A white Toyota Hilux similar to the one police believe may
have been
used in the abduction of Gordana. Source: News
Limited
Above left - This Penri sketch produced by police was based on descriptions
provided by witnesses to the abduction.
Above right -
An image of The Spook created by police, based on Peggy Kotevski’s
description. Picture: Supplied to News Corp
Collage
of Gordana Kotevski made by her best friend, Belinda Miljkovic.
A young Gordana Kotevski, dressed as a flowergirl for a family wedding.
Pictures: Supplied to News Corp by family
Damien Kotevski was 10 when his sister went missing. He left her this letter
on the mirror in her bedroom. Picture: Supplied to News Corp by family
DOB:
1977 - 16 years old when missing.
HAIR:
Black
BUILD:
Thin
EYES:
CIRCUMSTANCES:
Gordana was last seen at
Charlestown NSW on 24 November, 1994. A white 4WD was seen in the area at the
time. There are concerns for Gordana's welfare.
Reported missing to: Missing
Persons Unit
On November 24, 1994, 16-year-old Gordana was kidnapped as
she walked to her aunt`s house from a suburban Newcastle shopping centre. It is
believed Gordana was abducted from outside her aunt`s house at about 8.45pm.
When she looked down her driveway she saw a white Toyota Hilux drive away
towards the Pacific Highway. A short time later, when Gordana hadn`t arrived Mrs
Simonovic looked outside and found her niece`s torn plastic shopping bag
containing her purse, a new item of clothing and socks on the grass verge
outside her home. Sonia Simonovic, Gordana`s aunt, said she heard screams
outside her house, followed by more than one muffled male voice. No trace was
found of the attractive schoolgirl, despite a massive police search at the time.
In 1998 the Strike Force Fenwick was set up to investigate the disappearance of
up to 20 young people from the Newcastle area over a 20-year period. The
disappearance of Gordana is the only remaining case still being actively
investigated by Strike Force Fenwick. In 1999, almost five years after the
abduction, checks were again carried out on vehicles similar to that used in her
kidnapping. Owners of around 300 white Toyota Hi-Lux 4WD`s were contacted by
detectives, making inquiries and asking to inspect their vehicles. The white
Toyota Hilux remains a major focus in the investigation. On July 29, 2000 police
forensic scientists cordoned off the street out Mrs Simonovic`s home. Detectives
met with the parents of Gordana days before the reconstruction operation took
place. According to a report in Sydney`s The Daily Telegraph, investigations in
recent months had provided police with "some very good information." It has also
been revealed that six witnesses have recently undergone hypnosis in an attempt
to help police with their investigations. One of the witness was able to able to
provide a description of suspect seen seated in the rear of the white Hi-Lux as
it sped away. Police have released an identikit of the suspect and have called
the public to help identify him. In July 2000 New South Wales police intensified
their investigation into abduction of Gordana Kotevski almost six years ago.
Gordana would now be 21-22 years of age. Rewards: A reward of up to $100,000 may
be payable for information leading to an arrest in relation to Gordana`s
disappearance.
Witness hypnosis called for in
lost girl case
By Greg Wendt -
SMH
November 6 2002
Deep inside her subconscious, Audrey Barnard could
hold a clue which could unravel one of the Hunter's most
baffling crimes - the disappearance of 16-year-old Gordana
Kotevski.
Yesterday State Coroner John Abernethy and the missing
schoolgirl's parents urged the 75-year-old widow, one of the
last people to see her alive, to undergo forensic hypnosis
to unlock her memory of that night.
Mr Abernethy told Mrs Barnard that her witness account
of the last moments before Gordana disappeared without trace
from a street in Charlestown almost eight years ago, was the
most significant, reliable evidence he had.
"Your information is very important," he said. "Maybe
there is something in your subconscious ... faces, a
numberplate or markings on the vehicle, which could assist
even further."
Mrs Barnard said she was apprehensive about having
hypnosis because "I do not like giving my mind over to
somebody". But Toronto Court heard that Mrs Barnard had very
good recall of the night she saw "a pretty young girl with a
spring in her step".
Mrs Barnard said, however, she did not realise at the
time that what she saw on November 24, 1994 in the town was
relevant.
She said she had driven past a white Toyota Hi Lux
four-wheel-drive vehicle on 9pm and saw two athletic young
men standing at the rear.
"I am certain of the make of vehicle, because my
husband had only recently died and he had a Toyota Hi Lux
which he used on our farm," Mrs Barnard said.
"I saw two figures standing at the rear. They were
half turned towards each other and they were moving their
arms about in an animated fashion."
Further up the street she saw a young girl walking on
the footpath carrying a shopping bag.
"I was drawn to her because she was so attractive,"
Mrs Barnard said. "She had a shopping bag and she was
walking with that spring in her step like the world was
wonderful."
Mrs Barnard was not contacted by police at the time
and she did not believe the information she had was
sufficient to contact them. It was not until officers from
Strike Force Fenwick contacted her in January 1998 that she
gave her account. "I was aware a young lady had disappeared
from the area, it was on the television and in the
newspapers ... I really didn't think that my information was
significant," Mrs Barnard said.
Gordana's sister, Karolina Jagurinoski, told the
inquest of a phone call she received from Gordana about two
weeks before she disappeared about a youth the family called
"The Spook".
"Gordana said there was this fellow bothering her at
work, hanging around and bugging her and she didn't like
him," Mrs Jagurinoski said. She revealed that Gordana quit
her part-time job at a delicatessen because of the youth's
stalking. "She didn't know him. I think he just saw her at
the deli once and got carried away with her," she said.
Mrs Jagurinoski said she believed in her heart that
the person stalking her sister had something to do with her
disappearance: "Gordana would never have gone with them
willingly. She would have put up a fight."
Thursday, March 6, 2003. Posted: 08:40:15 (AEDT) -
SMH
Police search for man
named at Kotevski inquest
Police are trying to locate a man named as a
person of interest during the inquest into the
abduction and presumed murder of 16-year-old Gordana
Kotevski at Charlestown, near Newcastle, in 1994.
The inquest at Toronto Court has heard this week the
initial police investigation failed to pick up
discrepancies in Corey Lovett's alibi.
Craig Pont claimed Mr Lovett was with him at his
property at Kippax west of Taree when Gordana
disappeared in November 1994, yet Mr Lovett
allegedly told Taree police he was in Newcastle.
Charlestown detectives also took a statement from
two people who claimed Mr Lovett was with them in
Newcastle, but he did not go to Charlestown where
Gordana was abducted.
The inquest also heard that Mr Lovett allegedly
boasted about knowing where Gordana's body was
buried and said "she went through a lot before they
finished her off".
If police locate Mr Lovett, who is believed to be
somewhere in the Northern Territory, they expect to
bring him to Newcastle to appear at the inquest
tomorrow.
State coroner John Abernethy is due to hand down his
findings into the case tomorrow.
NSW family wants cold case
re-opened
Posted
4 hours 8 minutes ago -
December 1st 2008 - ABC
The sister of a missing Newcastle woman
is calling on the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Unit to
examine the case of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski.
