// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
We thought mum abandoned us - then we discovered she'd been murdered
Sinan and Destine Mehmet grew up believing their mother Patricia Lashley had abandoned them
The children of a woman who was murdered 28 years ago have spoken of their anger after growing up believing their mother had abandoned them.
Patricia Lashley, 33, a mother of seven, was last seen near her home in Hall Street, Dudley, in September 1998.
Her partner Trevor Dunkley, now 66, was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 10 years and 10 months, at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, after admitting her murder earlier this year. Lashley's remains have never been found.
After the sentencing, her eldest son Sinan Mehmet said he and his siblings had believed their mother had abandoned them, leaving them feeling resentful. "We always felt like we were unwanted," he said.
Patricia Lashley was last seen near her home on Hall Street, Dudley, in September 1998
"We didn't have anyone to support us really in our lives. We struggled growing up," added Mehmet.
They were unaware that their mother had been beaten to death by her partner before hiding her body in the cellar of their home for about a year before disposing of her remains in household waste bins.
The court heard Dunkley had maintained his account that Lashley had disappeared for decades, despite being spoken to by police multiple times.
He said she had left her youngest child, who was not Dunkley's son, alone in their flat. Dunkley took the nine-month-old to social services and he was later adopted.