Lateesha Nolan

Lateesha has been missing since January 4th 2005. She was last seen in Dubbo NSW. In June of 2005 Lateesha's friend Kristy Scholes was found murdered in the same house Lateesha was last seen in. Since that day, Lateesha's cousin Malcolm Naden has been also missing and is currently the most wanted man in NSW - he is wanted for questioning in relation to Kristy's death and Lateesha's disappearance and also an assault on a child. There is a $50,000 reward for any information on Malcolm Naden's current whereabouts.

For extensive information about Lateesha's disappearance click here

For information about Kristy's murder click here

For information about Malcolm Naden click here

Lateesha's Dad, Mick Peet and I wrote these words to express how he's feeling on the loss of his daughter -

It has been over two years since my daughter Lateesha went missing from Dubbo, NSW.
Since that terrible day when I was told she was missing, I have been unable to sleep, my hair is falling out, I feel I am living in a nightmare I can't wake up from.
Every time the phone rings, I think maybe they have found her, which is a mixed blessing - have they found a body or have they found my precious girl alive, by some miracle?
Will she one day walk back through that door, the beautiful girl I have watched grow up and blossom into a beautiful young woman? Will I ever get to tell her again how much I love her?

Waiting one week to hear any news about Lateesha was so hard. Waiting eight weeks was torture. Waiting eight months was an absolute nightmare. To know that she is out there somewhere and we can't find her is the worst feeling you could imagine. It gets worse, not better with time. It has been a long and painful process, waiting for the news, letting the police do their job, hoping that I'm wrong about her being murdered.

Lateesha used to phone me all the time and we'd have great old chats. I missed her so much, as I was living in Queensland and I didn't get to see her as much as I would have liked to. But she was still my little girl and we were still very close. I was so proud of her, all that she had achieved at such a young age, her four beautiful children.

Parents are not supposed to bury their children, they should bury us. I was looking forward to watching Lateesha grow older, watching my grandchildren grow up with such a great Mum. She had so much life yet to live, she was only 24, and her whole future has been taken away from her. It's been taken away from her children too, they'll never get over losing their Mum.

And I'll never get over losing my baby girl. She will be in my heart forever, locked away where no one can ever hurt her again.

Somebody, somewhere MUST know what happened to Lateesha. Someone saw what happened that night, knows where she is, overheard a conversation. I can understand you being too scared to come forward but what if this was your daughter, your sister, your wife, your girlfriend, your Mum? Walk a mile in my shoes and feel my pain. All I want is to lay my girl down to rest, to bring her home. One anonymous phone call, saying where she is, no one will ever know that you called. We just need to find her, please.

If you have any information to give please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000. You do NOT have to give your name or any details, just provide that one bit of information that will end the nightmare for us all.

If you can provide any information to help Strike Force Durkin please contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 - you can remain totally anonymous, you do NOT have to give your name. No one will know you made the call. Help lay this beautiful young woman to rest and bring peace to her family.

Lateesha Nolan's Aunt, Janette Lancaster has this plea to Malcolm Naden, her nephew, who is missing and wanted for questioning regarding the death of Kristy Scholes.

"Malcolm if you read this message or someone tells you about the message the family needs to hear from you. Pop is very ill and he needs to know how you are and hear your side of the story in regards to Kristy. Pop won't get better until he knows what's going on and Nan* is frantic with worry and the stress of all this is making her sick as well. Your Mother is worried and needs to talk to you and all the family wants you to hand yourself in to the police and sort this mess out. "
Editor's note - Sadly, Nan died earlier this year.

Missing Mother - Dubbo
21 January 2005

Fears are mounting for the welfare of 24-year-old mother-of-four Lateesha Nolan who has been missing from her Dubbo home
for more than 2 weeks. Lateesha was last seen about 9:30pm Tuesday 4 January, at her grandmother's Bunglegumbie Road home.
Detective Inspector Michael Willing said police had made a number of inquiries but had so far been unable to locate Ms Nolan.
"We are gravely concerned for Ms Nolan's welfare and are treating her disappearance as suspicious. Lateesha adores her 4 children,
who are all aged under 5 years, and we have been told she would never spend so long away from them. Her family is very concerned".

Lateesha was last seen leaving her grandmother's home in her blue 1996 Ford Falcon station wagon, registration YOU-505. She was
expected to return a short time later. About 5:30pm Wednesday 5 January, police located the station wagon abandoned at the western
end of Tamworth Street, Dubbo. Police believe Lateesha may have been the victim of foul play and hold grave fears for her safety.

Father's plea for help
Mick Peet
Monday, 14 February 2005

It's been seven weeks now since my daughter Lateesha Nolan went missing and the heartache has not got any easier -
for all the many people this tragedy has affected. I'm pleading to the public to help us find our precious daughter. She loved her kids
and lived for them.They need to know where their mummy is, please help them. Someone knows something and they must come forward
so it can ease some of the pain we are all suffering.I am trusting the public for their help in solving this. Lateesha called into her
grandmother's house in Bunglegumbie road about 9.30pm on Tuesday January 4 - where were you then? Did any one see a
dark blue 1996-model Ford Falcon station wagon? Her car's licence plate number is YOU-505, and there were green P plates on the car.
On that night did anyone see Lateesha? Her car was found abandoned the next afternoon at the parking bay adjacent to the river
about 5.30pm on Wednesday. It was abandoned in a parking bay on the eastern bank of the river. Did anyone see anyone in the area
that day, near the end of the Tamworth Street footbridge. On that night did anyone see Lateesha?.
Anyone with information is urged to call Dubbo police on
02 6881 3222.
Mike Peet

Police investigate vanishing mums
By Brad Clifton
11may05

Lisa Franks is the latest in a string of mothers who have disappeared without trace in recent years, leaving behind shattered families.

In some cases, police believe they have met with foul play.

Grave fears are also held for Dubbo mother-of-four Lateesha Nolan, who has been missing since January 4.

Ms Nolan, 24, has not been seen since dropping off her two youngest children at their grandmother's house.

Her abandoned car was found next day near the Macquarie River.

Her children, aged 2, 3, 4, and 5, are being cared for by their grandmother.

"We've discussed the fact of foul play and that, on face value, seems very much apparent because of her situation with the children," Dubbo crime manager Acting Inspector Mark Meredith said.

"It would be very uncharacteristic of her to get up and leave her children in that way. She's very, very closely aligned to her family."

**See entries for Kristy SCHOLES and Malcom NADEN - closely linked with Lateesha's case

Man sought over murder, disappearance
08:39 AEST Sat Aug 20 2005
AAP
A man is being sought in connection with the death of a woman and the disappearance of another at Dubbo in central-western NSW.

Police said they had issued an arrest warrant for 31-year-old Malcolm Naden, who they believe can help them with their inquiries into the death of 24-year-old mother-of-two Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of his cousin, Leteesha Nolan.

All three were part of an extended family living in West Dubbo.

The body of Ms Scholes, the de facto wife of one of Naden's cousins, was found in a Dubbo home on June 22 after she was reported missing by a friend.

Police said Ms Scholes' children, aged three and four, were in the house when her body, surrounded by pillows, was found lying on the floor of a room in the house.

