Almost 30 years after 16-year-old Damien Nettles vanished during a night out in Cowes, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has launched a renewed appeal for information in the hope of finally establishing what happened to the missing teenager.
Damien disappeared on 2nd November 1996 and has never been seen or heard from since, despite extensive police investigations, searches and numerous public appeals over the past 3 decades.
With the 30th anniversary of his disappearance approaching, Police have created a dedicated online appeal through their Major Incident Public Portal, encouraging anyone with new information to come forward.
The appeal, being made alongside Damien’s family, asks people who may know something about his disappearance to share what they know, even after all these years.
Damien was just 16 when he went missing after spending the evening with friends in Cowes. He had left his family home in Gurnard earlier that evening and travelled to Cowes, where he was later captured on CCTV at Yorkie’s Fish and Chip Shop in the High Street at around 23:35.
Further footage, showing Damien walking along Cowes High Street shortly after midnight on 3rd November, was subsequently lost by police.
He never returned home, and his disappearance has remained one of the Isle of Wight’s most enduring unsolved mysteries.
Damien’s mother, Valerie Nettles, has spent the years since his disappearance campaigning for answers and working with the charity Missing People to maintain public awareness of the case.
In 2022, marking 26 years since her son vanished, Valerie spoke about the lasting impact his disappearance had on the family and wider community. She said at the time:
“So many people in our family and his friends and wider community are affected by the ripple effect of his going missing. There is a name for this – it is ambiguous loss.”
Now, as another significant anniversary approaches, Police are once again urging anyone who knows what happened that November night in 1996 to come forward.
Anyone with information can submit it directly to the investigation team via the dedicated police portal at www.mipp.police.uk/operation/44HP020112V29-PO1. Alternatively, members of the public can call Police on 101, quoting Operation Ridgewood or reference 44990106843.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