Ms Kotevski vanished while walking to her aunt's house
at Charlestown, in the state's Hunter region, in November
1994.
Her aunt said she heard a scream and saw a white
Toyota Hilux speeding from the scene.
That information is still the only lead for police
from Strikeforce Fenwick who worked on the case at the time.
A $100,000 reward was posted but the case remains one
of the Hunter Valley's most baffling missing persons cases.
Ms Kotevski's sister Karol Jag is now calling for the
Unsolved Homicide Unit to get involved.
She says the case might need a fresh look from another
perspective.
"As a family you want to have tried everything," she
said.
"The years go by and when things like this are
available you want the best to have had a chance to give you
some answers and closure."
But Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Humphrey says his
team cannot intervene without new evidence or a directive
from the State Crime Command.
"All active avenues of investigation have been
followed so now it's up to the public," he said.
Anyone with new information is being urged to contact
police on 1800 333 000.
Fresh lead in Kotevski
abduction
Article from: AAP
February 26, 2009 06:32am
POLICE have reactivated an
investigation into the 1994
abduction and murder of
Newcastle teenager Gordana
Kotevski, with the unsolved
homicide team receiving
fresh information about the
case.
The 16-year-old
Cardiff girl was forced into
a car on Powell St,
Charlestown, on the night of
November 24, 1994, while
walking home from the local
shopping centre with her
aunt.
While her body has
never been found, a 2003
coronial inquest declared
the teenager was dead.
Homicide Squad
Commander, Detective Acting
Superintendent Russell
Oxford, said police had
reactivated the
investigation after being
given fresh information
about the abduction.
"Investigations such
as this are never closed and
information relating to
unsolved homicides is
regularly forthcoming from
members of the public and
other sources," he said.
"Obviously, we cannot
comment on the precise
nature or source of the new
information for operational
reasons.
"However, last year's
formation of specialised
Unsolved Homicide Teams has
increased the capacity of
the NSW Police Force to
provide an effective ongoing
response to such matters."
Det Super Oxford said
the scene of Gordana's
abduction has been
forensically re-examined,
while new forensic and
fingerprint identification
technology will be used in
the new investigation.
Police believe at
least two people were
involved in Gordana's
abduction, and hope someone
in the Newcastle community
knows who they are.
Police have urged
anyone with information
about the abduction to
contact Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.
All information will
be treated in the strictest
confidence, they said.
Police
re-open
case
after
fingerprint
find
Posted
Fri Feb
27, 2009
11:24am
AEDT
Updated
Fri Feb
27, 2009
11:22am
AEDT
- ABC
New
South
Wales
Police
say the
detection
of new
evidence
in the
case of
a
missing
Newcastle
teenager
has
strengthened
their
resolve
to solve
the
case.
Gordana
Kotevski,
16,
vanished
at
Charlestown
in 1994.
A
partial
finger
print
was
recently
detected
on a
shopping
bag
found at
the
scene,
prompting
police
to
reactivate
the
case.
Inspector
Graeme
Parker
says
detectives
are
determined
to put
the
matter
to rest.
"We
would
like
nothing
more
than to
give the
family
closure.
We
really
would,"
he said.
"This is
something
that...
has
affected
the
investigators
very
deeply.
"I'm not
trying
to
down-play
the
family,
there
couldn't
be any
more
misery
than the
family
goes
through
after an
event
like
this,
but as I
said the
investigators
themselves
that get
tied up
in long
protracted
investigations
hold a
vested
interest."
Detective
Senior
Sergeant
George
Radmore
has been
attached
to the
Kotevski
case
since
1998 and
says
Gordana
may have
been
targeted
by two
people
she
knew.
"The
abduction
itself
would
have
been
premeditated,
whether
or not
Gordana
was the
intended
target
or just
at the
wrong
place at
the
wrong
time is
still
under
investigation,"
he said.
Gordana's
mother
Peggy
Kotevski
says she
has
nothing
but
praise
for the
detectives
who have
worked
tirelessly
on her
daughter's
case.
"The
guys
that I
have
been
involved
with and
have
been
part of
the
investigation,
they
become
part of
the
family
and they
were
quite
supportive,"
she
said.
"In the
beginning
there
was a
bit of a
rough
trot but
once we
established
what we
established,
what we
were all
about
and
what,
[our]
goal was
to find
Gordana
which
ever
way."
Police close missing
schoolgirl cold case
Posted
Thu
Oct 22, 2009 12:19pm AEDT
- ABC
Eight
months after reopening the
investigation into a missing
Newcastle schoolgirl, the
Unsolved Homicide Squad has
conceded it does not have
enough evidence to take the
matter further.
It is nearly 15 years
since Gordana Kotevski
vanished while walking home
from a Charlestown shopping
centre.
Her disappearance has
baffled police, with the
only solid lead being a
four-wheel drive seen
leaving the area.
In February this year,
cold case detectives said
there was a breakthrough,
with a partial fingerprint
found on a shopping bag sent
away for more advanced
forensic testing.
Police also said they
had identified possible
suspects after receiving new
leads.
But the new
information has lead nowhere
and police are now winding
up the investigation.
Some of the detectives
have been attached to the
case since Gordana vanished
and say even though the
trail has gone cold, the
case will be reopened if
there is new information
Somebody knows what
happened to Gordana
DECEMBER 6,
20169:32AM
FOR teenagers who grew
up in the suburbs of
Newcastle, Thursday
night at Charlestown
Square was the place to
hang out.
The mall afforded a rare
chance to stay out after
dark in the relatively safe
confides of a secure centre,
and to mingle with kids from
neighbouring schools without
parents worrying about
underage drinking.
Gordana Kotevski, a
16-year-old from nearby
Cardiff, was one of many
teenagers hanging out at
Charlestown Square on the
night of November 24, 1994.
She spent time with school
friends, went clothes
shopping, and left the mall
at 8:30pm to walk the 500
metres to her aunt’s Powell
Street house. She was never
seen again.
At 8:45pm that night,
Gordana’s aunt, Sonia
Simonovic heard female
screams outside her door,
and muffled male voices. She
looked down her driveway and
saw a white Toyota HiLux
speeding off towards the
nearby Pacific Highway. She
put it out of her mind.
By 9:30pm, when Gordana
still hadn’t arrived home,
Simonovic walked outside,
and found a torn plastic
shopping bag. It contained a
brand-new item of clothing,
a pair of socks, and her
niece’s wallet. There had
clearly been a struggle.
Gordana Kotevski was
abducted 22 years ago this
month, and detectives are no
closer to finding a suspect.
It’s one of the most
baffling missing person
cases the state has seen in
the past 50 years.
A huge police operation at
the time failed to reveal
anything, while a
hundreds-strong search of
the area mobilised by the
tight-knit Macedonian
community was just as
fruitless.
A strike force was set up in
1998 to investigate the
disappearances of roughly 20
young females from the
Newcastle region over a two
decade stretch. To date,
Kotevski’s case remains the
most frustratingly elusive.
