Page 109 of Stolen

The terrible truth is, the chance that Lottie is still alive – never mind in London, 4000 miles from where she disappeared – is vanishingly small. Yet still you yearn to know what happened to her and who can blame you for that?

Perhaps if her body is found, you might finally achieve a glimmer of peace and be able to move on with your life. Maybe if you knew the truth, no matter how tragic that truth is, you might find it easier to bear.

You are not alone. Parents who lose children have told me how important it is to have something, even a body, to centre their grief on.

But two years on from Lottie’s tragic disappearance, we have no more idea what became of her now than we did then.

The public’s fascination with the story has been matchedonly by the exorbitant amount of time and money spent on trying to solve the mystery.

First we had a nationwide US police investigation, which put the full resources of the most powerful country in the world at your disposal, to no avail.

Next came private detectives like Simon Green, who failed to locate Lottie despite trousering more than £500,000 in fees.

Then, at the behest of your local MP, the indefatigable Jack Murtaugh, Scotland Yard were called in.

An eye-watering £3 million of taxpayers’ money has now been spent on the search, with no sign of a breakthrough.

Every witness statement and tip-off has been rechecked, every theory considered, no matter how unlikely. Each development raises fresh hopes and excites the media, but so far they have all come to nothing.

All of which goes to explain why the chief officer of the force, Ben Rich, has now suggested it might be time to pull the plug.

Mr Rich’s remarks have inevitably sparked heated debate. #TeamLottie insists that the investigation must continue at any cost, but others have praised the officer for having the courage to voice the unsayable truth.

With a very heavy heart, I must say I agree with Mr Rich.

As the grandmother of three children who are roughly the same age as Lottie when she was taken and similarly cherubic, I dread to imagine how it must feel to be living in purgatory like you.

If, God forbid, I was in your shoes, I would want, demand and plead that everything humanly possible must be done to find my daughter, or, at the very least, to discover what became of her.

Like you, I would cling to the hope of a miracle, too.

No one is blaming you, Alexa.

On the contrary, the charity you set up, the Lottie Foundation, has done a huge amount to raise public awareness of missing children. You’ve become an unofficial global ambassador for the cause.

Despite everything that’s happened, nothing can take away from that.

But after two years of false dawns and epic wild goose chases, I have come to the same conclusion as Ben Rich: enough is enough.

When I saw you on television this week, I was shocked by how vulnerable you seem and how unhappy. And no wonder.

Be assured, we have not forgotten Lottie or you. But grief, mourning and a carefully created memorial can bring healing.

And although we would not wish you to lose your commitment, we hope you find comfort in the knowledge that Lottie’s name will live on in the foundation you set up.

Wishing you happiness as ever,

Hannah

---