Naden is also being sought for questioning over the disappearance on January 4 this year of Ms Nolan, a mother of four who lived at the same West Dubbo house.

Detective-Sergeant Bryne Ruse, of Dubbo police, who heads Strikeforce Durkin, said Naden had disappeared on Monday, June 20.

He is described as being of Aboriginal appearance, 177cm tall, of medium build, weighing 85kg, with olive complexion, brown eyes, shaved head, and possibly a moustache and beard.

Open letter by Mick Peet, Lateesha's father - July 12th 2005

Clearly, crime is a global problem, affecting rich and poor, black and white and developed and developing countries. A rich literature exists on the underlying causes, and we have had a flavour of these in this space, centering around poverty, inequality, unemployment, and lack of social capital. Unemployed youth tend to be associated with crime in many instances, often having links with the drug trade. Preventive crime measures, such as school programs, counselling, rehabilitation centres and all the other things that we know are needed to curb the influx of crime. Grave fears are also held for my daughter, a mother-of-four, Lateesha Nolan who has
been missing since January 4. Then Police found the body of Kristy Scholes who has been found dead in the same house where my daughter had last been seen. I ask myself who will be next? What we need is the community to really pull together and say enough is enough. Myself, I would love to find those responsible and I'm sure there are alot of people there that would too. There has got to be someone that knows or has heard something, doesn't matter how small the information is, so if anyone does they can ring Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000. Before this happens to one of your own.

'Strangler' goes bush as six kids lose two mums
By John Kidman Police Reporter - The Sydney Morning Herald
August 21, 2005
The Sun-Herald

Police have launched a statewide hunt for a man whom they believe has murdered one woman and may have vital information about another who is missing, presumed dead.

Malcolm John Naden is thought to have gone bush after disappearing in the state's west two months ago.

Homicide detectives have spent weeks searching sheds and abandoned farmhouses for the 31-year-old fugitive, but their efforts have proved fruitless. They have now publicly named Naden as a key suspect in the strangulation killing of 24-year-old Kristy Scholes, a mother of two from Dubbo, on June 23.

Police have also described him as someone they believe could help with their investigation into the whereabouts of 24-year-old mother of four Lateesha Nolan, who vanished from the same Dubbo address in January.

Naden is a cousin of the two women and was a long-term resident of the house.

"There are so many people who have been affected, not in the least six little kids under the age of six, who have lost two mums," the women's uncle Ted Lancaster said.

"It's been just horrendous.

"Kristy's children have at least had a funeral service to attend and a place to go and visit their mummy.

"But Lateesha's little ones are still asking where she is, whether she still loves them and if they can go and look for her.

"This is what we're going through and it is absolutely horrible. It's been one long nightmare."

A week before Ms Scholes's death, she and her two children moved into the East Dubbo home of her partner's grandparents while their own home was being repainted.

Homicide squad Detective Sergeant Shane Conant said her four-year-old daughter, Libby, was found wandering in the front yard of the house, having escaped through a window, on June 22.

Relatives searched immediately but Ms Scholes's body was not found until the following morning, when police entered Naden's bedroom.

Sergeant Conant said Ms Nolan vanished after leaving her two youngest children, 19-month-old Shaqkaila and three-year-old Jayden, with their grandmother Florence Nolan on January 4.

Naden is Aboriginal, 177 centimetres tall, weighs 85 kilograms and is of medium build. He has an olive complexion, brown eyes, a shaved head and possibly a moustache and/or beard.

Last words to dad: I love you
INGRID BOWN - Dubbo Daily Liberal
Wednesday, 31 August 2005

When Lateesha Nolan was growing up her father was "pretty strict" with his "precious girl".
He'd make sure she was home before dark and when she didn't arrive one evening, he searched all over town before finding her at a friend's place.

"I had a premonition something was going to happen to one of my children," he said yesterday.

Now Mick Peet's Queensland home is a "shrine" to his daughter, the young Dubbo mother of four who vanished eight months ago in bizarre and tragic circumstances.

"My heart stops every time the phone rings, I wake up during the night in a sweat and I've been losing my hair from stress," he said.

"Sometimes I sit at my computer until the sun comes up thinking of things I could do to try and find her."

Mr Peet remembers a beautiful girl growing up who loved fishing, camping and trips to the coast.

"She loved camping with her pop and we'd go driving to the coast, the kids loved Movieworld," he said.

"She had so much life yet to live ... and her whole future has been taken away from her.

"It's been taken away from her children, too."

The last contact he had with his "baby girl" was a phone call in the days before her disappearance.

"The last thing she ever said was, 'I love you Dad," he said.

"I hadn't seen her and the kids for five years but we had great old chats on the phone - we were still very close."

When Lateesha went missing, Mr Peet was in anguish over what to do.

"I wanted to come down straight away and look for her," he said.

"I had the car packed but the police and the family talked me out of it - they said there was nothing I could do.

"I went into shock and felt pretty useless being up here. My clothes went mouldy sitting in the car while I was waiting for news."

He said "all his heart" now went to Lateesha's four young
children.

"They haven't let go of the security blanket of having their mother," he said.

Mr Peet was on the verge of abandoning hope of ever knowing Lateesha's fate, but said the manhunt for her cousin, Malcolm Naden, had renewed it.

"I hope they find him to give us some clue," he said.

Mr Peet said he simply wanted his and his family's nightmare to come to an end.

"I have dreams about her all the time," he said.

"She's trying to contact me but the dream ends before I can speak to her.

"We just need to find her. All I want is to lay my girl down to rest, to bring her home."

Anyone with any information on Lateesha Nolan's disappearance, or the whereabouts of Malcolm Naden, should call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

By Edmund Tadros - SMH
December 23, 2005 - 4:10PM

Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo was closed to the public today as police searched for suspected double murderer Malcolm Naden.

The action came after a report Naden was hiding in the grounds of the world-famous zoo, in central western NSW.

The zoo, a former army camp during World War Two, is a 300 hectare oasis of woodland and irrigated grassland, containing more than 1,000 different animals from five continents.

Some 60 police and a Polair helicopter searched that expanse for eight hours while one zookeeper remained on site until the zoo was reopened around 1600 AEDT.

A police spokeswoman said there had been a report that 31-year-old Naden had been sighted in the zoo.

Police issued an arrest warrant for him in August in connection with the death of 24-year-old mother-of-two Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of his cousin, Leteesha Nolan.

A former shearer, Naden is believed to be a skilled bushman and may have been hiding out in scrub in order to avoid capture.

A number of guests at the on-site hotel at the zoo, Zoofari Lodge, were also evacuated.

Naden, Scholes and Nolan were part of an extended family living in West Dubbo.

The body of Ms Scholes, the common law wife of one of Naden's cousins, was found in a Dubbo home on June 22 after a friend reported her missing.

Ms Nolan, a mother of four who lived at the same West Dubbo house, disappeared on January 4 this year.

