'My daily text messages to Milly'

The distraught mother of missing schoolgirl Amanda "Milly" Dowler still sends her text messages every day in the hope she will reply.

On what would have been Milly's 14th birthday today, Sally Dowler revealed how she tries to contact her daughter's mobile phone despite having been told by Surrey police there is virtually no hope of finding her alive.

In a heart-rending statement, released today along with new pictures showing the schoolgirl with her sister Gemma on a family holiday in Cuba and another celebrating her fourth birthday, 43-year-old maths teacher Mrs Dowler said: "I still send her text messages just in case, and just wait for the failed 'Milly mob' message to come back.

"We usually celebrate Milly's birthday with something like a pool party - we have a 12ft-splash pool that we put up in the garden and have a barbecue, with a dozen or so of her friends.

"Maybe this year she would have wanted a karaoke party. Milly really loves her karaoke - we'd have probably bought her tapes for her birthday. She loves all the usual teenage stuff. We were thinking we might have bought her a digital camera - she's always using the video camera."

Milly was last seen at 4.05pm on 21 March as she set out to walk back to her parents' home from Walton railway station. The family was visited by Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Denholm, head of Surrey CID, a few days ago and told hopes were fading and Milly was possibly already dead.

Mrs Dowler said: "It would have been inconceivable if, when Milly first went missing, someone had said we still wouldn't know what's happened to her by her birthday, especially given all the effort everyone has put in.

"We are struggling to fill the days - we try to set ourselves a project but it's hard to remain motivated. We end up just going through the motions. But we have to try to hold it together for Gemma. She gets very upset when she sees us upset and wants to keep positive and brave.

"Because there are still posters around we see her image everywhere we go. We know it is good to have so many posters all around but it is also very hard.

"We just can't believe that it's our daughter. We drive past and wonder 'will they still be here in six months'? I find it really hard every time I buy something for Gemma - it's a horrible feeling because I should also be getting something for Milly." The Dowlers said that they never imagined that Milly could disappear without trace for so long, but they were "touched" by people's reactions.

"There are so many things that we miss - especially her playing her saxophone. The lack of noise is very noticeable - the house is so very, very quiet now."

Superintendent Alan Sharp, of Surrey Police, said: "Our thoughts are with Amanda's family, particularly at this very difficult time. We offer them every sympathy and continue to put all our efforts into finding Amanda."

Police have found no trace of Milly despite a massive search, more than 300,000 calls from members of the public and a £100,000 reward.

Officers have also spoken to pupils at Heathside School in Weybridge, where Milly studied, and pupils at Rydens School in Walton, to seek their help with the hunt. The children were asked to reveal "any secrets that she may have shared with them".

A 52-year-old man from Ashford, Middlesex, was arrested this month in connection with Milly's disappearance. He was later bailed to a prison.