Faye Jones, a British schoolgirl who went missing while on holiday with her mother in Turkey, is believed to be on the run with Turkish waiter Murat Can Ertani.
Faye Jones, 16, from Cramlington, Northumberland, has not been seen for three days since she fled with Murat Can Ertani, 22, in the popular coastal resort of Marmaris.
Her mother, Rhonda Jones, has been frantically searching for her ever since, but fears she may never see her again.
Turkish police say Murat Can Ertani is a criminal and has spent time in jail.
“This is my worst nightmare. She’s my only child and I’m a single parent. I never imagined she would run away,” she said.
Faye and Rhonda Jones flew over to Marmaris on June 27 to visit her grandmother who is retired and lives among the ex-pat community.
The schoolgirl was to be allowed to stay with her throughout the summer as a reward for working hard towards her GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
According to Rhonda Jones, Murat Can Ertani was already waiting for her. The pair had met when the family visited the same resort on holiday last year.
Rhonda Jones, 39, told the Sunday Mirror she knew they had become friends on Facebook but that it was “nothing serious”.
“Faye’s not been into boys,” she told the newspaper.
“She’s been studying for her GCSEs at home and sometimes I have had to prize her out of her bedroom at home.”
The friendship was allowed to continue on the basis that Faye Jones was never alone with Murat Can Ertani.
But Rhonda Jones said things turned sour after an incident in a bar when Murat Can Ertani allegedly slapped Faye’s friend Georgina.
Mother and daughter argued and Rhonda Jones was so alarmed she decided to call off the summer stay. She told Faye she would be returning home her.
But unbeknown to Rhonda, Faye was still staying in touch with Murat Can Ertani via text. She waited until her mother took a last trip to the swimming pool before they caught the bus to the airport and then fled.
Rhonda Jones said as she ran out of the hotel she could see her daughter getting into a green car. She chased it down the street but was unable to catch up and Faye disappeared.
Turkish police were alerted and Faye Jones was spotted a few hours later in a shopping plaza, but when officers gave chase the couple escaped, dumping the schoolgirl’s suitcase in the process.
Rhonda Jones said she has spent every waking moment searching for her missing daughter.
She told the Sunday Mirror: “I just want Faye to know she’s not in trouble and to remind her how very much I love her. I have to know she’s OK. I’m desperate for her to come back home.”
More than 30 Turkish police officers are said to be on the case and the family have been putting missing person posters up around the resort.
The governor of Marmaris says authorities are doing all they can and are working round the clock to find Faye Jones.
The British Consulate is also offering support but Rhonda Jones says she feels she is battling on her own.
“I’ve been out day and night – I’ve never slept and I’m not hearing nothing,” the mother added.
