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What Happened to Sarah Benford?
On the 6th of April 2000, 14-year-old Sarah Benford left Welford House children’s home in Northampton to visit her mother in Kettering. Sarah has not been seen since.
Sarah Benford was born in Kettering on the 19th of March in 1986. For the first part of her life, she lived on Havelock Street in Kettering with her mother Vicki, stepdad Gavin, brother Josh and sister Anya.
Sarah did not have the best start in life. It is reported that she was first visited by social services at just two years old, and by Reception class (Kindergarten) she was skipping school and would often run away from home.
In 1999, when Sarah was 13 years old, her uncle passed away. Sarah was very close to him, and his death had a significant impact on Sarah’s mental health. At around the same time, Sarah started to mix with bad crowds, she started to drink and experiment with drugs. Sarah was a vulnerable child, but little support was available from authorities. Sarah was constantly arrested for stealing, but the police would simply return her to her mother.
To try and help Sarah, her mother Vicki placed her into care in the hope that it would distance her from the bad people that she had become involved with. Sarah lived in 3…
