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"SOMEONE out there knows what happened to Charlene... please, please just tell us."
Karen and Robert Downes were inconsolable after the dramatic collapse of the trial of two men accused of being behind the disappearance of their daughter.
But despite their clear shock, the couple say they will not rest until they get justice and "closure" from their living nightmare.
Mrs Downes, who remembers November 1, 2003, and the last wave goodbye from her beloved Charlene like it was yesterday, said the collapse of the trial of two men -- one charged with murder, the other of disposing of the teen's body -- came "like a bolt from the blue".
She said: "I just said no, no, no, this can't be happening.
"All I have lived for since the last trial is justice.
"I thought this would be the year our family could start to move on, once someone was behind bars for taking our little girl away."
Veering between anger, sorrow and confusion, Mrs Downes said the whole family was near "hysterical" with grief.
"My family has been through so much," she said.
"The first hung jury last year was hard enough, but we thought at least at the end there would be someone behind bars for this.
"To know there is nobody paying for this crime is heartbreaking."
Yesterday's not guilty verdicts on Mohammed Reveshi and another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, brings to an end a two-and-a-half-year wait since the two men were arrested, and four-and-a-half years since 14-year-old Charlene disappeared.
But Mrs Downes still holds on to the hope of one day finding out what happened to her daughter.
Speaking from her home in Buchanan Street, Blackpool, she added: "Please God, I just wish we could find her.
"I know someone out there knows where she is and what happened to her, please, please just tell us.
"We need closure. I want an end to this for my family, but there can be no closure until we know what has happened to Charlene. I may live the rest of my life not knowing and that makes me angry.
"I will never stop searching for her, fighting for her. I just want justice for her, for my little girl."
Charlene, a pupil of St George's High School, would have been 19 last month and her mother still sent a card home which read, "missing you on your birthday".
The pain of Charlene's disappearance, and the pressure of the trial, has taken its toll on the family but, ultimately, has brought them closer together.
Mrs Downes added: "It's been hard for the kids and my husband and I have felt the strain.
"But I have a wonderful family and we have stood together.
"My mum has been great and I still have three beautiful kids that I love and who have been very supportive.
"Although I will always hold Charlene close to my heart, and there will always be a part of me missing, I'm their mother too and we need to get on with our lives."
Dad Robert has said he will find it difficult to come to terms with the end of the trial.
He said: "As the father I have to be strong for my family, but this news has come as a terrible shock and everyone is very upset.
"Now I will have to deal with it in my own way in my own time. I will cry my tears in private."
Read more:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/7339477.stm
Karen and Robert Downes were inconsolable after the dramatic collapse of the trial of two men accused of being behind the disappearance of their daughter.
But despite their clear shock, the couple say they will not rest until they get justice and "closure" from their living nightmare.
Mrs Downes, who remembers November 1, 2003, and the last wave goodbye from her beloved Charlene like it was yesterday, said the collapse of the trial of two men -- one charged with murder, the other of disposing of the teen's body -- came "like a bolt from the blue".
She said: "I just said no, no, no, this can't be happening.
"All I have lived for since the last trial is justice.
"I thought this would be the year our family could start to move on, once someone was behind bars for taking our little girl away."
Veering between anger, sorrow and confusion, Mrs Downes said the whole family was near "hysterical" with grief.
"My family has been through so much," she said.
"The first hung jury last year was hard enough, but we thought at least at the end there would be someone behind bars for this.
"To know there is nobody paying for this crime is heartbreaking."
Yesterday's not guilty verdicts on Mohammed Reveshi and another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, brings to an end a two-and-a-half-year wait since the two men were arrested, and four-and-a-half years since 14-year-old Charlene disappeared.
But Mrs Downes still holds on to the hope of one day finding out what happened to her daughter.
Speaking from her home in Buchanan Street, Blackpool, she added: "Please God, I just wish we could find her.
"I know someone out there knows where she is and what happened to her, please, please just tell us.
"We need closure. I want an end to this for my family, but there can be no closure until we know what has happened to Charlene. I may live the rest of my life not knowing and that makes me angry.
"I will never stop searching for her, fighting for her. I just want justice for her, for my little girl."
Charlene, a pupil of St George's High School, would have been 19 last month and her mother still sent a card home which read, "missing you on your birthday".
The pain of Charlene's disappearance, and the pressure of the trial, has taken its toll on the family but, ultimately, has brought them closer together.
Mrs Downes added: "It's been hard for the kids and my husband and I have felt the strain.
"But I have a wonderful family and we have stood together.
"My mum has been great and I still have three beautiful kids that I love and who have been very supportive.
"Although I will always hold Charlene close to my heart, and there will always be a part of me missing, I'm their mother too and we need to get on with our lives."
Dad Robert has said he will find it difficult to come to terms with the end of the trial.
He said: "As the father I have to be strong for my family, but this news has come as a terrible shock and everyone is very upset.
"Now I will have to deal with it in my own way in my own time. I will cry my tears in private."
Read more:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/7339477.stm
