Where did Mum go?
Graeme Robertson/Graeme Robertson

The Guardian Features Sat 21 Aug 2010 00:05 BST

Twelve years ago, Sara Kirkpatrick's mother packed her bags and left her life and her family behind. She has not been seen since. Why did she go, and will she ever come home?

One cold, sunny morning in September 1998, my mother awoke to an empty house, packed a few belongings in a pink sports bag, put on her coat and shoes, locked the front door and walked away from her life. She left a note asking my dad to look after my brother and me, and headed in the direction of the local train station. She has not been seen or heard of since, despite a police investigation and appeals in the local press.

She left behind two bewildered children, an estranged husband and many unanswered questions. In the 12 years since my mother disappeared, I have missed her, raged at her, been surprised by what I found out about her, but have never really come to terms with what happened, because I still don't know. I have lived every day with the uncertainty of not knowing whether she is alive or dead. Where did she go?

Her bank account remained untouched and she had no passport and had never learned to drive. Where do you go with no money, no friends?