But there were those who saw
what happened.
Clive Small is a former
detective and Assistant
Commissioner of the NSW
Police. He put together
Strike Force Fenwick, to
investigate the
aforementioned
disappearances.
At the time of assembling
the cases, it was thought
that Ivan Milat could have
been involved in some of the
disappearances, as he lived
and worked in the region for
a period in the late ‘70s.
Although this was quickly
ruled out in the case of
Kotevski, there were
witnesses.
“She was seen leaving the
Charlestown [Square] area,”
Small tells news.com.au,
“she was seen on the street,
near the house she was going
to, and she was abducted off
the street by two young
blokes.”
Audrey Barnard was a 67-year
old Charlestown resident,
who had been recently
widowed at the time of
Gordana’s disappearance. She
was driving in her
neighbourhood that same
November evening when at
around 9pm she passed a
Toyota HiLux with “two
athletic young men” standing
at the boot.
Years passed before she was
aware that she had
potentially seen an
abduction in action, and it
was only when detectives
from Strike Force Fenwick
contacted her in 1998 that
she put the pieces together.
“I am certain of the make
of vehicle, because my
husband had only recently
died and he had a Toyota
HiLux which he used on our
farm,” Mrs Barnard told
Toronto Courtduring
an inquest in November,
2002.
“I saw two figures standing
at the rear. They were half
turned towards each other
and they were moving their
arms about in an animated
fashion.”
On top of this sighting, Mrs
Barnard believes she saw
Gordana moments earlier,
walking with the same
plastic shopping bag found
ripped apart outside her
aunt’s house. Barnard’s
description of the young
girl is heartbreaking,
considering her fate shortly
after.
“I was drawn to her because
she was so attractive,”
Barnard told the court. “She
had a shopping bag and she
was walking with that spring
in her step like the world
was wonderful.”
During the same hearing
State Coroner John Abernethy
urged Barnard to undergo
forensic hypnosis, in an
attempt to pry further
memories from her mind.
Barnard reluctantly agreed —
“I do not like giving my
mind over to somebody”, she
stated at the time — and
along with five other
potential witnesses, she
underwent hypnosis. Sadly,
this did not help.
Small says that a major flaw
in the initial investigation
was revealed when the
members of Strike Force
Fenwick were collating all
the unsolved case files, and
records from the cold case
files.
“One of the problems with
her case,” Small explained,
“was the potential exhibits,
some of the property that
was seized in her matter,
had been handed back to the
family, or destroyed prior
to the investigation being
as thorough as it should
have been.”
Small noted that the State
Coroner “had a fair bit to
say about this”, as it no
doubt hampered the case.
“When we came on ten years
later, it certainly made
things difficult,” said
Small.
It is believed that Gordana
knew at least one of her
attackers, and was afraid of
him.
During the November 2002
inquest, her sister,
Karolina Jagurinoski, told
of a phone call she received
from her frightened younger
sister a fortnight prior to
her disappearance.
“Gordana said there was this
fellow bothering her at
work, hanging around and
bugging her and she didn’t
like him. She didn’t know
him. I think he just saw her
at the deli once and got
carried away with her.”
Gordana nicknamed the guy
“The Spook” and was forced
to quit her part-time job
out of fear of him. Nobody
has been able to pinpoint
just who The Spook is.
The case was reopened again
in 2009 after fresh evidence
was received by the police.
They remained tight-lipped
as to the nature of the
information, but it was
another dead end.
After eight months, the
Unsolved Homicide Squad
closed the case yet again,
admitting there wasn’t
enough new evidence to
continue. A partial
fingerprint may hold the key
to this investigation, but
police haven’t been able to
match it.
Gordana would be 38 years
old today. Her case remains
unsolved, but somewhere,
somebody knows what
happened.
If you have any information
concerning this case, please
contact the National Missing
Persons Unit — 1800 000 634
— or Charlestown Police
Station on 02 4942 9999.
Could the young
woman walking
along a deserted
road have been
Gordana Kotevski?
Gillian McNally,
The Sunday
Telegraph
IN 1994, I
thought I saw
Gordana Kotevski.
I was driving home
alone and I’d taken
the back way through
Kahibah along
Burwood Rd.
It was dusk, I
remember because the
sky was a bit pink.
Burwood Rd is a
quiet stretch. Part
of it tracks down
through a gully with
thick scrub on
either side. There
are no houses, just
an old railway track
and a dirt carpark
where bushwalkers
begin the hike to
Glenrock Lagoon.
The area was
deserted, I was the
only car on the
road, and I saw
something that’s
stayed with me for
24 years.
A man and a young
woman were walking
down the narrow
gravel roadside.
At the time, I
thought she looked
like the missing
teen I’d seen on the
news for weeks.
Or was it months? I
can no longer
remember the time
frame.
Her hair was dark
and long, her
features fine like
Gordana’s.
The man was older
and he had one hand
on the back of her
neck, as if he was
pushing her along.
They looked
dishevelled.
They were carrying
huge bottles of
water, not drinking
bottles, like
gallons, something
you’d take camping.
And as I passed, he
looked straight at
me.
Everything felt off.
When I arrived home,
I felt so uneasy, I
called Charlestown
Police and made a
report.
I don’t know who I
spoke to; I’d never
called the police in
my life. I never
heard anything more.
Let me be clear, I’m
not suggesting this
was some sort of
missed lead. In
hindsight, it could
have been anything.
Maybe their car had
broken down, maybe
they were
bushwalkers, maybe
they were growing
dope in the bush.
Maybe I’d just seen
her face so many
times, she’d lodged
in my subconscious.
I was just three
years older than
Gordana, I’d spent
my teen years
hanging around
Charlestown Square.
It was a terrifying
story that could
have happened to my
friends or to me.
Memory is a fickle
thing, and more than
20 years later, I’m
not sure what I
really saw.
It was a glimpse
from a moving car in
fading light. Even
so, it still leaves
me cold.
Dredging up this
murky memory is
unlikely to shed new
light on the case,
it probably was
nothing.
It’s little more
than an insight into
the thousands of tip
offs and possible
sightings police
struggled to make
sense of as they
tried to bring this
poor girl home.
But somebody’s
memory does hold a
clue.
Somebody saw
something.
And just like me, it
probably still
leaves them cold.
Serial killer
‘behind four
abductions’
Exclusive by
Amelia Saw,
News Corp
Australia
Network
THE cold case of abducted
teen Gordana Kotevski has
baffled police for decades.
Now, it can be revealed she
may have fallen victim to a
serial killer who has never
been caught.
THERE were 30 metres between
Gordana Kotevski making it
home that night and
disappearing, forever.
On November 24, 1994, the
pretty teenager was abducted
from outside her aunt’s
house on Powell St,
Newcastle, NSW.
She was so close to home,
her family heard her
screams.
There was a short, sharp
‘no!’, followed by a longer
‘noooo!’
Muffled male voices, grunts
of exertion.
Evidence of a scuffle, as
two unidentified men bundled
her into a white Toyota
Hilux.
