Search continues for Dubbo quartet

BY EMILY WHEELER

5/08/2008 9:15:00 AM

The family of Dubbo man Harry Gordon Youl have been left wondering where he is for the past 18 years - almost to the day.

The case of the missing man, who would today be 71 years old, is set for a coronial inquest in Dubbo later this month where it is hoped some of his family’s lingering questions will be answered.

Mr Youl was last seen on August 2 1990 when he told his work mates he was going out for lunch.

He never returned.

During national Missing Persons Week, Mr Youl remains one of four local people still missing from the region and one of about 35,000 people reported missing to police each year.

While more than 95 per cent of those reported missing are found soon after their disappearance is reported, more than 1600 remain missing for more than six months.

Such is the case of another missing Dubbo person, Mary Elizabeth Quy, who was last seen in February 1991.

Despite extensive search efforts conducted by police and Dubbo Rescue Squad immediately after her disappearance, including a search on the banks of the Macquarie River, Mrs Quy has never been found. She went missing from her Cobra Street home and was sighted in the early hours of February 11 in West Dubbo.

The case is 17 years old but local detectives say they still receive information on the matter.

“Any information from the public - the smallest things might help, and police will look into everything,” Detective Senior Constable Luke Scott, one of the officers in charge of the local missing persons portfolio, said.

He said as soon as there was a concern for welfare, residents should report their loved one missing.

Probably the most well-known local missing person of recent times is Lateesha Nolan, who disappeared in 2005.

Police harbour grave fears for the young mother’s safety and are still on the hunt for Dubbo fugitive Malcolm Naden, who is wanted for questioning over her disappearance and the death of another Dubbo mother, Kristy Scholes.

Ms Nolan was 24 when she disappeared - last seen in January 2005 at a house on Bumblegumbie Road.

The focus of this year’s Missing Persons Week, with the theme ‘Don’t Close the Door to Communication’, is young people who go missing.

The key messages for people who are currently missing is that police and family want to know they are safe and are urging them to communicate in some way to indicate their safety.

The fourth missing Dubbo person is Jaswinder Singh, who has not been seen in the region for about three weeks.

Police are urging the man to contact his family, or family friends, and let them know he is safe. Anyone with information on a missing person can contact their local police station.

emily.wheeler@ruralpress.com

HARRY GORDON YOUL

Last seen on August 2 1990 in Dubbo

Was 53 when he went missing

Would be 71 now

DOB 15/03/1937

174cm, medium build, grey hair, blue / grey eye colour, Caucasian.

LATEESHA JANE NOLAN

DOB 23 / 05 / 1980

Was 24 when she went missing

Would be 28 now

Last seen on January 4 2005 in Dubbo

165cm, brown hair, green / hazel eyes, medium build, Aboriginal

MARY QUY

DOB 1921

Was 70 when she went missing

Would be 87 now

Was last seen in Cobra Street, Dubbo on February 11 1991.

Grey hair, medium build with brown eyes.

Inquest will not give dad closure

April 25, 2008

STILL SEARCHING: Mick Peet reflects on the inquest into his daughter Lateesha Nolan.

Nikki Sorbello
IT has been more than three years since Lateesha Nolan disappeared from her New South Wales home and, while police are preparing a brief for the coroner, Lateesha's father Mick Peet is still no closer to closure. Mr Peet, who lives at Innes Park, said he was aware police were working on the brief, but had mixed feelings about the inquest, which he plans to attend. Lateesha was last seen in Dubbo on January 4, 2005, before leaving her four children with her mother, to return shortly. She has not been seen or heard from since, with police suspecting she became the second victim of Malcolm Naden. Naden, one of the most wanted men in New South Wales, is being hunted for the murder of Kristy Scholes, whose body was found under his bed in 2005, and in relation to Lateesha's disappearance. While Mr Peet does not believe his daughter is still alive, he spends most of his days scouring the internet for any news of her and the man he believed murdered her. Seeing Naden brought to justice is what he is fighting for now. "You just wish you could hear something," he said. Mr Peet believes Naden is still hiding out in dense bushland behind the Dubbo zoo, the last place with a confirmed siting of Naden. "I wish I had some sort of control to get the army in there and do a good sweep of the area," he said. A New South Wales Police spokeswoman said the briefing being prepared for the coroner was not unusual, but did not mean inquiries into Lateesha's disappearance had ended. "The investigation into Lateesha Nolan's disappearance in suspicious circumstances remains very active, with a team of homicide squad detectives continuing to pursue a number of lines of inquiry," she said. She said the missing person's case would remain open until Ms Nolan was found or new evidence came to light, regardless of the findings of the coroner.

