Natalie Putt: Police probing Dudley mother's 2003 disappearance begin digging up graves

Teen mother disappeared in 2003, leaving behind 11-month-old son

Detectives investigating the disappearance of a young Dudley mum 14 years ago have begun exhuming several graves in a Gornal cemetery

Detectives investigating the 2003 disappearance of young mother Natalie Putt have begun digging up graves, police have announced.

West Midlands Police said officers were acting on new information about the disappearance of Ms Putt, who was aged 17 when she left her home in Dudley to visit a shop in September 2003.

She was never seen again and left behind her baby son who was just 11 weeks old.

A police spokesman said the inspection of a number of graves in Ruiton Cemetery in Upper Gornal, near Dudley, was expected to take several days, with the area sealed off while the searches are conducted.

After Ms Putt disappeared, police conducted underwater searches of rivers and lakes, as well as farmland in Wombourne where it is understood she kept horses, but no evidence was found to help uncover what happened.

An 18-year-old local man was arrested in March 2004 in connection with her disappearance, but was later released without charge.

Detective Inspector Ian Iliffe, from the cold case review team, said: “All cases are periodically reviewed and the disappearance of Natalie has led us to believe that we are looking at a murder enquiry.

“We have had no positive sightings of Natalie in all these years and there has never been any financial activity connected to her bank accounts or any access to health services across the country, which points to the fact that she is no longer alive.

“Following a review of the information we have received, we have been granted permission to exhume a number of graves in Ruiton Cemetery off Duke Street in Upper Gornal.

“We also believe that at least two people know what has led us to this site and they may have further information which could assist our search. We would very much like to hear from them.”