- with AAP

Desperate for help
CHRISANTHI GIOTIS - Dubbo Daily Liberal
Tuesday, 27 December 2005

When Lateesha Nolan's four-year-old son goes to bed at night he hides a knife under his pillow so the "bad man won't come and get me too". Almost a year after Lateesha disappeared and only a few days after Malcolm Naden, the man police most want to question over her disappearance, was believed to be holed up at Western Plains Zoo, Lateesha's children still believe their mum will come home. Members of Lateesha's family said the children were desperate for closure and have appealed for anyone with information to contact the police and for Mr Naden to give himself up. Mr Naden is Lateesha's cousin; he is also wanted for questioning by police investigating the murder of Kristy Scholes, another cousin. According to Janette Lancaster, aunty of Lateesha, Malcolm and Kristy, the situation has torn the family apart. An internet message has been posted begging Mr Naden to give himself up and family members hope a candlelight vigil planned for January 4 - a year after Lateesha's disappearance - will encourage anyone with information to listen to their conscience and come forward. "The grandparents especially want to know if he's okay. He's been missing since Kristy was found murdered - we don't even know if something happened to him and whether or not he had anything to do with Lateesha's disappearance," Mrs Lancaster said. "Some of the family don't want to believe he did it and he really has torn the family apart," she said. "Even at Christmas no-one wanted to celebrate and Lateesha's mother didn't put up any decorations. "You just don't know what it's like until you go through it - the heartache, the disruption to the family, how the kids are suffering. The kids need to know because otherwise they're just going to grow up with more anger and resentment."
(continued in part two)

This page has been visited times.

Lateesha was described as a devoted mother who was always with her children, now the children cling desperately to their grandmother, afraid that she too will disappear if she leaves them. The eldest child Kiesha has just finished her first year at school - Lateesha had already bought Kiesha's uniform before she disappeared on January 4 - but never got to see Kiesha wear it to school. Five-year-old Erica will start school this year. "She's stopped talking to a lot of people and really become withdrawn," Mrs Lancaster said. "Kristy's children can go and visit her grave site and look up at the stars and say mum is one of them now - but Lateesha's can't," she said. "Lateesha's children wake up every morning hoping that she'll be there and ask if they can go in to the bush and go looking for her. "The kids need to know - even if someone has information about where she's buried at least we can give her a proper grave that the kids can go to and at least they'll be able to look up at the stars. "I know somebody out there knows something and they're not saying."
Vigil to honour missing woman
CHRISANTHI GIOTIS - Dubbo Daily Liberal
Tuesday, 27 December 2005

On January 4 this year Lateesha Nolan left her grandmother's house saying she would be "back in a sec", and left her wallet and cigarettes behind. By the next day the 24-year-old mother of four was missing and her car found abandoned in a parking bay near the river. A year after her disappearance relatives plan to gather at the riverbank for a candlelight vigil they hope will inspire anyone with information to come forward. Starting at 5pm on January 4, relatives and friends will gather on the eastern bank of the Macquarie River below Tamworth Street. Lateesha's aunt, Janette Lancaster, said it was terrible for the relatives to think of what might have happened there at the river. "If something did happen then she was there all by herself, we want to be there for the vigil," Mrs Lancaster said. "It's also a chance for people to remember her as well and it might trigger someone's mind or conscience," she said. Police are still appealing for any information about fugitive Malcolm Naden who is wanted for questioning over Lateesha's disappearance. Mr Naden is also the prime suspect in the murder of Kristy Scholes. Only last week he was believed to be hiding at Western Plains Zoo and police mounted a massive manhunt for the fugitive. Lateesha's father Mick Peet said he couldn't believe that Mr Naden had been hiding at the zoo for six months. "My first thoughts were that he'd realise what he'd done and go and kill himself," Mr Peet said. "But he's our only lead to finding Lateesha so she can be properly laid to rest. "I just hope we can find him soon before he does something to himself or hurts someone else. It was really hard getting through Christmas Day this year."

Vigil of hope for missing woman
CHRISANTHI GIOTIS - Dubbo Daily Liberal
Wednesday, 4 January 2006

Lateesha Nolan is a person - not a crime story. That is the message her family and friends will be sending tonight - one year after her disappearance - with a candlelight vigil at the river. The vigil - originally planned for 5pm - will now take place at 8.30pm after the family received special assistance from the fire brigade so they were still able to hold the candlelight ceremony during a total fire ban. It will take place near the riverbank at the Tamworth Street carpark - the place where Lateesha's car was found. Lateesha's uncle Ted Lancaster said they wanted the ceremony to be as painless as possible for Lateesha's four young children but hoped the short service planned with poems and prayers would let the children know she wasn't forgotten. Lateesha's aunt Janette Lancaster said the ceremony was "mainly for us to do something". "We feel so helpless not knowing what happened and we're hoping to jog someone's memory or get to their conscience," Mrs Lancaster said. The Lancasters said four generations of Lateesha's family, extended family and friends would be at the vigil. "It's going to be sad and hard but it's something we feel that we need to do," Mrs Lancaster said. "We have to show people the person - show people she is not just a crime story". Mr Lancaster said Lateesha's smile could "light up a whole room". "We always used to say Teesha was so beautiful she could be a model," Mr Lancaster said. "My favourite memory of her was when she was at our wedding - Teesh was only 11 years old and she was 'running' the soft drink bar. "She just endeared herself to everyone making sure they had their glasses full. "I can still see her on that day - she got a great kick out of it," he said.
LAST RIGHTS: One death, one disappearnce and one on the run

Thursday, 6 April 2006 - thanks to Chris Graham

ISSUE 102, April 6, 2006: Kristy Scholes is dead. Lateesha Nolan is missing.
To most Australians, the women are just two more Aboriginal faces in a newspaper, victims of crime. But they have the right to be remembered for what they were - mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, cousins. And they also have the right to expect that a man on the run who police believe can shed light on their fate won't be harboured by members of their own community.
CHRIS GRAHAM reports.

ISSUE 102, April 6, 2006: Mick Peet's life is like a horror-film version of Groundhog Day.

Every morning he wakes up to the same nightmare - the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his 24-year-old daughter, Lateesha Nolan.

Lateesha, a mother of four, lived in Dubbo in the central west of NSW until she disappeared without a trace on January 4, 2005.

Mick's life has not moved forward since that day. He has been stuck in the same living hell for the last 16 months.

He can find no relief. He's paralysed by his daughter's disappearance.

"I accept it now, that she's dead. I'd just like to find out how and why," Mick says.

"I want to go out looking for Lateesha, but I don't know where to start.

"And people have talked me out of it from day one. To tell you the truth, I don't have the finances to do that sort of thing anyway.

"I'm battling along on the pension. Plus I've got my kids to look after."

Mick lives in Innes Park, a small Queensland community just outside
Bundaberg.

It's a long way from Dubbo.

So Mick Peet spends his days surfing the world wide web in search of any news on the whereabouts of his daughter.

He simply doesn't know what else to do.

Mick's computer is set-up to download emails every three minutes. He's left dozens of postings on message boards around the world, from the United States to Great Britain, appealing for anyone with information on his daughter's disappearance to come forward.

He's joined chat rooms that support the families of homicide victims; he's signed up for news alerts so that any time a story is filed anywhere in the world by a media organisation on Lateesha Nolan, he'll know within minutes.

"I hardly ever turn my computer off. I'm always checking it," Mick says.

"I'm hoping someone reads something [I've posted] and emails me with a little bit of information."

So the days last a long time for Mick Peet. But the nights are no easier. He hasn't found a way to escape his pain even when he goes to sleep.

