Friends express concern for missing 55-year-old trans woman last seen in Soho
Natasha Reddington-Romanov, who is described as "an icon of Soho", went missing a week ago
By Alim Kheraj
Friends of a 55-year-old trans woman have expressed their concerns after she disappeared following a night out in Soho, London, last week.
Natasha Reddington-Romanov was last seen at 2am on Friday 20 September leaving the private members’ club Trisha’s on Greek Street. She was reported missing the following Tuesday (24 September) after she failed to show up for work.
Speaking to Attitude, Natasha’s close friend, Tracy Kawalik, said that her disappearance was “totally out of character.”
Kawalik said that earlier that Friday night, Natasha had eaten dinner with the owner of Trisha’s in Chinatown.
“From there, they went for a glass of champagne at Little Italy, then on to Trisha’s. They were together there until closing. I believe she stayed for a drink after closing with Trisha; she normally would,” Kawalik said.
Once Trisha’s closed, Natasha was seen walking from Greek Street to Bateman Street in the direction of a club called Raincall.
“Two of the bartenders from Trisha’s, who are close friends of ours, were waiting to get into the club, but there was quite a long line,” Kawalik said. “Natasha walked past and didn’t go into the club.”
It wasn’t uncommon for Natasha to to take the bus home from Tottenham Court Road to where she lives near the Old Kent Road.
However, that night the battery on her phone had died. “She uses her phone to pay,” Kawalik said. “What a lot of people are assuming is that she walked home, which isn’t unusual for her to have done.”
“She’s most certainly an icon of Soho” – Tracy Kawalik on missing trans woman Natasha Reddington-Romanov
Described as “vivacious” and “a bold character”, Natasha was previously a dancer at the now-shuttered legendary Soho cabaret club Madame Jojos. She also used to work as a bartender at Trisha’s. “She’s most certainly an icon of Soho,” Kawalik said.
Kawalik explained that Natasha isn’t the type of person to go home with a stranger. “People who have been friends with her for four decades have not known her to go home with someone for a one-night stand” she added. “I’ve never known her to do that.”
While Natasha lives alone, none of the other residents in her building have seen her, Kawalik said. “She also never misses a day of work, no matter how late she’s been partying.”
Kawalik doesn’t believe that Natasha was experiencing any kind of mental distress and said that she was making plans with friends for a party and Christmas. “There were no signs that she was going through anything,” she told Attitude.
After Natasha’s friends filed a police report, the Met said that they would investigate CCTV on Wednesday (25 September), but that they never showed up.
“They just keep saying that they have lots of cases and that they’ll get back to us,” Kawalik said. “They also say that she’s an independent woman. She’s 55. She might have decided that she doesn’t want anyone to find her. But that’s just not like Natasha at all.”
Natasha’s friends fear that she may have been attacked or become the victim of a hate crime because she’s trans. “We’re preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best,” Kawalik said.
Attitude has reached out to the Metropolitan Police for a statement.
Meanwhile, anyone with information regarding Natasha’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the police or reach out directly to Kawalik via the Trisha’s Instagram page.