SOMEONE knows something.
That is the message from the families of three children who went missing more than 35 years ago in a case now known as the Bowraville murders.
"Maybe you have carried this information for years," Rebecca Stadhams, the mother of four-year-old Evelyn Greenup, said on Monday as part of a renewed appeal for information.
"Maybe you were afraid to speak.
"Maybe you think what you know is too small or doesn't matter.
"But it might matter.
"It might be the piece of information that finally helps us find the truth about what happened to Evelyn.
"After all these years, I am asking you to think about my little girl."
With a million-dollar reward already in place for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers, Homicide Squad detectives will spend this week in Macksville speaking to community members.
They hope that this new appeal for information, the latest among many over the decades, will finally break the silence around one of Australia's most enduring and tragic mysteries and bring justice to the children and their families.
"Think about the family who loved her and who have had to live every day since without her," Ms Stadhams said.
"Someone knows something.
"Please, if you know anything about what happened to Evelyn, come forward.
"You may be holding the answer that our family has been waiting more than three decades to hear.
"I cannot bring Evelyn back, but I still hope that one day we will know the truth.
"I still hope that the person responsible for taking my little girl's life will be held accountable.
"And I will never stop remembering who Evelyn was.
"She was quiet and gentle.
"She loved her family.
"She was only four years old.
"My little girl deserved to grow up.
"She deserved a life.
"She deserves justice."
Colleen Walker-Craig was 16 when she was last seen at Bowraville between September 13 and 15, 1990.
Her family reported her missing, and her weighted-down clothes were later found in the Nambucca River.
Although Colleen's body has never been found, the NSW Coroner found she was dead and had most likely been murdered.
Her four-year-old cousin, Evelyn Greenup, disappeared after being put to bed at her grandmother's Bowraville home on October 4, 1990.
Her remains were found in bushland near Congarinni Road in April 1991.
While an autopsy did not conclusively determine her cause of death, it was found that an injury to her skull was consistent with being struck with a sharp instrument.
Clinton Speedy-Duroux was also 16 when he disappeared after a party at Bowraville on January 31, 1991.
His remains were located in bushland near Congarinni Road on February 18, 1991.
The murders were initially investigated separately before being linked by detectives from State Crime Command's Homicide Squad Unsolved Homicide Team, under Strike Force Ancud.
A man, who cannot be identified, was charged on separate occasions over the murders of Evelyn and Clinton, but was later acquitted.
In 2018, the state government argued there was new and compelling evidence - relating to the disappearance of Colleen - to justify the overturning of the acquittals and the ordering of a retrial.
But the attorney-general's application was ultimately dismissed in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
In 2020, police announced a $1 million reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers, as well as information leading to the location and recovery of Colleen's remains.
Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said on Monday another community outreach was an important component of a continued appeal for information.
"This outreach is about creating opportunities for community members to speak directly with investigators," he said.
"If you know something - whether you saw something, heard something, or were told something - now is the time to come forward.
"These murders have had a profound and lasting impact on the families and the Bowraville community.
"Time does not diminish the seriousness of these crimes, nor our determination to identify those responsible.
"For more than three decades, these families have lived without answers. They deserve clarity, and they deserve justice. We are asking the community to help us deliver that.
"A $1 million reward remains in place for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
"That is a significant incentive, and we urge anyone who has been reluctant to speak with police to reconsider."