"I still keep getting dreams, nightmares at night. There's one I have all the time. Lateesha keeps trying to tell me this person has gone mad and he tried to kill her.

"I know it's a dream, but I feel like she's told me this over the phone before. But I don't know if she told me or I just dreamt she told me."

Then there's his health.

"I've hardly got any hair left - every day I brush my hair, and more falls out. I just keep sweating. It's all the stress."

Even Mick's dental health has suffered - at night when he sleeps he grinds his jaw together so tightly that his teeth have loosened.

"I was getting some help through a counsellor for a while and he was good, really helpful, but..."

Mick's voice trails off.

His conversation chops and changes between theories he has on his daughter's disappearance - and he develops a new one every day - and his never-ending sense of helplessness.

"I have all these thoughts building up in my head, every day is a different thought.

"There was a strong lead that [Lateesha's body] may be out at Troy Crossing (near Dubbo)."

The lead came to nothing.

"I've just felt hopeless up here, not able to do anything.

"I had my port packed, waiting for the news [of the discovery of his
daughter's body].

"Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. And it's been over a year now and I still feel hopeless, that I can't do anything."

But inevitably, Mick's thoughts keep returning to the internet, and so does his interview with NIT.

The web is the only tool Mick feels he has that can help bring him closer to discovering the fate of his daughter.

In reality, the best lead he can hope for is the location or capture of a 31-year-old Aboriginal man named Malcolm John Naden.

LATEESHA Jane Nolan was born on May 23, 1980.

Mick and his partner Joan couldn't have been prouder. Lateesha was a bubbly, active girl. She liked camping and fishing and she treasured her family life.

But of all the things that life threw at her, it was Lateesha's four
children that gave her the most joy.

Kiesha (aged 7), Erica (6), Jayden (5) and Shaqkayla (3) are a picture perfect family of Aboriginal brothers and sisters.

In 2004, Kiesha finished her first year in school. Erica started school last year, a month after Lateesha went missing.

On the night of January 4, Lateesha stopped by her grandmother's house to drop off two of her children.

She left her purse and her cigarettes behind, telling her grandmother she'd be "back in a sec".

"They were the last words we know that she said to anyone," Mick says.

People are reported missing in Australia every day and 98 percent turn up with 24 hours, unharmed.

And Lateesha was a responsible mother. Someone always knew where she was.

The following day, Lateesha's 1996 blue Ford Falcon station wagon, NSW registration YOU-505, was found abandoned near the banks of the Macquarie River, which runs through the centre of Dubbo.

Her family immediately feared the worst and a police investigation was launched.

While throwing up some promising early leads, the police probe went nowhere and after almost six months detectives were becoming frustrated at the lack of progress.

In late June, everything changed.

Malcolm Naden suddenly lurched into the frame as a "person of interest" in Lateesha's disappearance following the murder of a second Aboriginal woman in Dubbo.

KRISTY Scholes was a bright, vivacious young woman. She was also a mother - her two young children are Libby (aged 6) and Johnny (aged 3). So Kristy had a lot to live for.

Kristy's uncle, Tony Scholes, remembers a girl who loved life a lot, but her kids even more.

"Kristy loved dancing, she liked to have a sociable drink with her cousins and friends," says Tony.

"But Kristy was most proud of her children, she was proud to have children. She really doted on them. She loved them very dearly and I'd say she'd still be with them in spirit."

Kristy had been in a long-term relationship with her fiancé and father of her children, Reg Walker.

They lived together in a modest Dubbo home and in 2005 had begun to
renovate.

Mr Walker is the cousin of Malcolm Naden (contrary to media reports,
including in this paper, Kristy is not related to Naden).

In the middle of last year, Reg's grandfather Jack had taken ill and had to travel to Sydney for an operation. Reg and his grandmother, Florry followed to support him.

"Kristy thought it would be easier for everyone if she stayed home with her children," says Tony.

Because of the renovations to their house, Kristy was staying temporarily at Jack and Florry's home.

Malcolm Naden was also living there and had been for several years.

Police believe Kristy, aged 24, was strangled by Naden some time on June 22, 2005.

Her body was discovered two days later after neighbours noticed young Libby crying in the front yard of the Bumblegumbie Road house.

Libby had let herself out of the home some hours after the murder of her mother and family were puzzled about where Kristy might be - like Lateesha, she would never leave her children alone.

It took a day for people to realise that Kristy's body was locked in Naden's bedroom, lying on his floor and surrounded by stacks of Bibles.

Naden was nowhere to be found.

The house in which Kristy was murdered is the same house at which Lateesha Nolan was last seen as she dropped off her kids.

Lateesha is Naden's cousin - they share the same grandparents.

So not only is Naden the alleged murderer of Kristy Scholes, he's also the prime suspect in the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan.

MALCOLM John Naden was known around Dubbo as a quiet, unassuming young man. He wasn't known to drink and he wasn't violent.

Most people would describe him as shy and a "good bloke".

Naden also had a reputation as a very hard worker. He was a competent shearer but prior to going on the run had been working as a boner at the local abattoirs.

When Lateesha Nolan disappeared, Naden was one of the last people in Dubbo you'd suspect as being involved.

He was never formally interviewed by police and his name never even came up as a 'person of interest' in the investigation.

But his behaviour after Lateesha's disappearance - particularly in the weeks leading up to Kristy's murder - became increasingly bizarre.

Family members have described a man who became a virtual recluse in his own home.

He would sometimes come and go via his bedroom window, preferring to leave his door bolted from the inside.

Naden's grandparents often didn't know whether or not he was in the house. They would leave fresh fruit hanging on his door handle but it went untouched.

Naden also put clothes against the bottom of his door and covered his windows with blankets.

He was increasingly withdrawing from family and friends.

The 'mug-shot' of Naden that has been widely publicised on news bulletins and in newspapers shows a man with a full face, a shaved head and a goatee beard.

But another more recent photograph of Naden exists.

It shows Naden in the kitchen of his grandparent's home, a dishcloth in one hand.

His goatee is much fuller and he's wearing a cap. Naden's face seems more gaunt.

It's one of the few pictures Naden's relatives have of him - Naden
inexplicably posed for the photo after first collecting and then destroying every photo he could find of himself.

Janette Lancaster, Naden's aunty, told the Sydney Morning Herald she
"grabbed him on a good day".

It was his last one.

The following day Naden is alleged to have strangled Kristy on his bedroom floor.

He's been on the run ever since.

MALCOLM Naden's evasion of police has made headlines around the world, due in no small part to the closure of the world famous Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo during a massive police operation on December 23 last year.

Naden had been living in and around the zoo, possibly for several months.

The head of Strike Force Durbin - the police operation investigating the death of Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan - is headed by Detective Sergeant Bryne Ruse, a man with almost two decades experience in the police force.

"We have absolutely no doubt he was in the zoo, no doubt at all," says Det Sgt Ruse.

"And I think he's still in the west or north west of the state. I believe he's still alive and evading police."

In the 10 months since his disappearance, members of the public have
reported numerous sightings of Naden.

Some have been more credible than others.

"Police have conducted searches in Walgett, Coonabarabran, Dubbo and
Condobolin," Det Sgt Ruse says.

"There's been thousands of police hours spent investigating and trying to locate him.