Then, three car doors
slammed shut and the car
disappeared up the street
and around the corner.
And with it, 16-year-old
Gordana Kotevski.
Gordana was the last in a
string of young women to go
missing from the Hunter
region over a 16-year
period.
The disappearance and
subsequent suspected
abduction and murder of
14-year-old Amanda Robinson,
Gordana Kotevski, 16, Robyn
Hickie, 18 and 20-year-old
Leanne Goodall were
investigated by police in
isolation between 1978 and
1994.
Now, one of the nation’s
most senior judicial
figures, has made a
startling revelation,
confirming the unsolved
homicides are potentially
the work of a serial killer.
Former State Coroner John
Abernethy, who presided over
the inquests and 2003 Strike
Force Fenwick review of the
cases, has broken his public
silence to reveal his belief
the cases are the work of
the one person or group.
“Of course I do, you can’t
say for sure but of course I
do, you’ve got to look at
them as a package,” he says
when asked whether the cases
are linked.
Mr Abernethy maintains the
commonalities between the
cases are too hard to
ignore, not least of all the
disappearances occurring
along just a 23km stretch of
highway.
Amanda, Robyn and Leanne all
vanished within four months
between December 1978 and
April 1979 while waiting for
or getting off buses at bus
stops on the Pacific Highway
in Newcastle. Gordana was
walking home from late-night
shopping.
No trace of the women has
ever been found.
“It was horrible,” says
Gordana’s former best friend
Belinda Miljkovic, softly.
“It’s amazing how somebody
can just vanish, without any
answers, without anything …
it’s just like, how? How can
that happen?” says Belinda,
40, her warm almond eyes
revealing the turbulence of
decades of questioning.
For 24 years, what happened
to Gordana Kotevski and who
took her has remained a
mystery.
A 2003 coronial inquest
found Gordana had been
murdered, by person or
persons unknown, but all
leads have since dried up.
For years, the case has sat
cold, among hundreds of
others in the NSW Police
unsolved homicides division,
until a further development
could help police unravel
the riddle.
Now, through unprecedented
media access, her family,
friends and Newcastle locals
shed fresh light on the case
and reveal information that
could catch her killer.
They confirm Gordana had a
stalker — a man she
nicknamed The Spook. And in
the weeks and months before
she disappeared a series of
unnerving events occurred.
Were these the signposts
pointing to the horror about
to befall the schoolgirl?
Darkness had begun to fall
on that balmy November 24
summer’s evening as Gordana
Kotevski left Charlestown
Square shopping mall and
made her way down the hill
to her aunt Sonya
Simonovich’s stately brick
home.
It was just after 8.45pm and
cicadas hummed from the
bushland on either side of
Powell St.
On the short seven-minute
walk, Gordana swung a
plastic shopping bag
containing a pair of
stockings, a black dress and
a lay-by receipt for a new
swimming costume.
Soon, that shopping bag
would be found by the side
of the road, its handle torn
and imprinted with her
finger marks, evidence she
put up a fight.
Gordana had no idea of what
lay before her.
A witness would later remark
on her “happy gait” and the
carefree demeanour of the
young girl, jubilant about
getting her first taste of
adulthood that weekend.
Her parents, Peggy and
Branko Kotevski, had given
Gordana permission to attend
her first concert on
Saturday night and she had
spent the evening shopping
for an outfit.
It was a rare stroke of
freedom for the Year 11
student whose strict
immigrant parents didn’t
allow her the same freedoms
granted to many of her
friends.
“She was excited. She was
going to the Boyz 2 Men
concert,” recalls Belinda.
“Whatever happened to her,
whoever took her: I can
guarantee it would have
taken her by surprise.”
But there was something out
of the ordinary about
Gordana’s decision to walk
that night. She had been
offered a lift by her friend
Betty Cocomanovski but
turned it down.
Why?
According to all those who
knew her, it was the first
time she’d walked alone.
“To walk that late is very
unusual for her,” says
Gordana’s older sister,
Carolina Kotevski, 45.
“This is a kid who would
wake you up to go to the
toilet at night, sort of
thing, so there’s a lot of
questions around that: why
was she walking home?”
As Gordana trotted down the
hill, a group of four male
skateboarders, mucking
around on Powell St, noticed
her as she walked past.
One of the boys clocked a
Toyota Hi-Lux
four-wheel-drive as it
travelled down the hill
behind her.
When the car passed Gordana,
it stopped, made a U-turn
and parked at the bottom of
the street, about 30 metres
from Sonya and Greg
Simonovich’s house.
The two men inside the car
switched its lights off.
Sonya and Greg Simonovich
were relaxing at home on the
evening, when they heard a
female screaming.
Mrs Simonovich was helping
her daughter with homework
when the increasing urgency
of the screams unnerved her
and she asked Greg to check
what it was.
“I could tell it was a
female screaming and it was
continuous. It got
continually louder and
lasted for about 30
seconds,” Mrs Simonovich
would later tell police.
She accompanied Greg outside
to their front lawn where
the couple could look onto
Powell St.
A white vehicle was driving
slowly up the street. They
watched it turn the corner
and disappear.
Not noticing anything out of
the ordinary, the
Simonovich’s assumed the
noise was teenagers mucking
around and they went back
inside.
Only in retrospect did they
realise they were watching
their niece’s abduction.
Shortly after 9pm, Carolina
phoned Mrs Simonovich.
Gordana’s big sister had
driven up to Newcastle from
Sydney, where she now lived,
and wanted to pick Gordana
up so she could play with
Carolina’s newborn baby,
Stevie.
But Gordana wasn’t home — a
second phone call confirmed
she wasn’t at her best
friend, Belinda’s house,
either.
A minute later Mrs
Simonovich phoned Carolina
back.
“You better come here,” she
said. “We’ve found her
shopping and her purse on
the side of the road.”
“That was the beginning of
our worst nightmare,” says
Carolina.
In the early 90s, the
Newcastle suburb of
Charlestown wasn’t the sort
of place where people locked
their doors.
The area was mainly
populated by the close-knit
and closed Macedonian
community. People knew their
neighbours, most of them had
lived there for decades.
It was far-fetched to
imagine a young girl could
get kidnapped from a busy
suburban street — and
Gordana Kotevski was a
particularly unlikely
victim.
She didn’t have enemies or
mix in dodgy circles. She
didn’t drink. She’d never
tried drugs. She didn’t have
a boyfriend.
“I couldn’t even pinpoint
anyone,” says Belinda who,
like all those who knew and
loved Gordana, has spent the
past two decades trying to
figure out who would want to
do this to her friend.
“There was only one thing
that I thought of: there was
this guy, she named him The
Spook. He started to hang
around,” she says.
“We just started to notice
him being around, he’d be at
the Pizza Hut, he was at the
deli, we just started to
notice him,” she says.
The Spook was in the
supermarket and at the
shops, he’d turn up in the
shopping centre car park.
