Leegal
I was married 30 years ago and it only lasted for one year. I also was married outside of the Church (in a Methodist Church) so the Church never considered me being married. Unless you married outside the Church with permission and went through the classes in your parish and had a priest present, I don’t see how it could be considered a valid marriage. All I had to do was go to confession and I was free to marry in the Church which I did and now have been happily married for over 25 years. The best thing to do is go talk to your parish priest. An annulment is necessary if it was a marriage ceremony that is recognized by the church but then the Church has to investigate to see if it was an actual marriage. If an annulment is necessary only one party need to consent. There will be attempts to contact the second party but if the Tribunal is not able to locate the second party, the annulment, if necessary, will still be attempted.
You are in my prayers.