Today marks 30 years since Amanda Duncan vanished from Ipswich, Suffolk, with explanations for her disappearance remaining unsolved. The mother of two young boys disappeared on Friday 2 July 1993 after leaving her home address in Balliol Close, Woodbridge, to travel to Ipswich to work in the red light district. She was reported missing by her sister on Saturday 3 July 1993 after she went to visit Amanda at her home, only find Amanda's nine-month-old baby Damien alone in the house.
Despite intensive local and national publicity, very little is known about the disappearance of Amanda Duncan, with no suspects having been named, despite the police identifying 17 possible persons of interest, reviewing 243 witness statements, and 71 possible sightings having been reported to them.
So with all of this information, how is the case still unsolved?
Timeline of Events:
Friday 2 July 1993 - Midday:
Amanda left her three-year-old son Jamie in the care of her parents, and her nine-month-old son Damien with her boyfriend.
11:10pm:
Amanda visited an address in London Road, Ipswich. Around the time of her disappearance, Amanda was involved in the misuse of drugs, and it was understood that she visited this house with the intention of buying some drugs, to which she agreed to return to this house and finalise the purchase later that night.
11:30pm:
Amanda was taken to Portman Road by car and dropped off. There were many sightings of her during the evening in this area. She did not return to the house as previously arranged.
Midnight:
Amanda was seen speaking to the driver of a dark-coloured Ford Sierra, possibly green or blue, in Portman's Walk. This is the last time that Amanda was seen alive. This vehicle and the driver have never been traced. Appeals were issued to trace a second vehicle - a red Ford Orion - which was also seen in Portman's Walk at 11:50pm, with a noisy exhaust or engine and driven by a white man aged between 25-30 years old. Police are now satisfied that they have identified this vehicle and eliminated the driver from the investigation as a suspect.
Saturday 3 July 1993:
Amanda's sister reports her missing after arriving at her family home and finding nine-month-old Damien alone.
What happened to the boyfriend Amanda left Damien with?
Now:
No one has heard from Amanda since she went missing, despite the intense investigation and appeals. No evidence has been uncovered to show that she was the victim of an abduction or attack.
Police Investigation:
At the height of the investigation, a team of 20 officers worked on the case, taking 243 witness statements, conducting house to house enquiries, and carrying out searches of addresses in areas known to have been frequented by Amanda. There was also assistance from the Norfolk Constabulary Dive Team, who searched the Ripper Gipping in Ipswich, and found nothing. The police also searched 9 sites that could have been places that her body could have been dumped at. These locations also turned up no evidence.
Andy Guy, the Major Crime Review and Unsolved Case Manager, from the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team stated: The force had carried out "proof-of-life inquiries" and she had "never ever appeared on the radar anywhere".
The description of Amanda at the time of her disappearance was as follows: white, 5ft 7in tall, of medium build, with fair shoulder length hair. She had a distinctive heart shaped tattoo on her upper left arm and when last seen, she was wearing a black leather bomber jacket, a pink-knee length dress, with no sleeves, and a gold cross and chain.
The key question is: How can someone just disappear?
It is thought, by local authorities, that someone close to Amanda, either a family member or a close friend, may know something that they have yet to disclose. This is the only hope to finding new leads, and solving the disappearance of Amanda Duncan, or possible homicide.
This is further echoed by Andy Guy's following statement: "She was a very good mother, her children were well dressed, well cared for and to just disappear with a nine-month-old at home is not really a possibility."
It has been 30 years since Amanda Duncan vanished into thin air, with her family and friends yet to see closure. A spokesman for Suffolk Constabulary said: "As with all unsolved cases, the investigation will continue to be subject to periodical reviews and any new information received will be acted upon appropriately."
However, as of today, the case of Amanda Duncan remains unsolved.
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