After Gordana’s abduction
several family members and
friends told police they had
seen The Spook. She had
pointed out the man, who she
knew by name. Later, Belinda
and Peggy were hypnotised in
a desperate bid to remember
the name Gordana had
mentioned but no-one has
been able to recall it.
But they could describe a
Middle Eastern looking man,
in his early 20s, and that
he was often seen with a
blonde, surfie-looking
“mate”.
In the weeks leading up to
Gordana Kotevsksi’s
abduction the schoolgirl had
become increasingly unnerved
by The Spook. She felt she
was being watched.
“She was afraid of him,”
says Carolina.
“She started telling me she
was feeling uncomfortable at
work, that this guy kept
coming in.
“She was working at the deli
in Jesmond at the time, and
she didn’t know his name or
anything, she just said, ‘he
keeps coming and bugging me
and telling me he wants to
go out with me’.”
When Gordana changed jobs
after two months to work at
Pizza Hut with Belinda, The
Spook started showing up
there.
Belinda remembers Gordana
suddenly asking her to take
the counter one evening so
she could avoid serving a
particular male customer.
When the man left, Gordana
looked at Belinda.
“That was The Spook,” she
said.
Her mother, Peggy, remembers
Gordana pointing out the man
in Woolworths. She recalls
the man was “eyeing” Gordana
off, as if to say, “she
looks nice”.
Gordana had also told her
aunt about The Spook.
On numerous occasions,
Belinda and Peggy saw The
Spook and “his mate”, a guy,
aged 20-24, with blonde
scraggy hair.
But it wasn’t until the
inquest that a chilling
revelation was made by
Detective Senior Constable
Kristina Illingsworth: there
seemed to be a match between
the description of The Spook
and his mate and the two men
driving the Toyota Hilux.
The frequency with which The
Spook appeared and the
unsettling nature of the
encounters is enough to
terrify most adults.
But in the days before
mobile phone cameras, no one
thought to get a picture of
the man.
Belinda recalls one incident
when the girls were shopping
at Just Jeans.
Gordana was in the changing
rooms, trying on a skirt.
When she walked out to get
Belinda’s opinion, The Spook
stepped out from the next
cubicle.
“That looks nice,” he said.
“I just remember how quickly
she wanted to get out of
there,” Belinda says.
On another occasion a family
friend told Carolina he had
to hide a “terrified”
Belinda and Gordana in his
shop, when the teens rushed
in, flustered and afraid of
a man following them.
Then there were the phone
calls.
About six weeks before
Gordana was abducted Peggy
Kotevski answered her home
phone to a male caller,
asking for Gordana.
He claimed to be calling
from a new store called Gum
Leaf but Gordana wasn’t home
so Peggy passed on Belinda’s
phone number.
Belinda still remembers the
“strange” phone call because
Gordana hung up when the
caller began asking intimate
questions. Did she like
swimming? What did her
swimwear look like? What
size was her bra?
When detectives
investigated, they
discovered no shop called
Gum Leaf ever existed.
‘Girl’s killer is in my
family’: new suspect in
Gordana Kotevski case
Amelia Saw, News
Corp Australia
Network
A mother and son have
pointed the finger at one of
their relatives they believe
responsible for the cold
case abduction and suspected
murder of 16-year-old
Gordana Kotevski.
FOR almost 24 years, no one
has known what happened to
Gordana Kotevski.
On November 24, 1994, the
popular teenager was
abducted just steps away
from her aunt’s house on
Powell Street, Newcastle,
NSW. Decades later, her body
has never been found and the
investigation was deemed a
cold case — until now.
During True
Crime Australia’s
investigation, a woman and
her son have come forward,
willing to give evidence
about a family member they
believe is responsible.
The family, who cannot be
named for legal reasons,
allege one of their
relatives, who molested
several children in their
family and was known to
collect child pornography,
spoke often about his
desires for Gordana.
They contacted Crime
Stoppers with the
information roughly a decade
ago but were never called
back and understand the man
has never been interviewed
in relation to the case.
According to the informants,
the suspect bears a striking
resemblance to the Penri
sketch released by police.
They also confirm he owned a
white ute, similar to the
vehicle witnesses watched
drive away with Gordana.
“He’s known for getting
obsessed with people,” says
one female family member.
The woman can still recall
the unusual way her relative
spoke about Gordana, after
she went missing.
“She’s so gorgeous. She’s
got this shy smile”, she
alleges he said.
The suspect’s relatives also
cite Gordana’s strong,
“almost identical”
resemblance to the alleged
sexual predator’s then
17-year-old ex-girlfriend,
as more than coincidental,
and reveal he was
heartbroken when the girl
had ended the relationship.
This new information,
combined with a commitment
from the NSW Police to
review every cold case in
the Unsolved Homicide
division dating back to the
early 70s, could mean the
longstanding mystery may
finally be solved.
A 2003 coronial inquest
found Gordana had been
murdered, by person or
persons unknown. Then, after
years lying dormant the
Kotevski investigation
surged back to life in 2009
when forensic detectives
retrieved a fingerprint from
the torn shopping bag she
left behind.
It was of a good quality and
suitable for matching but
when the print was run
through the National
Automated Fingerprint
Identification System, no
prints were matched.
Every set of prints taken
since 1980 is housed within
the database but unlike DNA,
fingerprints have to be
manually matched.
Each day, in NSW alone, 200
new fingerprints are added
to the system.
And every evening, the
computerised system runs the
identified and unidentified
fingerprints, including the
one from Gordana’s shopping
bag, against the new prints
from the day.
Any similar fingerprints,
which may be in the
hundreds, are then spat out
of the system and a forensic
pathologist manually
assesses both sets of prints
to see if there is a close
enough match.
In Gordana’s case, that
means human error, or lack
of resources, may mean a
match has been overlooked.
It also means that each day
in NSW there are 200 fresh
chances of catching the man
or men responsible.
For the Kotevski family, a
conviction would mean the
end to more than two decades
of suffering.
“There’s stages of grief,
and when you lose someone
you go through them,” says
Carolina Kotevski, 45,
Gordana’s older sister.
“When there’s grief with no
closure you’re always in
that grief process —
psychologically, emotionally
— it’s always hanging over
you.”
Gordana’s mother, Peggy
Kotevski, 62, still lives in
the South Cardiff home where
she raised her family, and
where Gordana once lived.
She and Branko Kotevski, 65,
have since split — the
strain of Gordana’s
disappearance wreaking havoc
on their once loving home.
“She was a happy child,
actually,” says Peggy,
looking at a collection of
framed photographs of
Gordana.
One shows a five-year-old
Gordana, dressed in a white
lacy dress — a flower girl
at a family wedding. Another
shows the long-legged teen
sitting on the edge of a
couch with Carolina, the
girls all dressed up for a
Macedonian dance.
Like all the Kotevski
family, Peggy will never
give up hope she will one
day find out what happened
to her daughter.
“There’s no rhyme or reason
to why they took her. And
you think: how many monsters
are out there?” she says.
She is currently pushing the
government to put up a $1
million reward for
information.
“While I’m alive I’ll keep
pushing and making noise
until they do something,
until we have an answer,”
says Peggy.
