THE sister of a teen who vanished without a trace more than 20 years ago says she still holds out hope that one day he’ll walk through the door.

       Claire Harris was just 17 when she was told her younger brother Phillip had popped out to buy a tin of beans - but she never saw him again.

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       Phillip Harris vanished from the West Midlands when he was 15 - he's never been seen since Credit: Supplied 5

       Sister Claire says she's still holding out hope that her brother's still alive Credit: Supplied 5

       Police say they're still probing the teen's disappearance Credit: Supplied

       The mum-of-three, now 41, says she still wants to believe he’s alive, while West Midlands cops are today still probing his disappearance.

       In the last 24 years officers have found a person of interest, dug up a garden and put out multiple pleas - but never found another trace of the boy who was 15 when he was last seen.

       A heartbroken Claire told The Sun: “There’s days where all I’ll think about is him, it’s like a piece of you is missing.

       “I wish he’d knock on my door. I always like to believe he’s still out there somewhere.”

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       Phillip vanished from Smethwick on a July summer’s day in 1999.

       Claire said the pair and their younger brother had a rough upbringing and were thrown between different caregivers - including various foster homes.

       As a result, the nan-of-one has just three photos of her brother.

       Claire still remembers the last time she saw Phillip alive - and wishes she could go back to that day.

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       He was walking through the kitchen before their caregivers said they’d “sent him to the shop to get a tin of beans”.

       When Phillip didn’t come home, Claire said she and her other younger brother were told he had run away to London.

       She later found out that he had been sent to another foster home just streets away - which is where he was last seen alive.

       The 15-year-old left the home on the morning of July 28, 1999, in navy tracksuit bottoms with a white stripe, an orange long-sleeved shirt and a green combat-style jacket.

       He phoned the house at 1pm to say he’d be staying at a friend’s in Northfield that evening.

       The teen was seen walking near where Claire was still living around the time he vanished - and that was the last time.

       The sister said she started searching for Phillip when she had moved out on her own - and hasn’t stopped since.

       There’s days where all I’ll think about is him, it’s like a piece of you is missing.

       Claire HarrisMissing Phillip's sister

       She said: “Over the years I’ve gone through every Facebook group, MySpace, everything else.

       “I don’t know where to turn. I’ve looked into everything possible. I wish I could do more.

       “I just want to know if he’s with us or he’s not.”

       Police have never made any arrests, but they did dig up the former family home’s garden in April 2022.

       However, nothing was found.

       Police also established a person of interest in the teen’s disappearance, but they had since died.

       Cops have also released an artist’s impression of what Phillip would look like today - but tragically had no such luck in establishing what happened to him.

       West Midlands Police said: “The investigation into Phillip’s whereabouts remains very much open.

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       “Anyone who has any information as to where Phillip might be should contact us.

       “Phillip’s family continues to miss him terribly and we are committed to finding Phillip to solve the mystery of what has happened to him.”

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       The teen vanished without a trace on a summer's day in 1999 Credit: Supplied 5

       Cops released images of what Phillip would look like today in the hopes someone would come forward with information Credit: West Midlands Police