111. 

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