A MOTHER who sparked a global hunt after disappearing – leaving a note for her partner but not making contact with her family in Salisbury – has now been missing for a month.

Her family are now even more convinced something is terribly wrong after Annemarie Squires, 40, failed to send her nephew a fourth birthday card this week.

In an act described by her sister Julie Hurst as “totally out of character”, Mrs Squires (nee Dawkins), formerly of Salisbury, vanished on May 13, telling her partner Andrew Jobe she was going to stay with someone called Shirl.

But Julie, 41, of Amesbury, says none of the family or any of Annemarie’s friends know who Shirl is.

And she says that not to contact her son Andrew Hyslop, 23, after only being reunited with him three years ago, is “bizarre”.

Hopes were high that Mrs Squires would be found after national media featured her story, focussing on her obsession with the online chat and fantasy rooms of Avatar – where users get to be the person they want to be in its virtual reality world.

Mrs Hurst said: “Annemarie was spending £100 a month on this – she’d be on there 24-7 and would buy virtual clothes, and virtual shoes.

“We are worried she has gone to meet someone from one of the chatrooms – a stranger.”

Mrs Squires grew up in Laverstock with Mrs Hurst and other sister Nikki Hawthorn, 36, who still lives in the family home, and brother Andrew Dawkins, 34, who now lives in Bournemouth.

She went to St Martin’s and St Edmund’s schools and left at 16 before working for some years in Burger King in Salisbury.

She met someone and moved to London in the mid-90s, and has been living in Portsmouth for the past eight years.

Mrs Hurst last saw her sister when she visited Salisbury to watch her son Jamie Hinton play in the under-9s cup at the stadium.

She said: “I just don’t understand it – we’re a really close family.

“And when she met her son again, who had been adopted as a baby, it was like her life was transformed – she was so thrilled.”

A week ago, a friend started up a group on social networking site Facebook appealing for information on Mrs Squires’ whereabouts.

There are now 1,600 members and the group has attracted a huge amount of interest.

Julie said: “I can’t believe it – we’ve had calls from the Mirror, the Sun, BBC, the Mail… we’re hopeful something will happen.”

If anyone knows anything about where Mrs Squires might be can call police on 08450 454545. For more information visit www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124594484231160.