A Bristol University graduate who vanished without a trace nearly 35 years ago remains missing and the mystery of her disappearance appears no closer to being solved. Stephanie Rose Whittaker, a mother-of-three who was 34 years old at the time of her disappearance, has not been seen since March 1990.
Despite being missing for over three decades, there has been minimal media attention and no new appeals for information. However, earlier this year, interest in Stephanie’s case was reignited after Gwent Police responded to a Freedom of Information request by confirming she is still considered a missing person, reports Wales Online.
This information led to discussions on the Persons Unknown Podcast. An episode of BBC’s Crimewatch from 1994 described the police’s view of the case as “highly suspicious”, yet clues regarding Stephanie’s location have remained scarce. The lead detective admitted to our sister newspaper the South Wales Echo, months into the investigation: “Basically, we don’t have a bloody clue.”
Before her disappearance, the Bristol University psychology graduate was employed by the Gwent Health Authority as a home adviser for individuals with learning disabilities. Known to some as Stevie or Steve, Stephanie was described as being 5ft tall with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Prior to having her youngest child, who was only 18 months old when she vanished, she had attended a counselling and communication course at Allt-yr-Yn college.
On the evening of March 23, 1990, Stephanie said goodbye to her husband Tony at around 8.25pm and walked from their Llanthewy Road residence to the town centre. Tony, who was 37 at the time, said that his wife was setting out “after a family night of domestic rush, much like any other”.
She left him to look after their children, Tom, aged 12, Rose, nine, and Adam, who was 18 months old. The Sun reported that Stephanie had plans to join friends at a spiritualist gathering at St John Ambulance Hall in Caxton Place, which is situated less than half a mile from her house. This was a typical Friday night pastime for Stephanie, often followed by a visit to a local pub.
Stephanie made a call to one of her friend’s houses to inform them she would be slightly late for the 8.30pm meeting. The phone was picked up by the friend’s husband, who told Stephanie that his wife had already left.
The Sun notes that the path Stephanie would have taken was likely bustling with people and adequately illuminated. Tony mentioned that when she departed, she carried merely a few pounds in coins and “no cheques or credit books”.
Tragically, Stephanie never reached her destination. She vanished somewhere between her home and the hall and has not been seen since.
Tony recounted that he went to bed at around midnight, feeling somewhat worried, a concern that grew when he awoke at 3am to discover his wife Stephanie had not returned home, an occurrence he described as unprecedented. By 5am, after confirming with one of Stephanie’s friends that she hadn’t arrived at their planned meeting, he contacted the police.
At the time, Tony expressed disbelief at the situation, saying: “It just wouldn’t make any sense for her to leave. If Steve was under pressure and just wanted some space I would respect that. If she’d left her family for good willingly, I wouldn’t believe in anything anymore.”
The family had been in high spirits, having celebrated Tom’s 12th birthday at a pizza restaurant the evening before Stephanie vanished. A report from our Wales On Sunday newspaper at the time indicated they were excited about an upcoming holiday in west Wales.
Stephanie’s mother, Treffina Jones, shared that her daughter had been elated about the trip, telling her that she’d ‘never been so happy’. In the same piece, Tony is quoted: “Nothing makes sense, nothing seems logical.”
Maureen Ballinger, a college friend of Stephanie’s, also spoke out, recalling how Stephanie adored her children, to the point where Maureen would affectionately call her ‘Earth Mother’. She remembered Stephanie’s dedication to her family, noting: “She loved her kids so much. I used to joke about it and even called her Earth Mother. She gave up her job for her youngest child because she didn’t want to miss any part of his growing up. I just can’t believe that she would have left her children and had a happy marriage. She had no reason to up and go.”
Additionally, neighbour Alan Anstice said: “She lived for the three children. She dotes on her little boy and spends lots of time in the garden with him. She was so devoted to her to the children, if she had just gone off I feel sure she would have contacted someone.”
A week following Stephanie’s disappearance, a handbag containing makeup was discovered on the pavement outside a local pub, prompting investigators to determine if it belonged to her, as reported by the Western Daily Press. However, police were concerned about the lack of public response to their appeals during a reconstruction of Stephanie’s walk.
“We need to impress on people this is a highly suspicious disappearance,” emphasized Detective Superintendent Wilf Hill, who led the search. One couple came forward claiming to have seen a distressed woman sitting alone on a bench in Westgate Square at 9.30pm on the night Stephanie vanished. Furthermore, a couple of weeks after her disappearance, police reported a possible sighting in Hereford.
In September 1990, a Norfolk newspaper stated that police were eager to locate a woman with a Welsh accent who took a taxi from Lynn to Hunstanton in early August. A cab driver who picked up the woman at Lynn’s Manhattan nightclub later spotted a missing person poster and believed his passenger might have been Stephanie.
At the time, police stated they were convinced Stephanie was no longer in Wales but they were still “working on the assumption that she is alive”. Tony, a housing manager, reportedly hired a nanny to enable him to return to work and support his family during the ongoing search.
In March 1991, there were rumours of a potential sighting at a London pub, but this lead also proved fruitless. By June of the same year, a detective named Bill Glynn had taken over the case.
He spoke about enduring sleepless nights due to the investigation, adding: “I pass her house almost daily and she is constantly in my thoughts… Basically, we don’t have a bloody clue.”
When she disappeared, Stephanie was said to be wearing a blue and white pin-striped shirt, dark trousers, black ankle-high boots, and a three quarter-length navy blue waxed Barbour-type jacket. In a recent statement to the Sun, a spokesperson for Gwent Police said: “Stephanie Whittaker, now 68, was last seen on March 23, 1990, after leaving her home address in Newport at around 8.30pm. She is described, based on details provided at the time of her disappearance, as white, around five foot tall, with blue eyes and blonde shoulder length hair.”
WalesOnline has asked the force if the case is being actively investigated. If you have information that could help police, call 101 and quote reference number 2300205250.