Last updated at 12:48, Thursday, 27 December 2012

CUMBRIA police has turned to social media in a bid to trace a young mum from Penrith who has been missing for over a week.

Earlier this week, officers urged the whole county to keep a look out for 15-year-old Catalina Covaci who went missing with her baby son on Wednesday 19 December.

Now police have launched #helpfindcatalina on Twitter in the hope that the online community will spread the word and come forward with information.

She is originally from Romania but has been living in Penrith for approximately a year-and-a-half. She left her Penrith home last Wednesday morning telling her guardians she was taking her routine walk into Penrith town centre with her son. She hasn’t been seen since.

She has family and associates in Manchester, Oldham, Glasgow, Hull and London however she could be anywhere in the UK.

Police have also released a new photograph of Ms Covaci who was seen with her son, six-month-old Ricardo Alin Covaci, at Penrith Train Station on the morning of Wednesday December 19. Enquiries have also revealed that  she travelled on a train from Penrith bound for Manchester Piccadilly which arrived at around 2.40pm the same day.

It is possible that the pair may have travelled on to Oldham, arriving around 2.30pm.

Police are urging anyone who travelled on the same train or who may have seen them at Penrith or Manchester train stations to come forward. They are particularly keen to establish whether they were travelling alone or whether they were with somebody else.

Police have received further descriptions of Catalina and can confirm that she has very long straight hair and is of a medium-heavy build, with a dark complexion and often wears her hair in a bun.

Detective Inspector Furzana Nazir is coordinating the search for Catalina.

She said: “Police, along with her guardians, are growing increasingly worried for Catalina and her son Ricardo who have been away from home for over a week.

“She has not made contact with them over Christmas. She is young, vulnerable and with her baby son and is likely to have run out of money by now. They shouldn’t be alone at Christmas and we need the public to help find them.

“We know that Catalina has very strong links with the Romanian and travelling communities so she could have gone anywhere in the country to meet with associates or family members. It is likely that someone out there is helping them or knows where they are – and it is very important that you contact us to let us know she is safe.

“She is not in any trouble – we just need to make sure she is safe and well. Please, if you know anything, get in touch with us immediately on 101.”

You can view this article and her photograph on Cumbria Constabulary’s website – www.cumbria.police.uk - or on its social networking accounts www.twitter.com/cumbriapolice or www.facebook.com/cumbriapolice

First published at 11:26, Thursday, 27 December 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk