This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The sister of a midwife who has been missing for more than a week has issued a plea for her return, saying: “We miss you very much, we need you home where you belong.”

Samantha Eastwood, 28, was last seen leaving work at Royal Stoke university hospital at 7.45am on 27 July. Her colleagues raised concerns later that day when she failed to show up for her night shift.

Gemma Eastwood, 26, said her sister was “warm and generous with a great sense of humour” as she appealed for any information about the disappearance.



She said colleagues described her sister as an “amazing” midwife. “She’s caring, harmless and gentle. She’s generous and will do anything for anyone before herself,” she said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Samantha Eastwood, who has been missing since 27 July. Photograph: Staffordshire Police/PA

A 32-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent who was arrested on suspicion of kidnap has been released under investigation.

Gemma Eastwood issued the appeal at Staffordshire police headquarters on Friday as the search entered its eighth day. Police have been seen at Samantha Eastwood’s home and outside a second property.

Detectives described Eastwood as a “high-risk missing person”, saying she was in good spirits when she left work and her disappearance was out of character.

Det Supt Simon Duffy, of Staffordshire police, confirmed they were looking into reports that a neighbour heard a scream at about 2pm on the day Eastwood vanished.

CCTV footage of the last sighting of her has been released. Eastwood, dressed in a blue uniform and carrying a green handbag, is seen leaving the hospital with a colleague and getting into her Volvo XC60 at 7.45am last Friday. A second CCTV camera then captures her vehicle heading towards the Hilton Road exit within the hospital grounds.

Eastwood has not been seen since the CCTV footage was recorded, and her car was found parked outside her home in Stoke-on-Trent. Her bank cards were also found at home.

Police said they had two properties in the city “under control” – Eastwood’s home and a second address at Cromer Road, Northwood.