Missing student Vicky turns up safe in Dublin

SO THAT'S EIRE YOU
HAVE BEEN
Missing student Vicky turns up safe in Dublin

MYSTERY surrounded student Vicky Stephenson last night— after the missing teenager turned up in DUBLIN.

A huge police hunt had been launched on Tuesday when the 19-year-old vanished from Manchester where she is at university.

But yesterday she walked into a police station in Eire's capital and told astonished officers: "I'm Vicky Stephenson. I believe you're looking for me."

Within minutes she was put in touch by phone with her best pal, 20-year-old Alice Jackson, back in Manchester.

And Alice broke the news to Vicky's stunned parents, Michael and Margaret, of West Norwood, south London.

They had begun to fear the worst after their daughter—a community affairs student at Manchester Metropolitan University—went to interview homeless people.

Unanswered

But jubilant Alice told the couple: "It's her—your daughter's ALIVE."

Unanswered questions hung over the episode last night after 40 cops had searched wasteland near the university.

Vicky's family and police stayed tight-lipped about WHY she had gone to Ireland and failed to answer calls and text messages to her mobile.

An Irish police spokesman said tersely: "We cannot comment on why Victoria Stephenson was in Dublin."

And a statement released by Vicky's family threw no light on the riddle.

It said: "We're delighted. We've spoken to Vicky briefly on the phone and feel a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders."

Det Supt Peter Minshall, who led the search, flew to Dublin yesterday.

But before going he smiled and said: "Who could have a better Christmas present than this?"