Desperate hunt for Australian backpacker, 29, who vanished in London two weeks ago - before sending pals 'cryptic' texts
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Police have launched a desperate search for an Australian waitress who vanished from a south London backpacking hostel two weeks ago - before sending friends a series of ‘out of character’ text messages when they asked where she was. Jessica Parkinson, 29, was first reported missing by her father on Sunday December 11th after failing to make contact with relatives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
![[The waitress was first reported missing by her father on December 11th after failing to make contact with relatives]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/20/93290531-14207395-The_waitress_was_first_reported_missing_by_her_father_on_Decembe-m-73_1734555304523.jpg)
Three days later, she failed to turn up for a 4pm shift at Texas Joes, the barbecue restaurant where she has worked for the last year. When managers texted to ask where she was, she claimed to have got her start time wrong - and promised to be ‘right there’ by 5pm.
![[She did not turn up to work at Texas Joes three days later. When asked where she was, she told managers she would be 'right there' by 5pm but never showed]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/20/93290547-14207395-image-a-51_1734553860576.jpg)
But she failed to show up as promised - and hasn’t been heard from since sending another colleague a ‘cryptic’ message later that evening. She was reported missing for a second time last Friday after missing three shifts in a row. Restaurant owner Joe Walters told MailOnline: ‘Jess was meant to work on Wednesday, and she was supposed to start at 4.
![[After colleagues had received a series of cryptic messages from Jessica, her manager reached out to her father in Austrailia]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/20/93290545-14207395-image-m-55_1734553913317.jpg)
‘At around that time our manager sent a message asking where she was, and she responded that she thought she was in at 5 and she would be right there. That was very out of character for her. Police have launched a desperate search for Australian waitress Jessica Parkinson (pictured) who vanished from a hostel in south London.
![[Jessica has been described as 5ft4 with blue eyes and reddish, blonde hair. She had previously talked about going back to her home country for the festive season and staying until March]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/20/93290543-14207395-Jessica_has_been_described_as_5ft4_with_blue_eyes_and_reddish_bl-m-74_1734555321030.jpg)
The waitress was first reported missing by her father on December 11th after failing to make contact with relatives. She did not turn up to work at Texas Joes three days later. When asked where she was, she told managers she would be 'right there' by 5pm but never showed.
![[The 29-year-old Jess had recently dealing with a 'stressful' accommodation situation having recently been evicted from a flat share]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/20/93290529-14207395-image-a-50_1734553840281.jpg)