“I’m not dead, not yet,” she
says with a smile.
The police admit there were
several flaws in the
original investigation into
Gordana’s abduction.
Pieces of evidence went
missing or were handed back
to the family prematurely, a
statement lost from one
suspect, and — through no
fault of the police — the
CCTV footage from
Charlestown Square was taped
over by the shopping centre.
“Turmoil,” says Peggy
Kotevski, when asked to
describe those first few
days after Gordana was
kidnapped.
“I don’t even have a word
for it to be honest with
you. All of a sudden my
world turned upside down and
all I can remember now is a
lot of people around me, and
I was oblivious.
“I was in that much shock.
But at the same time you
still had to push the
police, and retain some kind
of normalcy for the other
kids.”
Carolina had just celebrated
her 22nd birthday when
Gordana was taken; little
brother Damian was 10,
perhaps too young to truly
understand the ramifications
of his sister’s abduction.
Damian was so traumatised by
what happened he refused to
speak about it for almost a
decade.
In the days, then weeks,
that followed the abduction,
the Kotevski family’s living
room became ground zero of
the investigation. For six
weeks, 16 detectives were
assigned to the case full
time and the tight-knit
Macedonian community rallied
around the distraught
family.
Each day a group of
civilians would set out in
entourages of
four-wheel-drive search
parties, scouring the Hunter
Valley scrub for clues.
Police canvassed the area,
interviewing anyone with a
Toyota Hilux in a 50km
radius, they set up a
special hotline for
information and dressed up a
mannequin in Gordana’s
clothes to put at
Charlestown Square, hoping
it would trigger someone to
remember something.
They hypnotised witnesses,
praying it may help them
recall a numberplate or a
better description of the
offenders.
But little was gained other
than dead ends, and no
arrests were made.
MILAT CONNECTION
Frustrated by the lack of
progress in the case, Peggy
and her husband Branko
established the Gordana
Kotevski Trust, uniting with
the families of other
missing children from the
area.
Thanks to pressure from the
group, police set up Strike
Force Fenwick in 1998 to
investigate the
disappearances of 10 young
people from the Hunter
Region, who vanished during
a 16-year period.
Backpacker killer Ivan Milat
was believed to be a suspect
in the disappearances, with
police confirming he had
lived and worked in the
region during the 70s and
80s.
However, meticulous
detective work saw Milat
ruled out as a suspect.
Former assistant police
commissioner, Clive Small,
headed up Strike Force
Fenwick, and is still
plagued by questions raised
by Gordana’s disappearance.
Although the 2003 inquest
confirmed Gordana had fallen
victim to “stalking
incidents”, the extent to
which the attack was
premeditated remains unseen.
“I don’t know if (the
offenders) knew her aunty’s
place or whether they
actually knew her, but what
I can’t understand is how
they might have known
parking in that spot would
result in her walking past
them. It raises a number of
questions,” says Mr Small.
“Having said that, it
doesn’t seem practical that
two young men would sit in
the car in a public street
and just wait for some young
person to walk past so they
could abduct her, just by
chance.”
“It’s a genuine mystery to
my way of thinking,” says
Detective Inspector George
Radmore, who worked on the
investigation for three
years.
“And that’s despite all the
evidence we have. Many, many
cases like this are solved
without the evidence that we
have.
“They deserve to find out
what happened to their
beautiful daughter, sister
and niece,” he adds.
But until there is a
conviction or someone proves
Gordana is truly gone, the
family cannot rest.
A FATHER’S QUEST
Branko Kotevski never
returned to work after his
daughter went missing and
he’s never stopped looking
for her. He’s consulted
dozens of psychics, hired
private investigators and
has personally followed
every lead, every sliver of
information.
His obsession with the case,
leaving Peggy to support the
family as the primary
breadwinner, created a
divide within the household
and contributed to the loss
of their marriage.
But Branko’s unwavering
focus has never shifted.
“I’ll never give up. Never
stop searching,” says Branko
Kotevski, in broken English.
“I don’t care how long it
takes. I’ll find my daughter
and who do this,” he says.
Every year, on 29 December,
Gordana’s friends and family
get together to celebrate
her birthday.
Last year, for her 40th,
Belinda Miljkovic made a
chocolate mud cake with 40
candles and gathered her
family around to sing to her
long-lost best friend.
To a certain extent, life
has had to move on, but
photographs of the missing
teen hold dear memories of
the vivacious young girl,
known for her smile and
boundless positivity.
“There’s always hope,” says
Peggy, who still has
Gordana’s clothes folded in
the cupboard.
“I don’t think I’ll ever
lose hope really. Best case
scenario is she’ll come home
… but that will be a
miracle.”
Spookiest moment in missing
girl search
Adelaide Advertiser 2018
A FATHER searches for his
daughter. A daughter
searches for her sister.
When they separately consult
different psychics on
opposite sides of the world
the result is extraordinary
— and devastating.
The father of
Gordana Kotevski has
never given up in
his search for her
and remains haunted
by the moment he
came devastatingly
close to seeing her
again.
THE father and sister of
missing teenager Gordana
Kotevski who was
abducted in New South
Wales in 1994, believe a
deserted farmhouse in
the Hunter Valley
vineyards may be key to
unravelling what
happened to her — after
three separate psychics
eerily nominated the
same house.
Twenty-four years after his
daughter vanished, Branko
Kotevski, breaks down when
recounting how close the
family came to finding
Gordana alive, after the
advice of two separate
psychics led both him and
his daughter, Carolina
Kotevski to the same
deserted farmhouse.
Two days after the
16-year-old’s abduction from
Charlestown, Newcastle, Mr
Kotevski tore down the
highway with an entourage of
4WDs, after a telephone
psychic in his homeland of
Macedonia told him Gordana
was being held at the house
at Polkobin.
Pulling up to the timber
shack, he was about to enter
when he heard several cars
arriving at the same remote
destination.
A shocked Mr Kotevski turned
around to see his daughter,
Carolina Kotevski, arriving
with her own search party of
4WDs. Carolina had
independently visited a
psychic in Newcastle, and
without consulting her
father, followed the
psychic’s directions to the
same house.
“Why are you here?” she
said.
“Why are you here?” an
equally shocked Mr Kotevski
uttered in reply.
Unnerved by the coincidence,
the father and daughter
entered the house to find
signs the property had only
recently been abandoned.
“It was just a just a
rundown little shack thing.
You know the old farm
shacks, not so much a house,
just an old timber looking
thing,” said Carolina, 45.
“Do you know what we found
inside? Three wine glasses,
some rice crackers and my
sister’s favourite cake.
Madeira cake,” she said.
“It’s very sad,” said Mr
Kotevski between sobs. “It
was very fresh, very fresh.
Like they were there
overnight.”
The family immediately
notified police who attended
the house but said they were
unable to get any forensic
evidence, such as
fingerprints.
The chilling event has
haunted Mr Kotevski, 65, and
his daughter since, with a
third Melbourne-based
psychic also giving
directions to the same
location.