"The sightings at Grawin (opal fields near Walgett), Coonabarabran and Condobolin are less credible than the sighting at Dubbo Zoo, but they were significant enough for us to commit a large amount of police resources."

The reason Naden has remained on the run for so long is in part due to his bushcraft skills.

Psychological profiling of Naden recently confirmed what police already knew from bitter experience - that Naden is ideally suited to life on the run.

"We now know enough about him to know he's very hard to find," Detective Sgt Ruse says. "(We know) he's a loner, that he doesn't need human relationships, that he has bushcraft skills, and that his preferred hideout would be disused housing."

But there are other factors that are hampering the search effort - the quality of most information from the public has been poor.

"One of the critical issues is that members of the community are coming forward with scant information that doesn't assist police," says Det Sgt Ruse.

"I can give you an example - someone fronting up to police and saying 'Malcolm Naden is in Gilgandra'.

"It's of no value to police.

"It's important for the community to understand that police are working night and day towards apprehending Malcolm Naden and putting him before the courts.

"But what we need is for members of the community to tell police where Malcolm is now, not where he was days ago, not where he might have been but where he is today.

"And police will immediately act on that information."

Det Sgt Ruse said all information provided to police would be treated with the strictest of confidence.

"Any information provided by members of the public at this time does not form evidence in any proceedings and will be used purely as confidential intelligence.

"It's absolutely the case that any person that comes forward can provide information to police knowing that their identity will not be disclosed and that the police will deal with them with the utmost confidentiality. They can be absolutely guaranteed of that."

Det Sgt Ruse also believes the search has been made more difficult because Naden has been receiving assistance.

"We believe members of the community may be harbouring him," he says.

"We still believe... that he's not living off his own bat."

In reality, the people harbouring Naden represent not only a tiny minority of the NSW Aboriginal population, but a very small minority of the Dubbo community.

Even so, that's small comfort to the families of Naden's alleged victims.
"We're suffering, our family is suffering from the loss of our niece. My brother is suffering from the loss of his daughter," says Tony Scholes.

"It's not right for [Naden] to be able to roam free and get support from other people.

"If people are harbouring him they need to come forward and be accountable for what they've done. They're just as bad as him - they're looking after a bloke who supposedly murdered two girls.

"I would say to them, 'Look into your hearts and find some compassion for those that are dead. And if you can find that compassion in your heart, then do something about it'.

"Inform the police. Let them know the whereabouts of Malcolm Naden."

And Tony has an added warning for people who might be aiding Naden.

"The community needs to really look at the next thing that could happen out of this.
Continued from Page Four, quote from Tony Scholes
And Tony has an added warning for people who might be aiding Naden.

"The community needs to really look at the next thing that could happen out of this.

"If he gets agitated, if he gets put in a corner he might take it out on somebody else's family. He's a dangerous person."

Naden's family is also suffering. Janette Lancaster (Naden's aunt) has posted a message over the internet, begging for Naden to give himself up.

"Pop [Naden's grandfather, who has had heart troubles] is very ill and he needs to know how you are and hear your side of the story in regards to Kristy," Ms Lancaster wrote.

"Pop won't get better until he knows what's going on and Nan is frantic with worry and the stress of all this is making her sick as well.

"Your mother is worried and needs to talk to you and all the family wants you to hand yourself in to the police and sort this mess out."

It's certainly not a competition, but perhaps no-one is suffering more than the family of Lateesha Nolan, a fact not lost on the Scholes family.

"Unfortunately, they have never found Lateesha Nolan's body. We've been able to bury our niece and my brother's been able to bury his daughter," says Tony Scholes.

"But they've never found Lateesha Nolan's body. She's never been buried.

"We all need justice, we need clarification, we need justification, we need reasons, we need an end to the story. We all need closure."

Ms Lancaster told the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this year: "Kristy's children can go and visit her grave site and look up at the stars and say mum is one of them now - but Lateesha's can't.

"Lateesha's children wake up every morning hoping that she'll be there and ask if they can go in to the bush and go looking for her.

"The kids need to know - even if someone has information about where she's buried at least we can give her a proper grave that the kids can go to and at least they'll be able to look up at the stars."

"I know somebody out there knows something and they're not saying."

Mick Peet also has a message for anyone who may be harbouring Naden.

"I know the elders wouldn't harbour him, I think it would be more the younger generation," says Mick. "I'd say to them to put themselves in Lateesha's kids' place.

"How would they feel if their mum disappeared off the face of the planet?

"They need to think about how much damage has been done to these kids - they're growing up without their mum.

"If they ever watch TV and they've seen footage of the tsunami, they need to think about the little kids who have lost their mum and look at the expressions on their faces.

"Just try to imagine how these kids must feel. Adults can try and cope with it, but with kids, how do they cope?

"I've got two kids who are never, ever going to see their sister. They keep asking me questions all the time."

Of course, the compassion from the broader Dubbo community has been strong and consistent.

"When we first heard they had found Kristy's body, my brother had so many people around him supporting him," says Tony Scholes. "And it was a big funeral. A lot of members of the family, a lot of friends of Kristy's, a lot of people you wouldn't see every day of your life turned up.

"Last year at the [state rugby league] knockout in Sydney they named the girl's football team after Kristy as a memorial."

THE investigation into Kristy's death and Lateesha's disappearance has several obvious goals.

"We want to bring Malcolm before the court to answer the charges in relation to Kristy's death, and we want to speak to Malcolm in relation to any knowledge he has about Lateesha's disappearance," Det Sgt Ruse says.

"But ultimately the investigation's goal is to bring closure to the family members."

Of course, Naden has been convicted of nothing - he only stands accused of the murder of Kristy Scholes (an arrest warrant has been issued).

In the case of Lateesha Nolan, police believe Naden can assist with their inquiries, but they retain "an open mind".

"He is a person of interest [in relation to Lateesha], no more than that," Det Sgt Ruse says.

"In simple terms he resided in the same house Lateesha went missing from and he has never been interviewed by police in respect to her disappearance.

"Police are keeping an open mind in relation to all possible avenues of investigation."

But the focus, of course, remains on the search for Naden. And on that front, Det Sgt Ruse has a message for Malcolm Naden, or anybody who might know how to contact him.

"The message I'd like to get to Malcolm is that if he wants to hand himself in, he should have no fears about doing that.

"If he wishes to contact a person within the community who he knows and trusts and that person in turn can contact me, I'd be more than happy to come to an arrangement to meet Malcolm personally and process his arrest. If that person wishes to contact Crimestoppers they'll contact me immediately,"

In the meantime, Mick Peet will keep logging onto the internet, all day, every day.

He'll keep posting information about his daughter, he'll keep checking his emails, visiting the message boards for tip-offs and checking the news alerts he receives when media file stories on the disappearance of his daughter.

And above all, Mick will watch for news - credible or otherwise - on any possible sighting of Naden.

"I go on to Google Earth and I look at the towns and areas around where he's been sighted to look for spots where he might be hiding," says Mick.

Google Earth is a website that allows web-users to zoom in, via satellite imagery, on virtually every square inch of the earth.

The images are static and in many cases more than a decade old.

Mick knows he won't find Naden on the internet, but for now it's all he's got.

