Mum of missing teen 'couldn't stop crying' after call from police

DEANTE JAMES, 17, WHO WENT MISSING ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 31 FROM ENFIELD, NORTH LONDON, HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO OUR MISSED CAMPAIGN WE'RE WORKING ON WITH THE

MISSING PEOPLE CHARITY 18:00, 04 Jun 2025 The mother of a missing teenager who has been found alive has thanked The Mirror after we highlighted his story as part of our Missed campaign.

Deante James, 17, went missing on the evening of March 31 from the family home in Enfield, north London, while suffering with psychosis, after unknowingly smoking a joint laced with Spice -

a lab-made drug designed to mimic the effects of cannabis.. His mum, Vandana Bhogowoth, who found Deante safe six weeks later, tells The Mirror: "I’m so happy and relieved, thank God

we’ve found him. When I got the call from the police to say he’d been found I was over the moon - I couldn’t stop crying.” “Thanks so much for everything the Mirror has done - it pushed the

police to realise who he was even though his name had been entered onto the system incorrectly. It’s great news and he’s now getting the help he needs." DEMAND ACTION FOR MISSING PEOPLE

Too many missing people are falling through the cracks - harmed while away, and ignored when they return. We need a proper government strategy led by the Home Office, Education, and Health

departments to stop this crisis. Right now, there's no real support. People go missing again and again - yet no one's asking why. We’re calling for: * A new national strategy for

missing children and adults * Proper support for missing people when they return * Investment to stop people going missing in the first place AT 10,000 SIGNATURES, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO

RESPOND. AT 100,000, IT WILL BE DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT. THAT’S OUR GOAL - REAL ACTION. YOU CAN HELP BY SIGNING OUR PETITION HERE. Deante’s life changed a few weeks before he vanished, after

he shared a joint with friends, not knowing it was laced with Spice - a drug known to cause side effects ranging from difficulty breathing to psychotic episodes in some users. He developed

psychosis and the night he went missing, he ran away without his phone or wallet. Article continues below Lovingly referring to Deante as “my boo,” Vandana shared her story with The Mirror’s

Missed campaign last month, telling us how he he was picked up by British Transport Police three days after going missing for not being able to pay his fare but let go because of an

inputting error and fell through the cracks. But, instead of bringing him home and ending Vandana’s agony, the police let him go. Vandana, 36, explained at the time: “He’s underage, he’s

vulnerable and at risk. Police had hold of him and let him go - we could have had him home by now.” It was only after Vandana contacted her MP that Deante’s case was changed from medium to

high risk - despite being 17 and vulnerable. It's not just Deante - many missing people are slipping through the cracks, because there’s no clear government plan to protect or support

them. Now Vandana is determined that other families should not be put through the same agony as she was - meeting with Jess Phillips MP, the parliamentary under-secretary for The Home

Office, while Deante was missing to share her experience. And she is backing our Missed campaign, which is calling for a co-ordinated response by services like the police and hospitals in

dealing with missing people. Vandana is certain The Mirror’s article was the key to finding Vandana, adding: “The police then realised who he was, probably because of all the publicity

making it very high on their radar.” Deante’s story illustrates the importance of signing our petition calling for a proper government strategy, led by the Home Office, Education, and Health

departments, so that missing people and their loved ones get the help they deserve. So far 13, 477 people have signed, but we need 100,000 for it to be debated in Parliament. Susannah

Drury, Director of Policy and Development at Missing People, which backs our campaign, says: “We are incredibly relieved that Deante James has been found safe, after more than a month of

being missing and at high risk of harm. "Throughout his time missing, our team has been supporting his mum and simply being there during the most frightening moments of her life. While

we share in her relief, we are also deeply concerned about how someone at such high risk could disappear without an urgent response being triggered. “This case highlights urgent gaps in the

system, and it’s exactly why our current petition with the Mirror is more important than ever. We need lasting change — not just to prevent young people from falling through the cracks, but

to ensure that families like his have the support they need at every stage, both in crisis and beyond. Right now, Deante’s family need space and time to begin to process what they’ve been

through, and we will continue to stand beside them as they navigate the days and weeks ahead.” Article continues below • THE MIRROR IS USING ITS PLATFORM TO LAUNCH MISSED – A CAMPAIGN TO

SHINE A LIGHT ON UNDERREPRESENTED PUBLIC-FACING MISSING PERSONS IN THE UK VIA A LIVE INTERACTIVE MAP, IN COLLABORATION WITH MISSING PEOPLE CHARITY. BECAUSE EVERY MISSING PERSON, NO MATTER

THEIR BACKGROUND OR CIRCUMSTANCES, IS SOMEONE’S LOVED ONE. AND THEY ARE ALWAYS _MISSED_.