At 07:45 on the 12th of February 2016, Fatima Mohamed-Ali (52) was last seen on CCTV briskly walking away from her house. This was unusual for Fatima as she is a devout Muslim who would stay home on Fridays for her prayers, and her husband would join her once he returned from work. When her husband arrived to find no trace of her, Mohamed asked around the local village in Newhaven, Sussex (including the hairdressers), and then called the police.
Despite a quick to-start investigation and helicopter searches the next morning, no confirmed sightings of Fatima have been made. Then on the 7th of August 2017, a woman matching Fatima's description was seen running to catch a bus in Brighton. The woman who reported this sighting said she was confident as she had previously worked with Fatima.
Since then there have been no more leads released to the public, however, a fantastic podcast covered here case: The Missing.
Fatima and her husband had three children and a growing number of Grandchildren. According to Fatima's husband, that day the couple had breakfast together and everything was normal. Mohamed left for work but left early and went to the post office to pick up the gift he'd ordered Fatima for valentine's day. Fatima left without her phone, which was also unusual for her.
Theories
One theory is that Fatima left and started a new life. While there's no major evidence to suggest this, with a lack of evidence we can only speculate. Interestingly, the fingerprint of an unknown man was found in the family home but didn't match anyone in the police database. Is it possible that Fatima had started/wanted to start a new relationship with someone who had been in the house at some point?
When she was spotted walking down a road that led to the sea or another coastal town, was she leaving to meet with someone? It's unusual that she would leave the house without her phone, and so quickly after her husband left, without mentioning that she was going out. If someone is looking to leave a partner or start a new life, they have no use for their old phone - so perhaps that's why she left it at home?
However, another theory is that because Fatima left her phone at home, she was only expecting to be gone briefly. Could something have happened to her on the way to a shop or the local Mosque? Perhaps she realized at breakfast that they needed more bread or milk? However, Fatima didn't seem like someone who would have enemies, and it would be unusual for foul-play to occur in broad daylight without any evidence.
A final theory is that Fatima sadly took her own life, following the path CCTV caught her on, straight down to the beach. However, because of the reported sighting (though not verified), I personally believe this theory is less likely. Fatima's family has also stated that she seemed happy - and while this isn't always an indicator that someone isn't depressed or suicidal, it is unusual.