"I haven't stopped since the day she disappeared. Every day I'm trying to work out what to do," Mick says.

"I just want answers. I wish tomorrow they could catch him and get some answers."

. Anyone with information about the murder of Kristy Scholes, the
disappearance of Lateesha Nolan or the possible location of Malcolm John Naden should contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000. Callers can remain anonymous. And anyone who believes they have sighted Naden or has information about his immediate whereabouts should phone 000.

. Getting help online

Nicole Morris started the Australian Missing Persons Register a year ago after realising there was a great need to make the public aware of the large numbers of people who go missing each year in Australia. She has offered considerable help to Mick Peet in his search for information in relation to the disappearance of his daughter, Lateesha Nolan.

Nicole started by simply collecting all available information and cases together in one place and posting them on a website. She found she was being contacted by a growing number of families in need of help and support while they searched for their missing loved ones.

Nicole's site provides a place for families to send a message in case their missing person searches for themself on the internet. She also includes information on gaining assistance from police, as well as comprehensive information about missing persons cases stretching back decades. You can view the register at http://www.supernerd.com.au/~glittercot/

. Reward has always been available

It shouldn't take a reward to tempt someone to report to police the
whereabouts of Malcolm John Naden. But every little bit helps. Detective Sergeant Bryne Ruse, who is heading the investigation into the murder of Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan, said police have existing powers to reward people who aid the capture of Naden.

"In any investigation, if any person assists with the capture of a person that leads to a prosecution there's a facility for the officer-in-charge to make a recommendation to the rewards evaluation committee for their consideration in relation to a reward," Det Sgt Ruse said.

Visit http://www.nit.com.au for more stories.

CHECK HOME PAGE FOR DETAILS OF FLO'S FUNERAL

*See also entries under Kristy Scholes and Lateesha Nolan

Police search for murder suspect
Thursday, 22 December 2005

Homicide detectives from across the State descended on Grawin last week in a large-scale operation to catch a suspected murderer believed to be hiding in the area.
While the oblivious locals went about their business 19 undercover officers spent the days searching for Malcolm Naden, who is wanted for the murder of Kristy Scholes in June of this year.

Detective Sergeant Bryne Ruse said police have strong reason to suspect Naden has chosen Grawin as his hiding place.

"Our intelligence has been building for the last couple of months and it seems to point to him being somewhere nearby," Detective Ruse said.

There have been several sightings of the fugitive, including one as recently as last Tuesday.

Although Naden is said to be capable of living in the bush on his own it is believed he is being supported by somebody. He has several associates in the area, including some distant relatives.

"Our intelligence suggests that he may be getting an income by working for cash, perhaps in the mines, or selling opals after noodling on the dumps," Detective Ruse said, adding that anybody caught assisting Naden would face serious charges.

A warrant for Naden's arrest was issued after he disappeared following the murder of Miss Scholes, his cousin, in Dubbo on or about June 22. He is also wanted in relation to an act of indecency on a child in 2004, and for questioning over the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan earlier this year.

Miss Nolan, a mother of four, went missing from Naden's house - the same house where the body of Miss Scholes was found - on January 4 and has not been seen since.

Police are appealing for help from the local community in their search for the suspected killer.

"At the moment we're trying to keep the trail warm, and we need the public to come forward," Detective Ruse said.

Locals are being told to keep an eye out for Naden and, if they see him, make what observations they can.

"Things we need to know are what vehicle he's driving and who he's with, but any small piece of information might assist the police."

There is a reward available for anybody who assists in the capture or prosecution of Naden.

He is 31 and described as being of Aboriginal appearance, 177cm tall, 85kg, of medium build and olive complexion, with brown eyes. It is also likely that he may have grown more facial and head hair and may act in a way to disguise his appearance, such as wearing a hooded jacket in the middle of the summer heat.

Anyone with information is urged to immediately contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Man wanted for questioning over murder seen near Lightning Ridge - ABC
Thursday, 22 December 2005.

Police say a Dubbo man wanted for questioning in relation to a murder has been sighted in the Lightning Ridge area.

Another subsequent covert operation in the Grawin opal fields failed to find Malcolm Naden, 31, who police want to talk to about the murder of Kristy Scholes in June this year.

Mr Naden has been on the run for six months and is also wanted for questioning over the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan.

Detective Sergeant Bryne Ruse from the homicide squad warns anyone assisting Mr Naden could face serious charges.

"Well, we believe he's being supported by people and also living off the land, at this time we haven't been able to get those people to open up to us and provide us [with] the information," he said.

Help sought to find fugitive
NICK COOK - Dubbo Daily Liberal
Thursday, 22 December 2005

Police have once again called on the public to help them find Dubbo fugitive Malcolm Naden who is wanted in relation to the murder of Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan earlier this year. This follows a large-scale undercover operation in Grawin last week where Mr Naden was believed to be hiding. Nineteen undercover police officers from the Castlereagh Local Area Command went to Grawin in the belief that Mr Naden was working for cash in the mines, or selling opals. Orana crime manager Detective Inspector Michael Willing said Dubbo police were working with the homicide squad and they still believed that people in Dubbo might have information about the fugitive's whereabouts. "He's been evading police and we believe he's had assistance from people to be able to do that," Mr Willing said. "It's not beyond the realm of possibility that people here know where he is and are helping him," he said. "I would ask those people to put themselves in the position of the families of Kristy Scholes and Lateesha Nolan and find it within yourself to contact the police and let us know any information you have." A warrant for Mr Naden's arrest was issued after he disappeared following the murder of Ms Scholes, his cousin, in Dubbo on or about June 22. He is also wanted in relation to an act of indecency on a child in 2004, and for questioning over the disappearance of Ms Nolan in January this year. Ms Nolan, a mother of four, was also a cousin of Mr Naden and was last seen at Mr Naden's house - the same house where the body of Ms Scholes was found. Mr Naden is 31 years old, described as being of Aboriginal appearance, 177cm tall, 85kg, of medium build and olive complexion, with brown eyes.Anyone with information is urged to immediately contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Murder suspect still at large
By David Crawshaw and Amy Fallon - The Australian
December 23, 2005

A MASSIVE police search has failed to locate a suspected murderer believed to be hiding in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo.

The world-famous zoo was closed to the public today as police searched for Malcolm Naden following reported sightings of the fugitive.

Mr Naden, 31, is wanted over the death of 24-year-old mother of two Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of his cousin, Lateesha Nolan.

The three were part of an extended family living in West Dubbo.

"There's been a number of alleged sightings by zoo security and staff members here," Orana Local Area Command crime manager Detective Inspector Michael Willing said on Channel 10.

"We felt it was necessary to take the action that we did."

Frustrated tourists, some who had travelled as far as 200km, were turned away from the zoo as police conducted the search.

Streets around the zoo, one of regional New South Wales's biggest tourist attractions, were cordoned off, but Newell Highway remained open.

A zoo spokeswoman said all visitors were evacuated, including an unknown number of people who were staying at an on-site lodge.

"The zoo was closed at 8am today," she said.

She said most staff had left the premises, with a small number remaining to look after animals.

The search ended shortly before 4pm (AEDT) and despite being unsuccessful, Insp Willing said police believed Mr Naden was in the area.

