Homicide detectives have returned to Bowraville as the search continues for the remains of a 16-year-old girl who disappeared from the New South Wales town almost 35 years ago, along with two other Aboriginal children.
Colleen Walker-Craig was one of three Indigenous children killed over a five-month period in 1990.
The remains of two of the children – Evelyn Greenup, four, who was Colleen’s cousin, and Clinton Speedy-Duroux, 16 – were discovered within months.
Colleen’s body was never located. Her clothes were found weighted down in the nearby Nambucca River. A coroner has found that she was probably murdered.
The three alleged murders were originally investigated separately before being linked by the homicide squad.
“Our presence in Bowraville this week is a testament to our ongoing commitment to this investigation and we hope this re-appeal can help us uncover new insights and ultimately move closer to justice,” the homicide squad commander, Det Supt Danny Doherty, said on Monday.
“One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this case is that Colleen’s remains have never been found and that will be a key focus of our detectives this week.
“Finding Colleen’s remains is absolutely critical in helping us close this painful chapter and we are hopeful there are still people out there who have information that could point us in the right direction.”
A man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was acquitted of Clinton’s murder in 1994 and of Evelyn’s murder in 2006.
In 2018 the NSW government unsuccessfully argued in the state’s court of criminal appeal that those two acquittals should be overturned and there should be a new single trial on three murder charges. They had argued this would be justified by fresh and compelling evidence relating to Colleen’s disappearance.
The high court refused to grant special leave to the government to appeal against the decision. In 2019, after the decision, the Greens MP David Shoebridge lobbied to change the state’s double-jeopardy laws in the quest to get a retrial. This was unsuccessful after an inquiry found it could affect unrelated parts of the criminal justice system.
Doherty said detectives would spend this week in Bowraville focused on finding Colleen’s remains.
There is a $1m reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for each alleged murder.
“Detectives will be spending the week in Bowraville to spread community consciousness and encourage anyone with information to come forward,” Doherty said on Monday. “Now is the time.”
