Netflix’s newest true crime documentary titled ‘Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case’, will revisit the case of Lucie Blackman. The series, which will premiere on July 26th,  into the disappearance and murder of the 21-year-old British woman, who was working as a hostess in Tokyo’s Casablancas nightclub at the time of her death.

In the year 2000, Blackman and her friend Louise Phillips decided to leave their careers in the UK and travel to Japan for a year of new adventures. The buddies landed in Tokyo on a 90-day visa in May and switched their British Airways flight attendant jobs for a more relaxed pub gig in the city’s famous Roppongi neighbourhood. In addition to pouring beverages and basic hostessing, the girls’ profession required them to go on paid dates once a month (called ‘dhan’ in Japan), and on July 1, 2000, Blackman went out with a paying customer.

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However, she did not return home from the date, disappearing without a trace, prompting the commencement of a global missing persons search to find her.

But what happened to Lucie Blackman, and what is the true tale behind her disappearance? Here’s a detailed timeline of everything that happened up until her body was discovered.

Phillips received a phone call from an unknown man the day after Blackman’s date, following her failure to return home. Akira Takagi, the caller, informed her that Blackman had joined a religious cult and that she was undergoing “training.” He also said she would never see her pal again.

Phillips, understandably alarmed, called Blackman’s family in the United Kingdom to inform them that she had no idea where their daughter was or what had happened to her. Sophie, Blackman’s younger sister, arrived in Japan three days after her disappearance, followed by their father, Tim, a week later.

Who was Lucie Blackman

21-year-old Lucie Blackman from Sevenoaks, Kent, and one of her friends Louise Phillips reached Tokyo on a three-month-tourist-visas. They gave up their jobs with British Airways to travel around the world. The two women shared a first-floor room in a lodging house near Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium. And within days, they got a job at the Casablanca bar in Tokyo.

Miss Blackman disappeared after calling one Miss Phillips. She told her that she was going out for an afternoon with a man. She was wearing a one-piece black dress and black sandals, a silver necklace with a heart-shaped diamond, and a black handbag.

Later, Miss Phillips got a call from a man who introduces himself as Akira Takagi, who informed her that Miss Blackman has joined a religious cult and that she will not see her family or companions again.