A HOUSE at Cardiff South has been searched by special investigators in relation to the "suspicious disappearance" of a member of the RAAF almost 40 years ago.
Detectives from the Victorian arm of the Missing Persons Squad launched an appeal for public assistance on Wednesday in the case of missing woman Debra Campbell.
The 21-year-old went missing from her High Street, Windsor home on Saturday, February 25, 1984 following a disagreement with her fiancé according to police.
At the time of her disappearance, both Debra and her 26-year-old partner were members of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Her disappearance was initially reported to and investigated by the RAAF after she failed to report for duty two days later on Monday, February 27, 1984.
After Debra was unable to be located, her mother reported her missing to Victoria Police.
Detectives subsequently conducted a number of enquiries following this report, including several unsuccessful public appeals for assistance.
A coronial inquest was held in 1998 with the Coroner declaring that Debra was likely to be deceased, however the circumstances of her death were unable to be determined.
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad reviewed the case in 2022, resulting in a number of further enquiries being made in both Victoria and NSW.
On Tuesday, March 28, investigators along with detectives from the New South Wales Police Cold Case Homicide Squad executed a search warrant at a residential address in Cardiff South.
A 65-year-old Cardiff South man was subsequently spoken to by police and the investigation remains ongoing.
Debra's mother, Jean, described her daughter as a "beautiful vibrant girl who had her whole life ahead of her".
"It fills me with incredible sadness that I never got to see her get married or have children, or grow into the wonderful person I was sure she would become," she said in a public statement on Wednesday.
"She had the most beautiful smile and looking at these photos again reminds me of how terribly young she was when we lost her.
"Debra's disappearance had immeasurable impact on our family and we continue to feel this to this day.
"The most awful part is not knowing where she is or what happened to her, and that the person responsible for taking my daughter away has not been held accountable.
"I'm desperately hopeful that the re-investigation of my daughters' case may bring us answers after all these years. I love her and still miss her so dearly."
Missing Persons Squad detectives launched the public appeal on Wednesday with Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan saying, "no matter how much time has passed, we are committed to finding those responsible and holding them to account".
Police are still of the belief that Debra likely met with foul play on in 1984 and are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have seen her on that night.
At the time she was last seen, Debra was believed to be wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink t-shirt with a 'Madness' rock group motif on the front in black, and a pair of blue Adidas runners.
She may also have been carrying a green handbag with a gold stripe on it.
Police are also re-releasing images of Debra in the hope that they will assist people to come forward with information about her disappearance.
"Forty years is an incredibly long time for any parent to wait for answers, however we do strongly believe those answers are still out there," he said.
"I have no doubt there are people with information that can help us solve Debra's disappearance and I am urging those people to come forward.
"We believe we can solve this case - as we often say, we could only be one phone call away, it just needs to be the right call."
Anyone with any information regarding Debra's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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