- Faye Jones, from Cramlington, Northumberland, disappeared three days ago in popular holiday resort Marmaris
- Single mother Rhonda, 39, has been searching for her day and night
- Faye met bar worker Murat Can Ertani, 22, in same resort last year
- The pair fled together after Faye argued with her mother about him
- Turkish police say Ertani has a criminal record and has spent time in jail
- ‘This is my worst nightmare – I’m desperate for her to come home,’ she said
A schoolgirl who went missing while on holiday with her mother in Turkey is believed to be on the run with an older waiter.
Faye Jones, 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 distraught mother Rhonda has been frantically searching for her ever since, but fears she may never see her again.
Turkish police say 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 flew over to Marmaris on June 27 to visit her gran 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.
According to Rhonda, Ertani was already waiting for her. The pair had met when the family visited the same resort on holiday last year.
Rhonda, 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 prise her out of her bedroom at home.’
On the run: Schoolgirl Faye Jones, left, is believed to have ran off with Turkish waiter Murat Can Ertani, right, who she met on holiday last year
Distraught: Faye's mother Rhonda has been frantically searching for her ever since she went missing in Marmaris
Hard-working: Rhonda said the plan had been for Faye to stay in Turkey all summer until her friendship with Ertani turned sour
The friendship was allowed to continue on the basis that Faye was never alone with Ertani.
But Rhonda said things turned sour after an incident in a bar when Ertani allegedly slapped Faye’s friend Georgina.
Mother and daughter argued and Rhonda 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 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 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 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.
Fall out: Rhonda told Faye she had to go home after an incident in which Ertani allegedly slapped one of her friends in a bar
Fears: Faye, left, argued with her mother about Ertani after he allegedly slapped her friend Georgina, right, in a bar
Relationship: Faye met Ertani when she visited Marmaris last year and they kept in touch on Facebook
Rhonda 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.
The British Consulate are also offering support but Rhonda 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,’ she added.
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