Kriti Mehrotra
When 21-year-old British native Lucie Jane Blackman disappeared off the face of this Earth while living in Japan on July 1, 2000, it honestly shocked both these massive nations to their very core. But alas, arguably the worst aspect of this entire matter was not that she was needlessly slain by serial rapist/predator Joji Obara yet that it took over 200 days for her remains to be found. This much has even been evidenced in Netflix’s ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case,’ wherein it comes to light her younger sister Sophie had actually held out hope for her survival until the end.
Who is Sophie Blackman?
It was reportedly in 1980 when Sophie was born in Kent, England, as the second of three kids/middle child of Jane Steare and Timothy “Tim” Blackman, only to initially lead a rather ordinary life. The truth is her parents did separate while she was around 15 in 1995, yet she still had their unwavering affection along with the support of her elder sister Lucie and younger brother Rupert. Though according to the father, the sisters were particularly extra close — they were inseparable, that is, until the elder left for a 90-day trip to Asia in the summer of 2000, never to return.
Sophie was thus 19 when Lucie suddenly went missing, driving her to take on a rather brave as well as intuitive public stand, especially once she and Tim traveled to Japan in search of her. In fact, upon hearing rumors that a regional, dangerous cult might be involved in the travel enthusiast’s case, she’d simply asserted, “she would put herself in to get her out or tell Lucie not to be so stupid.” It hence comes as no surprise she was utterly devastated when her loving elder sister’s cold, dismembered remains were ultimately discovered inside a beach cave in early February 2001.
Still, no one could’ve ever imagined this loss would hang over Sophie’s head like such a dark cloud she’d attempt suicide in 2005 because she just couldn’t deal with the grief anymore. The 25-year-old had actually tried to join Lucie not long after the latter’s ashes were buried in their hometown, so she was receiving in-patient care at a psychiatric center by the time 2006 came around. Even her brother was left traumatized, which is why Tim once said, “I not only have to contend with the death of Lucie, but the terrible and tragic damage to both my other children as a constant reminder of this terrible crime.”
Where is Sophie Blackman Now?
From what we can tell, although Sophie has preferred to remain well away from the limelight since her sister’s killer was convicted in 2008, she understandably hasn’t really gotten over her death. She has apparently been trying to move on to the best of her abilities by focusing on positive memories and the legacy Lucie left behind, but of course, it is easier said than done in the long run. Yet coming to her current standing, it seems like Sophie has since started a family of her own while continuing to be based in Kent, where she possibly serves as a self-employed reflexologist focused on natural health.
We should also mention that in 2007, Sophie conceded, “The one thing I find quite sad are the things [Lucie] won’t do. It’s very easy to miss the things we used to do together but the things she’ll never have I almost miss the most, things like getting married and having children. [Because of] Lucie’s love for people and love for children I think she would have made a very good mother. It’s a real shame that she’ll never have the opportunity to do that.”
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