Rosemary Edwards

On Sunday afternoon, two people walking their dogs found a girl's body hanging from a tree in New Forest, approximately 10 miles from Dibden Purlieu. There was little doubt as to the identity of the victim. The young woman's clothing matched what 15-year-old Rosemary Edwards was believed to have been wearing when she disappeared earlier this month. Those suspicions were confirmed Monday when a post mortem examination confirmed the victim's identity through dental records. The search for Rosemary was finally over.


In the wake of the discovery, Rosemary's father David Edwards, 52, posted a brief message to Facebook.com, notifying people of Rosemary's death.


"I am sorry to tell you that a body has been found that answers Rosemary's description," Mr. Edwards said. "Rosemary touched so many people's lives and it seems impossible to believe that she was so low that she felt life wasn't worth living."


According to the medical examiner, Rosemary's death was caused by ligature hanging. The death is not considered suspicious. For reasons unknown, the beautiful young woman who enjoyed nature and horseback riding had decided to take her own life.


Rosemary Edwards was last seen alive Tuesday, September 4, around 10:30 pm. Following a heated argument with her parents, Rosemary shut herself in her bedroom. The following morning her father discovered her missing when he went to wake her for school.

In retrospect several ominous signs had suggested Rosemary was not planning on returning home or for that matter attempting to make a go of it on her own.


"On the basis of what we have been told, Rosemary left home with nothing more than the clothes [she was wearing], and that raises serious questions about how she can support herself for such a long period of time," Superintendent Barry Talbot of Hampshire police told the Times Online earlier this month. "When she left home, she was in a distressed state, and [she] is considerably vulnerable as a girl of that age. Hundreds of teenagers go missing every day, and in nearly all cases, we manage to locate them within about 24 hours."


"Rosemary told us she had left her part-time job, but we later found out that she had been sacked for a minor transgression which shocked her employer and us because it was so totally out of character," Mr. Edwards wrote. "As parents, we didn't want this to be the start of Rosemary 'going off the rails', so we imposed a short ban on accessing the Internet and a longer ban on horse riding. We now know from the Internet trail on her computer, and from text messages on her phone, that she was going through some kind of torment in her head, but at the same time was her usual happy and jolly self when around family and friends.


"...We could have pried into Rosemary's private life to check her mental state before telling her off, but that invasion of privacy would have been wrong. We could have ignored the whole episode. In the same situation, based on what we knew at the time, we would do the same again because we care about Rosemary and her future.

"The last time I saw Rosemary was at 10:30pm on Tuesday 5th [sic] September when I said goodnight and asked her for a hug. She refused, but I gave her a kiss on the cheek. I wish I'd said how much I loved her, but how many other parents do this constantly just in case it could be the last time they see their son or daughter."

Nearly 40 investigators were involved in the search for Rosemary. Both land and air searches were conducted and search and rescue dogs were used in an attempt to trace her steps. Just last week Mr. Edwards's employer, Tecton, announced they were putting up a £100,000 reward to help find her. Unfortunately all of those efforts were in vain. Rosemary had long since left this life and her family will forever be left with more questions than answers.

"Rosemary had a fantastically good 15 years of life and will be missed by all, especially her friends and family," Mr. Edwards said on the Facebook website. "We don't know what could have happened in Rosemary's life to lead her to the circumstances that have occurred. But I know that deep down she knew that so many people loved her and cared for her.


"I'd like to say thank you to everyone that has joined the group and everyone who has sent us messages and cards of support."

http://rosemaryedwards-edwards.gonetoosoon.org/

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