I’m lost without Charlotte. She was like my right arm

of a fuss about it but we didn’t want to upset her because things could be tricky with Charlotte sometimes. I think now that he was controlling her.

Denise and Charlotte fell out over a petty row in March 2012 and never spoke again.

“I thought it would blow over,” said mum-of-two Denise.

“But with her being away, and me being busy with the kids, before we got a chance to make it up, it was too late.”

The family became increasingly worried so they contacted

Miller who agreed to meet Denise and one of her brothers in March 2013.

“Miller told us she’d got a loan out and a new passport, and he made out like she’d gone off on holiday without telling anyone.

“At that time we believed him. We were actually annoyed that she’d gone off without a word to any of us. I feel so gullible now, and sickened that I bought his lies. We reported her missing that May.”

With another Christmas behind her – and another birthday she should have shared with her sister – Denise is fighting to stay positive that a clue will lead them to Charlotte’s grave.

“In birthday cards from my brothers and sisters, they always address them to me and Charlotte because it’s not just my birthday. It’s lovely that she is never forgotten. It’s as much her birthday as it as mine.”

A new law in England will soon deny murderers parole if they refuse to reveal the location of their victim’s remains.

But as yet there are no such plans in Northern Ireland for a version of Helen’s Law – named after Helen Mccourt, 22, who was killed by publican Ian Simms in 1988.

“We’ll fight for that too,” said Denise. “We need that equivalent law, one we want to call Charlotte’s Law in Northern Ireland because leaving families in this state is cruel.

“I’m lost without her. We all are. It’s so hard for my mum. It feels like sometimes when she looks at me she sees Charlotte.

“Without my sister it’s like part of me is gone. She was like my right arm. I went to her with any problems. It’s not like she’d solve them every time but she always made me feel better.

“She’d say ‘troubles are bubbles, and bubbles blow away’. She always tried to toughen me up and I’m glad for that because now I need to be tough.

“She was there for me all her life and it’s my turn to be there for her. I’ve got to be hopeful we’ll find peace for Charlotte.”