Ermatati Rodgers or Tati as she is known has been missing since January 4 and was last seen shopping at the Somerfield store near her home in Gwersyllt.

It is believed that she did go home after that but she failed to meet her friend, Hannah Sabrun, of Leeswood, for lunch the following day.

Mrs Sabrun reported Tati missing after she and her parents, the Rev John Jones and wife Anne, of Treuddyn, called at her flat, but couldn't find her.

When the Leader contacted Mrs Sabrun she hoped that the phone call might bring news of her friend's whereabouts.

"I thought 'let that be the police saying they've found her'," she said. "It's like that every time the phone rings.

"Myself, my husband and daughter and my two brothers in Treuddyn had gone up to my parents to meet her the day we reported her missing. We were all going to have a big lunch together.

"All of us are sure something bad must have happened, something's got to be found. The police are doing everything they can but nothing's been found.

Hannah has been greatly affected by her friend's disappearance and is desperate for news about where could be.

She continued: "Somebody out there must know something and I wish somebody whether they're involved or know where she is would give a sign to the police, even anonymously, so all her family and friends can move on.

"Because of all the searches going on I think maybe she's out of the area, gone somewhere or been taken. Maybe there should be more publicity nationally to make people stop and think 'yes, I think I saw her the other day'.

"Every day I think 'let this be the day someone will contact us and say they think they've found her.' Whether it's good news or bad news we just want to know."

Concern is also growing among the detectives working on the case.

The police helicopter has conducted aerial searches of the three main routes into Wrexham from her home and the North Wales Search and Rescue Team have searched the Moss Valley area, situated between Gwersyllt and Brynteg.

Posters have been put up around the Wrexham area and detectives have appealed to current and former students at Yale College, where Tati had studied languages last year, for any information that could help to trace her whereabouts.

DS Sion Williams said: "We are still in the same situation despite a number of lines of enquiry – Tati's disappearance remains a mystery.

"There has been no movement on her bank account or her telephone which is concerning us. We have started conducting a number of searches around Gwersyllt and Wrexham.

"We still have the same number of people working on the case but without fresh information it's very difficult to generate new lines of enquiry. "We received some information last week from a man who had read about the disappearance in the paper and hadn't thought it significant until then but even the smallest detail could be vital."

Anyone with information should contact officers at Wrexham CID on 0845 607 1001 (Welsh line) or 0845 607 1002 (English line) or email:
enquiry0108@nthwales.pnn.police.uk.