Mr Kotevski never returned
to work after Gordana’s
abduction, becoming obsessed
with following every lead.
He has diligently collected
every note from his personal
investigation in big
cardboard boxes stored at
his Melbourne house and
often goes through to files
to look for new information
or a lead he may have
missed.
After Gordana’s abduction,
his devotion to the search
saw him only return to the
family’s Cardiff home to
sleep for one to two hours
each night for weeks on end.
Each morning he would rally
groups of volunteer 4WD
search parties, mostly made
up of members of the local
Macedonian community, and
covered the living room in
highlighted maps, to track
their progress.
Frustrated with police
efforts, Mr Kotevski also
employed a private
investigator for six weeks
at huge expense and has
narrowly escaped arrest on
several occasions for
trespassing on private
property, while searching.
In one incident his search
led him to a house in
Newcastle, whose occupants
threatened him with a gun if
he did not leave.
His doggedness contributed
to the disintegration of his
marriage, with wife Peggy
Kotevski becoming frustrated
as the sole breadwinner, but
Mr Kotevski is unfazed.
“I will search and keep
searching until I find her,”
he said.
He has personally consulted
more than 20 psychics,
costing him thousands. The
family also made a trip to
snow-covered Bulgaria to
visit blind Bulgarian
prophetess Baba Vanga,
renowned for her 85 per cent
accuracy.
In 1995, Vanga told
Gordana’s mother Peggy and
her aunt Julie Talevski that
the person who took the
teenager was “known to the
family” and that she was
“still alive but not in good
hands”.
This week her prophecy took
on ominous significance.
The man in question, who
cannot be named for legal
reasons, owned a vehicle
similar to the white Toyota
Hilux used in the abduction,
was a striking match for the
Penry sketch of the offender
released by police, and
allegedly molested several
of his relatives.
“She said it was someone
that was known to the family
which brings me back to this
guy, the one that the family
came forward,” said
Carolina, who confirmed the
suspect visited the family’s
takeaway shop on numerous
occasions.
Baba Vanga, who died aged 85
in 1996, was known as the
“Nostradamus of the Balkans”
and is believed to have
predicted the 9/11 terror
attacks, Brexit and foretold
“unstoppable” Vladimir Putin
will one day rule the world.
Cold case: Detectives will
review a 24 year-old cold
case for clues to the
disappearance of missing
teenager Gordana Kotevski
Gordana Kotevski was
about 50 metres from
the safety of her
aunt's home in
Powell Street,
Charlestown when she
was taken.
Witnesses said they
heard screaming and
saw a white Toyota
Hilux speed out of
the street. The
16-year-old Cardiff
High School student
had been late night
shopping with
friends when she was
bundled into the car
about 8.45pm on
November 24, 1994.
Gordana was gone.
Two decades later,
her family are still
searching for
answers. On Monday,
NSW police announced
they would review
the decades-old
case. Detectives
will comb through 62
boxes of evidence
over the next six
months, which
include artist
composites of two
men identified as
people of interest,
and a fingerprint
discovered on a
plastic bag
containing Gordana's
wallet.
Gordana's mother,
Peggy Kotevski, said
the review was
unexpected.
"We have been
waiting for this
announcement for
years," Ms Kotevski
told the Newcastle
Herald last
night. "The news
came as a complete
surprise. All we can
do is hope and pray
for an outcome."
At the time, they
had told
investigators that
their daughter was
concerned about a
man who was
following her - a
man her mother
called "The Spook".
On Monday, Ms
Kotevski said that
she had spoken to
lead detective
Kristi Faber, who
will be one of four
officers reviewing
the case.
"She will be working
on the review with
three other
detectives. That
gives me hope that
everything will be
looked at with fresh
eyes," Ms Kotevski said.
"Whatever it is we
are grateful it's
happening," she
said. "We encourage
the community to
come forward if they
have any
information.
Despite detailed
witness accounts
from the night
Gordana disappeared,
describing the
vehicle and two
people of interest,
the men have never
been identified, and
the case has
remained unsolved.
"Whoever did this,
put yourself in my
shoes," Ms Kotevski
pleaded. "How would
you feel if someone
did this to your
child? No family
should have to
suffer this kind of
pain."
'I hope to God they get answers': Strike Force set up into
missing girls
By Emma
Partridge SMH
The abduction and suspected murders of four girls and young women from
the state's Hunter region in the 1970s and 1990s are being investigated
by a new police strike force.
One of the cases was never investigated by police while two were not
reported to the coroner until 20 years after their disappearance.
"I hope to God they get answers for some of us. It's hell on earth,
heartache and suffering for 40 years," Anne Robinson, one of the
mothers, said.
University student Leanne Goodall, 20, vanished after leaving the
Star Hotel in Newcastle in December, 1978, while dental nurse Robyn
Hickie, 18, was abducted on her way to meet friends at Belmont in
the Lake Macquarie region.
Just two weeks later, Amanda Robinson, 14, was snatched at Swansea,
somewhere between the Pacific Highway and Lake Road, as she was
walking home from a school dance.
About 15 years later, schoolgirl Gordana Kotevski was kidnapped by
two men in a white vehicle at Charlestown while walking home from a
nearby mall.
Former state coroner John Abernethy presided over an inquest
in 2002 into the disappearances. Backpacker murderer Ivan
Milat gave evidence.
Mr Abernethy told 9News the initial police investigation was
poor and that the cases "had fallen through the cracks".
"These are missing teenagers, they just don't disappear into
thin air," Mr Abernethy said.
"The initial police investigation was perfunctory at best.
It was just not a good investigation," he said.
A new strike force - named Arapaima and comprising seasoned detectives
from Lake Macquarie police - is reinvestigating the suspected murders of
Amanda, Robyn and Gordana.
Lake Macquarie Superintendent Danny Sullivan said four detectives, led
by Detective Sergeant Krisit Faber, would be dedicated to working on the
cases for the next several months.
"These matters struck at the core of the community in Lake Macquarie,"
Superintendent Sullivan said.
"That strike force will re-examine the investigation into the unsolved
missing persons cases in the Lake Macquarie region," he said.
Gordana's aunt Julie Talevski still campaigns in the hope that one day
her niece's killer will be caught and is hoping police will offer a
reward of $1 million in the near future.
"She was just a beautiful young lady with a heart of gold, who would
do anything for her family and friends," Ms Talevski said.
"There is happiness that yes, someone is looking at this seriously
again, but then comes the pain of reopening a wound that will never
heal," she said.
The cases were not properly looked at or reported to the coroner
until detectives from Strike Force Fenwick took charge almost 20
years later.
"They fell between the cracks and were forgotten about until Fenwick
came along and really turned them over but by then it was too late,"
Mr Abernethy said.
Police have urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on
180 333 000.
'Significant lead'
in Robyn Hickie and
Amanda Robinson
disappearances from
Lake Macquarie
decades on
DETECTIVES
seeking to
crack the
cases of
three Lake
Macquarie
girls they
suspect may
have been
murdered
have
released an
image of a
car they are
hoping can
drive the
investigation
forward.
