Justyna KOZIOL is believed to have left her accommodation at the Tradewinds Seafront Apartments in Denham, WA about 7.00am on Monday 24 March 2014. There are welfare concerns for Justyna due to her state of mind at the time. The 28 year old Polish woman is described as being 160-165cms tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. She also requires medication for a diagnosed illness. Despite extensive inquiries by police and family her whereabouts are not known

Missing Persons Unit takes over Justyna Koziol case

The Missing Persons Unit in Perth has taken over the case of a Polish woman who disappeared from the Shark Bay area more than a week ago.

Justyna Koziol, 28, left the Tradewind Apartments in Denham on foot last Monday, without her belongings.

She failed to board a pre-booked flight back to Poland last Thursday night.

An air and land search was conducted but authorities failed to establish any solid leads.

She is described as tanned, about 160 centimetres tall, of slim athletic build, with long blonde hair.

 

It had been a picture perfect six months for Justyna Koziol in Australia when her family decided to finish the trip with one last adventure to Shark Bay.

She was just four days away from returning to her native Poland when she went missing from her Denham accommodation in March 2014.

This week her face and name have been plastered on billboards across WA as part of National Missing Persons Week.

That visual reminder to the public has meant the world to Miss Koziol’s Perth-based older sister Agnieszka Binkowska.

“I’m so happy she’s on billboards, maybe somewhere will see her and recognise her," she said.

“I hope she might still be here somewhere.”

Miss Koziol was visiting Australia to see her older sister and her family when she vanished from Tradewinds Seafront Apartments in Denham about 7.00am on Monday, 24 March 2014.

A land and sea search found no trace of Polish national, leaving her family here and in Poland devastated.

“It’s hard losing someone when you don’t know anything," Mrs Binkowska said.

“When you lose someone in an accident, the reality is you know they’re dead.

“We have no idea idea what’s happened and that’s hard, not only for me but also for my parents.

"We never stop thinking what happened."

It’s a feeling thousands of families across Australia know all too well.

One person is reported missing in Australia every 15 minutes, more than half of those are under the age of 18.

More than 95 per cent of people reported missing are located within a short period of time, typically one week.

However of those 35,000 people reported every year, more than 2000 remain long-term missing persons.

Det-Sgt Steve Perejmibida, from WA Police’s Missing Persons Unit, said seemingly insignificant information could help provide crucial answers for families and friends left devastated by missing loved ones.

“Missing Persons Week provides police with the opportunity to shed light on current missing persons, and is a reminder that the assistance of the public to help locate these people is incredibly important," he said.

“Even just the smallest piece of information may be able to assist in these investigations, and perhaps can lead to answers for families and friends.”

Miss Koziol is 160cm tall, of a slim build, with blonde hair, blue eyes and prominent teeth that are not aligned.

She would now be 31-years-old.

She spoke almost no English when she went missing and is unlikely to have asked for assistance due to her introverted nature.

Anyone with information on Miss Koziol’s disappearance is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestopperswa.com.au