Police continue to delve into 11 cold case mysteries spanning more than three decades - Long hunt to catch a killer

Police continue to delve into 11 cold case mysteries spanning more than three decades - Long hunt to catch a killer
It has been more than 30 years since the badly decomposed body of Margaret Mlandos was discovered on the banks of Buckinbah Creek at Yeoval.

How she came to be there remains a mystery police are desperate to solve.

Mrs Mlandos’ murder is one of 11 cold cases being actively pursued by Orana Local Area Command.

The cases are a catalogue of human carnage.

n The body of Kate Page is found in her house at Coonamble, her head caved in by the butt of a rifle.

n Narromine woman Nancy McKenzie is found near dead after being bashed with a golf putter. She died on the way to hospital.

n George Howlett is executed in a North Dubbo home, killed by a gunshot wound to his face.

These are just a sample of the gruesome murders that remain unsolved.

Police are hopeful fragments of information from the public could help solve the brutal homicides, some of which date back to the early 1970s.

Acting crime manager Inspector Mark Meredith said solving these crimes remained a high priority for police, despite how long they had remained unsolved.

“Closure is essential for the families of the victims, and to police officers, who in many cases have spent years involved in painstaking investigations,’’ Insp Meredith said.

“Solving a homicide is like putting a jigsaw together and sometimes essential pieces are missing because important information is withheld from police.

“People don’t come forward for a whole range of reasons - they may be too frightened or ashamed or believe their information is trivial and wouldn’t be of any use to police.

“All information is helpful but sadly sometimes people go to their grave with key material that could have put a killer behind bars.’’

Cold cases from Orana Local Area Command are reviewed by the NSW unsolved homicide unit.

Insp Meredith said murders are never “written off’’ no matter how many years have passed.

He said people are usually killed for three main reasons

- financial gain, revenge or lust.

“Murder is viewed as the most serious of crimes and it is frustrating to see investigations hindered by lack of information.

“I implore people to come forward with what they know. Telling police is the right thing to do.’’

The unsolved murders

n The badly decomposed body of Margaret Mlandos was found in grassland on the banks of Buckinbah Creek at Yeoval in December 1975.

The gruesome discovery was made after an extensive police search.

Mrs Mlandos, aged in her 60s, was well-known in the district as a breeder of Pekinese dogs.

Police believe she died following a “family feud gone wrong”.

n The brutal murder of Kate Page shocked the Coonamble district in the early 1970s.

Aged in her 70s, Mrs Page was found in her house at Page’s Terrace, near Coonamble Bowling Club. She had been struck about the head with the butt of a rifle. n Shock waves reverberated throughout the western region in August 1977 when prominent racehorse breeder and trainer Howard Tyrell was shot dead at close range. Police had two strong suspects but insufficient evidence. n Mervyn Poyser was bashed at Coonabarabran in December 1987. Aged in his 50s, Mr Poyser was found lying in the backyard of his home and died in hospital as the result of a skull fracture. n Elderly Bourke woman Janine Perrin was found dead in her home in November 1990. Police believe she was brutally assaulted during a sex attack and callously left to die. n Penny Hill was found unconscious on a roadway near Coolah in July 1991. Suffering severe head wounds she was rushed to hospital and died two days later. Penny was employed as a nanny at the Black Stump Motel. Police interviewed a strong suspect but an open finding was handed down by the coroner. n The body of Charlie Avouris was found reclining on a blood-flecked sofa at Mumbil in July 1996. Police said the 30-year-old father of one died a violent death. n Police are still saddened by the death of Narromine woman Nancy McKenzie who was bashed with a golf putter in June 1997. Discovered in her home clinging to life, Mrs McKenzie died after being rushed to hospital. Police interviewed a number of suspects but believe the killing was a case of mistaken identity. n George Howlett was blasted execution-style when he answered the door of his Fitzroy Street house in North Dubbo in June 2004. Police believe the shooting was drug related. n Kristy Scholes was found strangled in the bedroom of a Dubbo house in June 2005. Police believe the 24-year-old mother of two was killed by her cousin Malcolm Naden. n Naden is also wanted for the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan who disappeared in January 2005. Police searched extensively for Ms Nolan. She is listed as missing, presumed dead. Police throughout Australia are still looking for Mr Naden.

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Third anniversary of missing Dubbo mother - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Third anniversary of missing Dubbo mother - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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