THE family of Gornal teenager Natalie Putt who went missing in 2003 have appealed for anyone with information to come forward so they can give her a proper burial.

Natalie Putt vanished from her home in Lower Gornal on September 1 2003, aged 17-years-old. She had only recently become a mother, with her baby aged 11-weeks-old when she disappeared.

Tireless searching for the young mother over the years has been unsuccessful and in November 2018 the inquest into her death was formally opened, with police confirming they believed she had been murdered.

In January, coroner Zafar Siddique ruled Natalie died at her Gornal home or in the nearby area on the day of her disappearance.

Now, her half -sister Rebecca Coggins is calling on anybody with information about Natalie's disappearance, no matter how small, to get in touch.

Rebecca said: "Now it's about finding where Natalie is and laying her to rest with dignity.

"We want to get people to start thinking about what they know, what what they heard. Nothing is going to be discredited, no matter how small the detail."

She said the realisation that Natalie was dead was 'horrendous'.

She said: "People don't understand what it's like to lose somebody that has been murdered and you don't have a body.

"It's the thought that my beautiful 17-year-old girl is out there alone and in the dark."

Rebecca said that the ruling of January's inquest has meant that her family can now start to grieve, after years of living in hope that she may be found.

The mother-of-four said how receiving Natalie's death certificate 'made it clear' her much-loved sister was not coming back.

Natalie would have turned 33-years-old on April 8 and to mark the day, Rebecca travelled to the Welsh town of Machynlleth where they grew up to lay a stone on their mother's grave in memory of Natalie.

Rebecca explained: "It's there symbolically to reunite her with her mum. I needed somewhere where I could start grieving."

Friends from Dudley have travelled there especially to lay flowers for Natalie, Rebecca added.

Paying tribute to Natalie, Rebecca said: "She was beautiful on the inside and out and she had the most amazing personality. Ask any of her friends, they adored her.

"She would have made an amazing mother to that little boy. She brought out the best in people."

West Midlands Police confirmed they are continuing to investigate Natalie's disappearance.

A police spokesperson said: "The investigation into the disappearance and murder of Natalie Putt continues. If anyone has any information - no matter how insignificant they feel it might be - we urge them to contact the investigation team on 101."