Missing teen makes contact with family
Mum thanks media for support.
The young Ballyjamesduff girl who went missing while on a family holiday to Euro Disneyland in Paris has made contact with her mother and father.
Amber Victoria Palm (17) was last seen leaving the hotel complex she and her family were staying at in the company of a male, also aged 17, who friends say the teenager had been talking to online for a number of weeks prior to disappearing.
The Palm family are originally from South Africa with Italian roots and have been living in Castlerahan for the past year, and their daughter Amber has been missing for more than a month.
Amber was due to return to St Oliver’s Post Primary in Oldcastle to begin her Leaving Cert year, and school officials and gardaí have spoken with her classmates in the hope the young girl may contact with them.
But Amber eventually made contact with her worried family by herself late last night after seeing a story online.
Her mum Mactalene says the “most important thing now is making sure we get her home safe”.
Minutes before the Celt speaks with Mactalene, her daughter has called again.
“I'll be honest, when she phoned me last night I just started crying my heart out. I was telling her how much I loved her, and at the same time telling her you don't know what you've put us all through. But the main thing is she's okay, we know that, and she's coming home.”
Mactalene describes today as being “hectic”, updating family and also speaking with the authorities trying to organise Amber's safe passage home.
Amber doesn't have a passport with her, and French authorities also “red-flagged” her on their systems as a “missing person”
“We've been speaking with her, she's safe, she looks herself, not mistreated or anything,” says Mactalene, who adds that the next step is to welcome her daughter home with “open arms”.
Mactalene meanwhile thanks the Celt and other news agencies for spreading the message far and wide. It was as a result of an article seen by Amber online that she made contact with her parents.
“I would like to thank you guys for spreading the word, if it wasn't for this, she saw a news story, we could still be waiting. But thankfully she's okay, my baby girl, and we're all so happy.”