EXCLUSIVE Missing mother’s family slam ‘apathy’ of police investigation nine months after she disappeared after row with her parents
- EXCLUSIVE: Family have asked why it took police a fortnight to make a public appeal after their loved one, 44-year-old Denise Jarvis, disappeared last year
- They claim police gave the wrong location for the last known sighting of her
The family and friends of a mother who vanished nine months ago have slammed the ‘apathy’ of the police’s investigation into her disappearance.
Concerned relatives and pals have queried why it took officers a fortnight to make a public appeal after Denise Jarvis, 44, vanished.
They also claim blundering officers gave the wrong location for the last known sighting of the mother-of-one, who went missing in August last year the day after a row with her parents.
Mrs Jarvis had been living with her parents at their Victorian semi-detached home in Kingswood, Bristol, following a bitter split from her estranged husband, Richard, seven months earlier.
She had moved out of the luxury home she co-owned with 53-year-old Mr Jarvis in Hambrook, Bristol, leaving their 12-year-old son Lucas in his care, although she did see the boy regularly.
Concerned relatives and pals have queried why it took officers a fortnight to make a public appeal after Denise Jarvis, 44, vanished
Mercedes-driving Mrs Jarvis had instructed divorce lawyers and it is understood her relationship with her husband had become increasingly acrimonious over disclosure of their marital assets.
Days before gym-loving Denise’s disappearance, police were called to her parents’ home over an argument. The following day, on August 3, Denise packed her belongings into bags and left.
The last known sighting of Denise was later that day when she was spotted at nearby Southey Park, wearing the same thigh-length sleeveless grey coat she had had on when she was picked up on CCTV photographs 24 hours earlier.
But, despite the fact that her family reported her missing on August 4, Avon and Somerset failed to make an appeal to the public about her disappearance until August 17.
The police appeal then wrongly stated she had last been seen outside a Sainsbury’s store in Kingswood.
MailOnline has also discovered cops took four months to ask her parents’ neighbour if they could examine his CCTV footage.
The last known sighting of Denise was later that day when she was spotted at nearby Southey Park, wearing the same thigh-length sleeveless grey coat she had had on when she was picked up on CCTV photographs 24 hours earlier
The neighbour, who asked not to be named, told Mail Online: ‘They waited four months before they knocked my door to ask to see my CCTV footage. I told them my cameras only hold the information for so long and said if they’d done their jobs properly and come to my house a month after she vanished there might still be some footage, but by four months, it had been wiped.
‘I’d seen her a few times at the house but never to talk to but I do know that a day or two before she disappeared, she’d had a massive row with her parents and they’d called the police to the house.
‘Next day she left with her bags and we never saw her again. It’s very sad. There are lots of rumours about what has happened to her, many of them centred around alcohol and drugs, but people like to talk, don’t they?.’
A concerned person who knew Mrs Jarvis has also contacted MailOnline to express their concerns about the police investigation into her disappearance and the lack of publicity it has generated, compared to coverage of Nicola Bulley’s disappearance earlier this year.
The source said that while ‘huge media coverage’ had been devoted to Ms Bulley’s disappearance, ‘no media outlet has held Avon and Somerset Police to account over their inaction in the case of Denise Jarvis’.
A concerned person who knew Mrs Jarvis (pictured) has also contacted MailOnline to express their concerns about the police investigation into her disappearance and the lack of publicity it has generated
The source added: ‘Not a single piece of progress by the police has been revealed. There appears to be a general apathy from the police around her case. Her son deserves to know what has happened to his mum, or at least deserves to see an attempt to find out.
‘The impression the general public have of Denise, from what has been released to date, is very misleading.
‘Up until January 2022 Denise Jarvis was your typical middle-class, married mother, living in an affluent, rural area. She enjoyed her family winter ski holidays and summer holidays in the sun and spent a lot of time at her local David Lloyd gym.
‘She had been with her husband since they were both at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, Bristol.’
Before becoming a mother, Mrs Jarvis had been a manager for mobile phone companies, the source said, but quit to raise her son full time as her husband’s job was ‘more lucrative’.
The source continued: ‘Everything changed in January 2022. Denise separated from her husband. She instructed a solicitor in regards to her separation and was desperately trying to get access to marital finances to enable her to find somewhere to live away from her husband.
Before becoming a mother, Mrs Jarvis had been a manager for mobile phone companies
‘For a couple of months she was back and forth, with her son, between staying at her parents and the marital home. She then moved into a room at her parent’s house for four months, while her 12-year-old son remained with her husband at the marital home.
‘Given the lack of space at her parents and distance to school, it is unsurprising that this impacted on her mental health. Most separations and battles to access marital finances take their toll on an individual’s mental health.’
The source queried the police’s choice of a photograph of Mrs Jarvis to accompany its appeal, saying: ‘Why was there such a poor choice of photo if the police wanted people to recognise her? The photo used in the first public appeal was a blurry headshot, with no full length shot. Better photos have been released since. Why choose such a poor one initially when they’d had two weeks to source a decent photo?’
