Police in Bristol have defended their handling of an investigation into the disappearance of a woman who hasn’t been seen for nine months. Nothing has been seen or heard from Denise Jarvis since she went missing last summer, and now friends quoted in the national press have criticised the way the police have handled the ongoing investigation.
The disappearance of the 44-year-old from the Kingswood area of Bristol has been the subject of several police appeals, including one on TV involving family members, but reports by the Daily Mail have quoted unnamed sources close to the family who have criticised what they described as a ‘general apathy’ from police over the case.
Denise has not been seen since August 3 and she was first reported missing the next day. It wasn’t until August 17 - two weeks later - that Avon & Somerset Police alerted the media and issued a public appeal, and family and friends quoted by the Mail have criticised that, and the lack of detail in those initial appeals.
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They say the police appeals did not say she was married with a son, and gave limited information about her. The source detailed difficult personal circumstances leading up to her disappearance, and said she had moved back in with her parents. However, the force said it would not usually be appropriate to share any sensitive personal matters which may have led to a person going missing.
Police have now confirmed that they had been called to their home over a 'dispute between family members', after which she left the property. The last known sighting of Denise was later that day when she was seen at Southey Park.
According to the Mail, a neighbour who might have picked up Denise leaving on his CCTV claimed the police didn’t enquire with him until four months later - long after his system would have deleted the footage. However, a police spokesperson defended the force's handling of the investigation.
They said: “The first social media appeal was issued on August 17. Denise went missing on August 3 and was reported missing to police on August 4, 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.
“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,” they added.
The police spokesperson said that the first appeal was accurate at the time they made it - the appeal stated she had been seen at Sainsbury’s in Kingswood because that’s what a family member told them, and subsequent inquiries found the last sighting was at Southey Park.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
“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,” they said.
Read more - Bristol Live's reports on the search for Denise Jarvis:
- Family plea for missing woman last seen in Kingswood
- New information released with missing Bristol woman not seen for two weeks
- Police renew appeal to find missing Bristol woman last seen in August
- Bristol woman has been missing for six months
- CCTV image shows what Denise was wearing when she was last seen
“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,” they added.
“We can confirm that officers were called to attend Denise's home at 7.20pm on August 3 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,” the police confirmed.
Last month, Denise's family made an emotional appeal on a Channel 5 programme, with the police, asking the public for information. The Daily Mail reported one source criticising the police’s handling of the case.
“Not a single piece of progress by the police has been revealed,” they told MailOnline. “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 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,” they added. “Very little about this case makes any sense to those who know Denise.”
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