Family despairs as search continues for missing Cape Town psychologist

27 June 2018 - 18:55 By Dan Meyer
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Image: Elvis Ntombela

The family of missing Cape Town psychologist Diane Nelson faces another night of despair‚ with a SAPS spokesperson confirming that the search continues for the Claremont resident. 

Nelson‚ 49‚ went missing on Saturday and her abandoned car was discovered parked outside Cecilia Forest the same night‚ reportedly with many of her valuables inside. 

She is a resident of Claremont in the southern suburbs and is a therapist at the Crescent Clinic in the area. She was reported missing after having last been seen at 8pm on Saturday‚ and police say that the investigation is ongoing. 

SANParks spokesperson Rey Thakhuli said that the search of the popular hiking trail was concluded on Sunday after mountain rescue teams were assisted by SAPS. 

#MissingMinorsPinkLadies Missing: Claremont WC Diane Nelson 49 yrs 23 June 2018. Circumstances: She was last seen on 23...

Posted by Missing Minors The Pink Ladies Organization - Ngo 2007 on Sunday, June 24, 2018

“It did not yield any results and was called off at approximately 21:30pm. The search resumed again on Sunday morning at 10am‚ where the person still could not be located‚ and the search was called off by the police pending further investigations.”

A Pink Ladies’ missing persons poster has been widely spread throughout social media‚ with many of Nelson’s clients pleading with the public to assist in her safe return. 

“Diane Nelson was the couples’ therapist we saw for a time. She was so kind‚ caring and supportive of us both‚” said a Facebook user. “It’s breaking my heart to think of something bad happening to her. I’m actually struggling with it quite a bit - life can be so incredibly unfair.”

Wednesday marked day four of the search with no further clues yet coming to light. 

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