The source added: ‘Why was so little information provided by police in this first appeal, despite being 14 days after her disappearance? The only information provided in the first appeal was incorrect. It stated that she was last seen outside Sainsbury’s, Kingswood. No CCTV footage has ever been provided of this, despite the fact this location is likely to have multiple CCTV cameras. Information revealed since confirms she was last seen by her sister entering Southey Park as her last sighting, so why give incorrect information?
Last month, Mrs Jarvis’ family made an emotional appeal on TV’s Channel 5 in a documentary show Vanished: The Hunt for Britain’s Missing
‘She is not flagged as being recently separated or as being a mother. One person wrote on a Facebook post they thought they recognised her from their gym, but said the person they knew was married and had a son. Even people who knew her didn’t recognise it was her from the appeal.
‘This is not the behaviour of a police force who want the public’s help in trying to locate Denise.
‘Very little about this case makes any sense to those who know Denise.’
Last month, Mrs Jarvis’ family made an emotional appeal on TV’s Channel 5 in a documentary show Vanished: The Hunt for Britain’s Missing.
The live show, hosted by Dan Walker, featured Senior Investigating Officer Det Insp Ben Lavender, Mrs Jarvis’ sister Rachel Graham and mother Bernadette Lake.
Mrs Lake said: ‘She’s not another person missing, she’s our daughter, she’s Rachel’s sister – she is loved. If somebody has seen her, we want her back, because we love her.’
DI Lavender said on the programme: ‘While we’re carrying out land searches, specialist searches and with our dive team, we are preparing for the worst but really still hoping for the best, and we hope that this will come to a positive outcome for her family.’
Mrs Jarvis had been living with her parents at their Victorian semi-detached home in Kingswood, Bristol, following a bitter split from her estranged husband, Richard, seven months earlier
On the CCTV showing Denise wearing the coat she was last seen in, he said: ‘It’s quite a distinctive coat…while clearly time has moved on, and she’s unlikely to be wearing the same clothes now, if anyone has seen that coat discarded or if she’s still wearing it, that will jog some memories.’
And in March, it was claimed a woman matching Mrs Jarvis’ appearance may have been spotted in Cornwall ‘sleeping on the street’. The sighting has been followed up by Devon and Cornwall Police without success.
Mrs Jarvis’ husband, Richard, refused to comment on her disappearance when approached at the large granite farmhouse-style home the couple once shared on the outskirts of Bristol. He answered the door in jeans and t-shirt and said: ‘I have nothing to say to you.’
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police defended the force’s handling of the investigation into Mrs Jarvis’s disappearance, saying: ‘The first social media appeal was issued on 17 August. Denise went missing on 3 August and was reported missing to police on 4 August, at which point our enquiries began. We’ve issued three further appeals on our website, social media channels and direct to the media, and the Senior Investigating Officer has done appeals on local and national television.
‘We deal with thousands of missing persons reports every year, and the overwhelming majority of people are found safe and well without a public appeal being required, due to other enquiries being carried out.
On the CCTV footage, Denise is wearing the ‘distinctive’ coat she was last seen in
‘The decision to issue a public appeal must be authorised by an officer of at least Inspector or Chief Inspector, depending on the circumstances. The threat, harm and risk posed to the person must always be considered, as well as whether other lines of enquiries being pursued are likely to be more successful.
‘We’re aware that putting the details of a missing person into the public domain is a step that shouldn’t be taken lightly, as it can impact on their wellbeing in both the short and long-term, even after they may have been found safely. Wherever appropriate and possible, we’ll always discuss and agree the release of the appeal with the person’s next of kin.’
The spokesperson said its initial appeal stating she had last been seen at a Sainsbury’s store in Kingswood was based on a family member’s information.
‘Further enquiries with different witnesses have enabled us to establish the last sighting of Denise was in Southey Park,’ the spokesperson said.
On taking so long to ask to see the neighbour’s CCTV footage, the spokesperson said: ‘For operational reasons, it would be inappropriate to confirm whether specific individuals have assisted with our enquiries in an investigation that remains ongoing.
‘We can confirm a thorough investigation has seen officers complete more than 700 actions and speak to more than 90 of Denise’s contacts in the hope of finding her.
Extensive searches of the area where she was last seen have also been carried out, as well as other intelligence and POLSA-led searches, some of which have involved the use of police divers while CCTV from the area has also been reviewed. We’ve been unable to locate any CCTV footage of her following the last confirmed sighting.
Asked why so little detail about Mrs Jarvis’ background and matrimonial difficulties have been released by the force, its spokesperson said: ‘Our only concern is Denise’s welfare and doing everything we can to find her.
‘Speaking generally, it would not be appropriate for us to provide information to the public about any sensitive personal matters which may have led to a person going missing.’
However, the spokesperson did confirm officers were called to an argument at her parents’ home in the hours before she went missing.
The spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that officers were called to attend Denise’s home at 7.20pm on 3 August due to a report of a dispute between family members. Denise left the property following the argument, and was later seen by her family in the local area. She was reported as missing the following day.’
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