Parents believe missing architect was abducted

The parents of a young woman missing for nearly a week believe she has been kidnapped.

Architect Joanna Yeates, 25, has not been seen or heard from since last Friday following a night out with work colleagues in Bristol.

Yesterday her parents David, 63, and Theresa, 58, from Hampshire, spoke of their fears during a press conference at a police station in Bristol.

Her father said: “I think she was abducted after getting home to her flat.

“I have no idea of the circumstances of the abduction because of what was left behind.”

He continued: “I feel sure she would not have gone out by herself leaving all these things behind and she was taken away somewhere.

“I don’t know by whom. She’s a sensible girl and professional lady. She wanted to spend the night in and all weekend.”

Her mother said her daughter was planning to spend the weekend at the flat in Clifton to prepare for a party she and her boyfriend were planning to hold on Tuesday.

“She had a nice flat and new things and wanted it to be special,” Theresa Yeates told reporters.

Yesterday’s appeal was the second in as many days that the parents have made.

Joanna Yeates lived with her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, 27, in Clifton, Bristol.

Reardon, who worked at the same practice as Yeates, reported her missing after returning to the flat they shared on Sunday.

He had been visiting family in Sheffield over the weekend and had been unable to contact her.

He said on Wednesday: “I desperately want her back — I thought we would be together forever.

“She was my future. This Christmas was going to be our first together. I was going to spend it with her family, which is always a big deal for a boyfriend.

“We were both really happy in our jobs — we worked together and that’s how we met.”

Police investigating the disappearance are examining new CCTV footage and have also taken a phone and laptop computer from Reardon.

Known as Jo to friends, she was last seen leaving the Ram pub in Park Street, Bristol, at 8pm.