The mother of a missing woman said last night that she was buoyed by support shown by people who had joined the search for her daughter.

Rose Belboda, who also has three sons, said: “I feel depressed, but today I can say I feel really uplifted to see the support.

“All the Bermudians have come out and supported me; they have me in their prayers.”

She was speaking as she joined more than 20 people who scoured areas of Warwick for Chavelle Dillon-Burgess, last seen more than two weeks ago.

Ms Belboda, who was among a group who combed Southlands Estate on South Shore, said her daughter was “a fun girl”.

She said: “She’s my one and only [daughter] and I really want to find her.”

Ms Dillon-Burgess, 26, mother of an 18-month-old son, was last seen at her home on Hillview Road in Warwick.

Local residents said yesterday that the young woman often walked in the area with her child.

Police joined concerned members of the public to check woodland in the parish yesterday.

The group also searched farmland in the Cedar Hill area and searches by other groups included trails at Chaplin Bay.

Antonio Belvedere, who has rallied people this week to help find Ms Dillon-Burgess, said he wanted her to know that she had support across the island.

He said: “We’re in Chavelle’s corner and we’re just hoping that if Chavelle is out there, and she’s reading the paper or she’s listening to the news, she’s seeing on social media that people are in her corner — Bermuda’s got mad love for her and there are outlets here for her.

Mr Belvedere appealed to Ms Dillon-Burgess: “If you are out there, Chavelle, please just reach out to somebody.”

He added: “We’re all trying to stay positive, I think positivity is the best way to go through this.

“There are a lot of rumours and speculation going around, I don’t want people to waste their energy on that because nobody knows what the issues are.”

Mr Belvedere said he was last in contact with Ms Dillon-Burgess about three months ago and that she was vulnerable.

Members of the Jamaican Association and St David’s County Cricket Club also took part in the searches.

A woman from Southampton explained that she did not know Ms Dillon-Burgess, but wanted to help.

She said: “I have a 21-year-old daughter and if it was my daughter I would like to think people were out helping her.

“She has a child, that makes me very sad as well.”

Another woman, aged 33, added: “I just hope that we are able to find her or someone can identify her somewhere and I hope that all is well with her and that she’s safe.”

A Pembroke woman involved in the search said that she was “hopeful”.

It is understood that Ms Dillon-Burgess lived at the Hillview Road house with Kamal Worrell, a lawyer.

A Magistrates’ Court case against Mr Worrell was adjourned indefinitely in March when prosecutors submitted a nolle prosequi — a notice of abandonment of a case.

Mr Worrell, from Warwick, earlier denied several charges that he assaulted his partner — named in court as Chavelle Dillon — in 2018 and 2019.

He appeared in court on August 28 last year and pleaded not guilty to an assault and wounding the mother of his baby son on June 1, 2019, in Warwick.

Prosecutors said last October that they planned to proceed with another six similar charges alleged to have happened on November 14, 2018, that had been withdrawn by Ms Dillon-Burgess.

She dropped all the complaints against Mr Worrell, 39, earlier this year, but prosecutors confirmed on January 22 that they planned to continue the case “as a matter of public interest”.

Ms Dillon-Burgess told the court in March that many of the claims made in her statements to police were “untruthful” and made while she was agitated.

She added that she was frustrated and under stress as a young mother and suffered from postnatal depression.

Ms Dillon-Burgess added: “This is my child’s father. We’re working things out. We’re going to have our differences, but in some way or by some day things are going to get better.”

Magistrate Craig Attridge accepted the nolle prosequi and discharged Mr Worrell.

The Bermuda Police Service said last night they were aware of information “pertaining to” the missing person investigation “circulating on social media”.

A spokesman added: “The BPS wish to remind the public that the investigation remains active and urge anyone with information no matter how insignificant they may think it might be, to please contact police on phone number 211 or the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers number, 800-8477.

“We would like to thank those members of the public who have so far assisted with this matter, by either providing information or joining with police and other agencies in the ongoing search for Mrs Dillon-Burgess.”

Police refused to comment if the detention of a man at a house in Warwick yesterday was linked to the missing woman.

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