"He may be sourcing food from within the zoo somewhere," he said.

"He's been able to survive on the ground. We know he's got excellent bushcraft skills and he's been able to elude police for some time now."

The body of Ms Scholes, the common-law wife of one of Mr Naden's cousins, was found in a Dubbo home on June 22 after a friend reported her missing.

Ms Nolan, a mother of four who lived at the same West Dubbo house, disappeared on January 4 this year.

Police issued a warrant for Mr Naden's arrest in August.

"If anybody sees this man, we urge them not to approach him, but to call police immediately," Insp Willing said.

The zoo is traversed by 7km of sealed roads and 6km of bushland walking tracks.

It contains more than 1000 animals from five continents including lions, elephants, rhinos, tigers, gorillas, giraffes and seals.

Board insists zoo safe after search for fugitive
KIM BARTLEY - Dubbo Daily Liberal
Tuesday, 27 December 2005

The Zoological Parks Board claims the people and creatures of Western Plains Zoo are not in danger. But it has offered little other information about the zoo's role in the manhunt for fugitive Malcolm Naden or the impact of Statewide media coverage of its closure on December 23. That day police searched the zoo hoping to find the suspected murderer. In a statement released in the 24 hours after the zoo gates were reopened, the board said police had comprehensively searched for the suspect and "the area where this person is thought to have gained access to Western Plains Zoo premises has been locked down". "At no time has there been any threat to the visitors, animals and wildlife on site at Western Plains Zoo," the statement read. "As always their care and welfare have remained at the highest standards." The board said police would continue to conduct patrols around the zoo and surrounding areas with the "full co-operation" of its staff and security personnel. Yesterday a media officer for the zoo said management was not available on public holidays to provide further information. She said visitor numbers at the zoo following the search would not be known until after they were "collated" at the end of January. Zoo staff did not like to "speculate" on any ramifications of the search to the operations of the zoo, the media officer said. Police have declared the area safe but are making "sporadic" patrols of it in their bid to question Malcolm Naden in relation to the disappearance of one of his cousins and the murder of another.
Where the wild things are: murder hunt closes zoo

By Jordan Baker, Kelly Burke and Edmund Tadros - SMH
December 24, 2005

HE does not sound like a man easily spooked, so it may have seemed the perfect spot for the suspected killer Malcolm Naden to hide: a sprawling zoo of wild animals, with rules to stop others venturing to its more perilous corners.

There are lions and cheetahs, elephants and rhinos, bears and tigers - plenty to keep the curious at a safe distance. And police believe Naden, a skilled bushman suspected of killing two women, may have made his home among the animals in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo.

Now visitors to the zoo are angry that police let them stay there overnight, without warning them that there might have been a murderer in their midst.

Naden, 31, is an unemployed shearer and former skinner and boner at Dubbo abattoir. He had lived like a hermit at his grandparents' Dubbo home until June, when police found the strangled body of his cousin, Kristy Scholes, 24, in his room. Naden vanished - and police thought he was also involved in the disappearance of another cousin, Lateesha Nolan, 24, in January.

The first public inkling that something was amiss at the zoo came about 9pm on Thursday, when visitors on an overnight tour were told their morning expedition was being brought forward, from 8am to 6.15. They would have to leave the park by 8am because of a security lock-down. Jay Nevin, a businessman, his wife and their three children, aged 13, 10 and eight, from Newcastle, were on an overnight safari worth $1000.

"We are angry," Mr Nevin said. "Angry and disappointed … We should have been given the opportunity to get out of there. We wouldn't have stayed … I have three young kids - they're too precious to me."

Another visitor said: "People were asking if a lion had escaped. They were just laughing that off." They had been told there were no safety concerns.

At 3pm on Thursday, a zoo worker had spotted a man believed to be Naden in the 300-hectare park. On Friday morning, after the guests were removed and the zoo closed, police sealed it off. They blocked roads outside and brought in 60 police, sniffer dogs and a helicopter to search in up to 41-degree heat. Some residents knew why, even when police were refusing to confirm Naden was their quarry. Others thought he was hiding in a vacant cottage.

It was afternoon before police confirmed the rumours. The Orana region crime manager, detective inspector Mick Willing, said police thought Naden had been in the zoo for a matter of days, not weeks.

"We made a decision - it was a tactical one [not to evacuate] the park earlier," he said. "We needed to ensure that we could engage in a search for this individual, and [that] he was captured today … We believe it was the right decision to make. The overnight groups that were in the park were monitored by police throughout the evening."

By Friday night, Naden was still at large. Police believed he was no longer in the zoo, which was declared safe and was to be open on Saturday. Superintendent Smith believed he would not return, but admitted: "We cannot wipe out the opportunity that he could come back to the park."

Whatever his next move, police say he is a survivor. They believe he has lasted on fruit, by stealing food or hiding with contacts.
Wanted for murder - Daily Telegraph
December 29, 2005

A BIZARRE picture is emerging of a suspected double murderer accused of killing at least one cousin before using his bushman skills to elude police by hiding at an open-range zoo.

Malcolm Naden was a recluse who became obsessed with religion, believing the end of the world may have been near, and started reading books on karate, crime and survival techniques.

He has been on the run since the strangulation murder of Kristy Scholes, 24, who was found dead in his bedroom at his grandparents' Dubbo home in June.

He is also believed to be responsible for the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan, 24, who disappeared from the same house in January.

Family members say the 31-year-old's state of mind had taken a disturbing turn in the years leading to the tragedy.

About two years ago Naden began reading books forecasting the end of the world and started ordering home Bible study kits.

He became a recluse, leaving the Bunglegumbie Rd home in secret through his bedroom window without talking to his family.

When his room was searched they found a Bible and a survival guide.

He had grown up with his cousins, spending hours playing in the bush around Dubbo, becoming an expert on bush skills while fishing for days with just a small pack of supplies.

Now Naden is believed to be using those skills picked up during his happy childhood to remain on the run from police, recently in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo, just a few kilometres from the scene of his alleged crimes.

Naden's family are begging him to come forward, and although they are struggling to believe he could be responsible for the crimes, they think he may be the only person who can solve the tragic mystery.

Their chief priority is to locate Ms Nolan, who is pr

There is also a warrant for Naden's arrest for an alleged indecent assault of a child last year.

Ms Nolan's father Mick Peet yesterday said: "He's got to be found, he has got to have help.

"He had a Bible and a survival book. When I first heard they had found the Bible I thought he was going to kill himself to meet his maker, but then with the survival book it seems he decided to do a runner."

Naden's cousin Kirsty Peachey, who also grew up with Naden, yesterday recalled how he had been going through unusual stages.

"One minute he had the TV in his room taken out and he lived like a monk," she said.

A vigil is planned for Ms Nolan on January 4 at the car park in Tamworth St, Dubbo, where her car was found.

Detective Sergeant Bryne Ruse said police needed to speak to Naden to determine if he was responsible.

"Until we speak to him it is really just a (circumstantial) connection that Kristy Scholes' body was found in that particular house he was residing in and Lateesha Nolan went missing from there," he said.

ANYONE with information about Naden's whereabouts should contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police warn fugitive's allies
From: By Marnie O'Neill - Sunday Telegraph
January 01, 2006

POLICE hunting suspected double murderer Malcolm Naden have warned that those responsible for hiding him could face 25 years to life in jail.

