The sister of a midwife who went missing eight days ago has made a tearful appeal for help in tracing her, saying: “We need you home where you belong.”
Samantha Eastwood was last seen in her uniform leaving work at Royal Stoke Hospital at 7.45am last Friday. Her younger sister, Gemma, said the missing 28-year-old was “a happy, bubbly and smiley woman” as she appealed for any information about her “best friend and partner in crime”.
“Without her, half of me has gone,” she said. “If she’s out there, or anyone knows where she is, please get in touch.”
Ms Eastwood’s colleagues raised concerns at 7.20pm last Friday after she failed to show up for her shift. A 32-year-old Stoke man was arrested in connection with the disappearance but has since been released under investigation, Staffordshire Police said.
Speaking at the force’s headquarters, Gemma Eastwood said: “Samantha, if you are listening, please get in touch. “We all love you and miss you very much. We just need you home where you belong.
“Samantha is a fantastic woman and friend. She is warm, friendly, loyal, kind and generous with a great sense of humour. And whoever she is with she will always make their times together fun.”
The 26-year-old also said: “Samantha was determined to become a midwife from a young age and succeeded. All of Samantha’s work friends describe her as an amazing midwife. She is caring, harmless and gentle. Samantha is selfless and would do anything for anyone before herself.”
Missing purse
Detective Superintendent Simon Duffy, who is leading the investigation, said Staffordshire Police were also seeking Ms Eastwood’s missing purse.
He added: “The only item of property that we can see is missing is a fairly distinctive purse and we’ll get details of that circulated.
“So hopefully we can get images of that purse out, just in case anyone has discovered that in any location since the last positive sighting of Samantha, or something similar.
“We’d be very keen on hearing that information.”
Ms Eastwood is described as white, approximately 160cm (5ft 3in) and of medium build, with shoulder-length ginger hair, and a fair complexion with freckles.
On Wednesday, Staffordshire Police released CCTV of her leaving work with a female colleague, before driving off alone in her Volvo car at 7.47am.
Several locations have been searched and the public are urged to report any sightings of vehicles parked in “strange locations”, isolated areas, or lay-bys.
Detectives have also said Ms Eastwood left her bank cards at home and is believed to have “no access to money”.
Her car was found parked on the driveway at her house. – Press Association