Missing Lambeth schoolgirl found after 10 months

A schoolgirl who had been missing for 10 months has been found safe.

Saidatu Jalloh, aged 15, was 14 when she was reported missing by staff at her school in Lambeth on March 9 last year.

The Met’s first appeal for the teenager was on December 8, 2022, 10 months later in a social media post on Twitter when they said she could be “anywhere in the UK”.

The Met yesterday renewed their appeal for Saidatu and she has since been found “safe and well” in the “London area”, as a result of the “appeal and related publicity”.

Saidatu had been registered at the school since January 24 last year and police said little was known about her.

When the school was informed that she had left the area and would not be returning, they raised their concerns with the police.

The school’s name is not being officially disclosed.

Officers visited the address provided on Saidatu’s school registration. They were told she had been picked up by her mother days earlier and that she was no longer staying there.

The Met claim there was no evidence at the time to disprove this account.

Officers attempted to find Saidatu’s mother, based on the details provided, but no record of her could be found.

Further checks also found no record of anyone matching Saidatu’s name and details entering the UK.

Police said it was a cause for concern, but not necessarily an indication that she was at risk.

Since she was reported missing last March, Saidatu’s details and photos had been circulated to the Met, City of London and British Transport Police officers, and she continued to be marked as a missing person on the Police National Computer.

In April, her information was shared with all Met schools officers to ensure that were she to register at a different school, even under another name, there would be a good chance of her being recognised.

The Met claimed that in December, a routine review of the case found that Saidatu’s image should be published so the public could help.

A Met statement said: “On the evening of Thursday, January 5, acting on information received as a result of the appeal and related publicity, officers located Saidatu in the London area.

“They are satisfied she is safe and well and is being appropriately looked after.

“We will not be providing any more specific information about her personal circumstances, including where she was found, in order to protect her privacy.”

The Met have asked for any images of Saidatu to be removed from media coverage to protect her privacy,

(Picture: The Met)