Police
established
Strike Force
Arapaima in
April to
revisit the
cases of
Robyn Hickie,
Amanda
Robinson
and Gordana
Kotevski.
Ms Hickie,
then 18,
left home
about 7.15pm
on April 7
1979 and was
spotted at a
Belmont
North bus
stop a short
time later.
She has not
been since.
Her
disappearance
came two
weeks before
14-year-old
Amanda
Robinson was
last seen at
a Swansea
bus stop
after
attending a
dance at her
Gateshead
high school.
Ms Kotevski,
then 16, was
last seen in
1994 when
she was
forced into
a vehicle on
Powell
Street while
walking from
Charlestown
Square to
her aunt's
home on the
same street.
A coronial
inquest into
the three
disappearances
found the
trio had
died, most
likely as a
result of
foul play,
but
extensive
investigations
over decades
have been
unable to
find any
trace of
them.
On Monday
police
released an
image of a
car they
described as
a distinctly
green
mid-1970s
four-door
Holden
Torana
sedan.
Investigators
believe the
vehicle may
be linked to
Ms Hickie
and Ms
Robinson's
cases.
Lake
Macquarie
Police
District
crime
manager
Detective
Chief
Inspector
Greg Thomas
said the car
was a
"significant"
new lead.
"We are
hoping
anyone who
was living
in the Lake
Macquarie
region in
the late
1970s may
have a
recollection
of this
Holden
Torana, in
particular
in the month
of April
1979," he
said.
"We
understand
it's been 40
years since
Robyn and
Amanda's
disappearances,
however, we
are seeking
assistance
from anyone
who may even
have moved
to a
different
state or who
may have
some memory
of this
vehicle to
come forward
to police -
you can
remain
anonymous
through
Crime
Stoppers if
you wish.
"It may seem
like small
or
insignificant
information
from decades
past - but
it could
help
investigators
solve these
cases."
The families
of the three
missing
women have
requested
privacy,
police said.
Strike Force
Arapaima
inquiries
continue.
Anyone with
information
is urged to
call Crime
Stoppers on
1800 333
000.
6/8/2020
NSW Police are
renewing their
appeal for
information into the
disappearance of a
teenage girl from
Lake Macquarie for
more than 25-years,
as part of this
year’s Missing
Persons Week.
Gordana Kotevski,
aged 16, was last
seen being forced
into a vehicle on
Powell Street,
Charlestown, while
walking from
Charlestown Square
Shopping Centre to
her aunt’s home on
the same road about
9pm on Thursday 24
November 1994.
Despite extensive
investigations at
the time, and over
the years, Gordana
has not been
located.
In a Coronial
Inquest into
Gordana’s
disappearance in
2003, then State
Coroner, Mr John
Abernethy, found
that Gordana
Kotevski was
deceased, most
likely as a result
of foul play.
In April 2019, Lake
Macquarie detectives
established Strike
Force Arapaima to
re-examine the
investigation into
the unsolved
disappearance and
suspected murder of
Gordana, along with
two other missing
Lake Macquarie teens
– Robyn Hickie and
Amanda Robinson.
Lake Macquarie
Police District
Commander,
Superintendent Danny
Sullivan APM, says
twenty-five years
on, it’s crucial for
any potential
witnesses to come
forward.
“This Missing
Persons Week, we
want you to think
about the person
behind the photo.
She was just a
teenager, she had
her life ahead of
her.
“There are people in
the community who
have vital
information which
could help Strike
Force Arapaima
detectives solve
this case.
“Anyone who lived in
or would visit the
Lake Macquarie area
in late 1994, please
cast your mind back
and recall if you
noticed a
light-coloured
utility in and
around the area.
“It’s been a quarter
of a century of
unknowns and
heartache for
Gordana’s friends
and family. Please,
help us give them
closure,” Supt
Sullivan said.
Anyone with
information about
Gordana Kotevski’s
disappearance is
urged to contact
Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.
Information is
treated in strict
confidence. The
community is
reminded not to
report crime via NSW
Police social media
pages.
Missing Persons Week
is an annual
national campaign to
raise awareness of
the issues and
impacts surrounding
missing persons and
runs between Sunday
2 August and
Saturday 8 August
2020.
"Lake Macquarie detectives
continue to investigate the
disappearance and suspected
murder of Gordana Kotevski
26-years ago today under
Strike Force Arapaima,"
police said.
"Twenty-six years is
a long time to have
no answers, and
strike force
investigators are
continuing their
review to find out
what happened to
Gordana so her
family can have
closure."
Crime Stoppers:
1800 333 000.
'She was my best
friend': Family
search for answers
25 years after
teenager disappeared
from Newcastle
The family
of a
"bubbly"
missing
teenager who
police fear
met a grisly
end have
spoken for
the first
time in
decades.
Gordana
Kotevski was
just 16
years old
when she was
forced into
a car while
walking from
Charlestown
Square
Shopping
Centre in
Newcastle to
her aunt's
home.
She has not
been seen
since that
night,
walking
along Powell
Street about
9pm on
Thursday
November 24,
1994.
"She was my
best friend,
my little
shadow,"
Gordana's
sister
Carolina
said today.
"She was
forever
holding my
hand
wherever
we'd go.
"She was
just a
bubbly joy
to be
around,"
Carolina
said.
A 2003
coronial
inquest into
the
teenager's
disappearance
found that
she had most
likely been
murdered.
Her case is
being
highlighted
this week as
part of
Missing
Person's
Week in NSW.
Gordana's
aunt, Julie
Talevski has
released one
of the last
know photos
of her in
the hope
someone
remembers
something.
"She was a
bridesmaid
in 1994.
Young,
joyous,
innocent,
she had the
world at her
feet," Ms
Talevski
said.
"The impact
of Gordana's
disappearance
has taken
its toll on
her parents
and
siblings,
extended
family and
friends.
Missed
special
events bring
with them a
stark
reminder of
the
emptiness
felt by her
disappearance.
The passage
of time has
not made
acceptance
of the
situation
any easier.
"Please, if
you know
anything or
can vaguely
remember any
information
which could
help
detectives,
call the
police," Ms
Talevski
said.
In April
2019, Lake
Macquarie
detectives
established
Strike Force
Arapaima to
re-examine
her
disappearance
and
suspected
murder,
along with
two other
missing Lake
Macquarie
teens –
Robyn Hickie
and Amanda
Robinson.
"There are
people in
the
community
who have
vital
information
which could
help Strike
Force
Arapaima
detectives
solve this
case," Lake
Macquarie
Police
District
Commander,
Superintendent
Danny
Sullivan APM
said.
"Anyone who
lived in or
would visit
the Lake
Macquarie
area in late
1994, please
cast your
mind back
and recall
if you
noticed a
light-coloured
utility in
and around
the area.
"It's been a
quarter of a
century of
unknowns and
heartache
for
Gordana's
friends and
family.
Please, help
us give them
closure,"
Superintendent
Sullivan
said.
