Pregnant woman desperate to trace her homeless father to tell him he’s going to be a grandad
Jess Hickey, 20, usually speaks to dad David on a daily basis but there has been no sign of him for months
A PREGNANT young woman is combing the streets to find her homeless father - to tell him he is going to be a grandad.
Jess Hickey, 20, usually speaks to her dad David Oxton on a daily basis, often heading into Manchester city centre to take him food and blankets.
However, the expectant mum is growing increasingly worried because she has not heard from him since November.
Jess says David – also known as Dennon, Big D and Dave – has been undergoing treatment for a serious illness. During weeks searching the city centre looking for him, she has contacted hospitals and police stations.
Yet she keeps drawing a blank.
She said: “He always had his phone on so I was always checking up on him and taking food and blankets for him and his friends.
“In November I didn’t speak to him for about a week and that was really strange. We would usually talk every day. Since then, I have had no contact whatsoever.”
RELATED STORIES
Jess said her dad, believed to be in his 40s, usually stays close to Afflecks Palace in Manchester. He was living in a shack behind a bus stop last year, but the structure has been torn down.
Jess added: “He’s very good my dad, he could survive through anything.
“But a friend of his told me nobody had seen or spoken to him. There’s no sign of him anywhere.
“He is a very well known person in the city centre. I have been advised to ring the morgue, but I can’t bring myself to do that. I want to tell him he’s going to be a grandad. We’re all really worried, he needs to come forward so we know he’s okay.”
Jess first met her dad by chance when she was 16 after bumping into him in the city centre. While shopping with friends, a homeless man asked for some spare change.
As she reached into her purse she explained that her dad was homeless.
She recalled: “He asked me where I was from and my mum’s name and then said, ‘Put your purse away Jess’. I was shocked.
“I took a picture to show my mum and she said he had changed, but it was him.”
After learning her father had 14 other children, Jess – from Whitefield – made contact with her older brother and younger sister.
She added: “I know he doesn’t like sharing his problems, he will keep it to himself. But he should forget about his pride, if he doesn’t have anywhere to go he should get in touch.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368