Naden, 31, is accused of murdering his cousin Kristy Scholes and causing the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan, leaving six children behind.
He has been on the run for six months and is considered an expert bushman.

Detectives believe he has sought refuge in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo and that friends are helping to feed and hide him.

The zoo was temporarily shut last week as police scoured the scrub for clues to Naden's whereabouts.

"That person or persons faces charges of accessory after the fact to murder, which is akin to murder and carries a penalty of 25 years to life," Homicide Squad Detective Sergeant Bryne Ruse said.

"At the very least, they face charges of aiding and abetting or perverting the course of justice."
Mother of two Ms Scholes, 24, was found strangled in Naden's bedroom at their grandparents' Bumblegumbie Rd home in Dubbo on June 23 last year. Her cousin Ms Nolan, also 24, disappeared on January 4 last year after dropping off her four children at the same house.

Her body has never been found and police fear she too has been murdered.

Naden is the prime suspect in both cases.

Naden's aunt, Janette Lancaster, said she felt for the two women.

"We will never give up, there is no way we will give up until we know what happened to Lateesha and the circumstances surrounding Kristy's death," she said.

Naden moved in with his grandparents while in Year 7 because of a poor relationship with his own parents.

The Sunday Telegraph understands the crimes he is accused of and his fugitive status have divided the family. Naden's father refused to comment last week.

The family will hold a candlelight vigil for Ms Nolan on Wednesday.

The last snapshot of man wanted over strangulation murder
January 3, 2006 - SMH

Malcolm Naden's aunty talks about the man on the run, writes Jordan Baker.

THIS is Malcolm John Naden as his family remembers him.

For reasons known only to the man on the run from murder allegations, Naden posed for the photograph after gathering and destroying every picture he could find of himself.

It captures Naden, dishcloth in hand, as he looked when he disappeared a day before the strangled body of his cousin's partner Kristy Scholes was found next to his single bed in August.

Until now police have relied on a picture of a fuller-faced man with closely cropped hair to jog the memories of members of the public who may have seen Naden on the run.

The photograph is taken in the Dubbo home of his grandparents, who took him in when he fled his home after repeated clashes with his father.

Janette Lancaster, his aunty, said she "grabbed him on a good day".

By the time the photo was taken he was virtually a hermit, shutting himself in his sparsely furnished room, bolting the door from the inside and occasionally climbing through the window at night.

"You never knew whether he was there or not," Mrs Lancaster said. "He sometimes had blankets over the windows. He even used to put his clothes under the door so no one could see the light.

"The boys would give him food through the window. Dad would leave fruit on his door in a plastic bag.

"Before what happened with Kristy, he wouldn't take the food; it was just going rotten."

Naden disappeared more than four months ago. Police believe he is living rough using the survival skills he learned while camping and fishing, with perhaps some help from contacts.

He has been spotted across western NSW - at Moree, Coonabarabran and Coonamble.

The only two confirmed sightings have been at Grawin, near Lightning Ridge, and at Western Plains Zoo, where the former skinner and boner from Dubbo abattoir lived for up to two weeks.

Grawin's opal fields suit wanted men: empty camps, deserted mines the size of ballrooms, and furtive "noodlers" who scavenge through dumps for riches the miners missed.

"You could go months and months without seeing anybody out here if you chose the right spot," said Cheryl Bailey, the manager of a local club.

Police operations in both places failed to find him.

Relatives are begging Naden to turn himself in, and his grandparents cannot bring themselves to return to the house they have lived in for 30 years.

Mrs Lancaster said: "There's some that don't want to believe it, but there's others who say why would she be found in his room with the door locked? Nobody went into his room. His father doesn't want to believe it at all.

"You don't want to think someone you trusted and loved and helped raise can murder someone. It's so unbelievable it's not funny. Until we find him and he gives us his story we don't know what happened."

Police also want to question Naden over his cousin Lateesha Nolan, missing since last January. A vigil will be held for her tomorrow, the anniversary of her disappearance.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006. 10:34am (AEDT)
Murder suspect sighted in Dubbo

Dubbo police have received dozens of reported sightings of wanted man Malcolm Naden in the city in recent weeks.

The 31-year-old is suspected of murdering his cousin Kristy Scholes and is also wanted for questioning about the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan.

Since a man-hunt at Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo failed to find him last month, the homicide squad has been continuing investigations in the Dubbo area.

Police are certain Naden is being assisted, possibly by family members.
Murder in 'Redfern of the bush'
Caroline Overington - The Weekend Australian
January 07, 2006

FOUR-YEAR-OLD Elizabeth pushed the flyscreen out of her bedroom window, climbed up over the sill, and tumbled onto the ground.

On June 22 last year, after being trapped in the house for eight hours with her three-year-old brother, John, Elizabeth was finally free.

The little girl ran into the garden, where relatives later found her in tears. They called the police, who knocked down a locked door and found her 24-year-old mother, Kristy Scholes, lying dead on the floor near a bed. Suspicion immediately fell on Kristy's cousin, an Aboriginal man named Malcolm Naden, who has disappeared and is wanted by police.

The murder attracted little attention at the time, in part because it occurred on the Gordon Estate, in remote and dusty Dubbo, about 300km northwest of Sydney.

But Gordon Estate is back in the news this week, and is fast developing a reputation as the nation's most dysfunctional community - a so-called "Redfern of the bush".

The estate, 5km from Dubbo's small airport, is home to about 5000 people - 4000 of them Aborigines - in the city's total population of almost 40,000. Many of the families are related; almost everybody seems to be somebody else's cousin.

Like all of Dubbo, the estate is hot, flat, dry and dusty. Most of the homes are neat - some have garden gnomes out the front - but many have been destroyed by the residents.

About 60 homes have plywood hammered over the windows to prevent Aboriginal kids from getting in and setting them on fire. The streets are filled with Aboriginal children, many of them as young as three or four, walking through the estate, day and night.

Some residents have complained the youngsters are neglected and spend their days making mischief, stealing cars and breaking into homes.

Others make the point that few people on the estate can afford a car (or have lost their licence) so walking is the way the children can get around.

There are no shops on the estate, no school, no post office and no bank. The only building that isn't a house is a community centre, where poor children are given meals.

The Gordon Estate made the newspapers in January last year when Aboriginal elders decided to begin patrols in an effort to cut the crime rate.

This week it made the news again, after Aboriginal youths bashed a police officer and torched a police car on New Year's Eve.

The Weekend Australian visited the estate to talk to residents about why its problems keep making national news.

Some, like Kelly Smith, a 25-year-old Aboriginal mother of four, who was resting in the shade under the eaves of her house, could not understand it.

"I've been here three years and never had any trouble," she said, as her toddlers gambolled around.

True, stolen cars raced up and down the streets at night and were occasionally torched, she said. "But it's not Beirut, like I read in the newspaper."

But one of Smith's neighbours - a white man, who spoke to The Weekend Australian from behind a locked security door - said the estate once had "one Aboriginal family for every five white families. Now it's one white family to every 1000 Aborigines".

He wanted to move off the estate - "My friends at work always say, 'How do you sleep at night?"' - but the rent, at $90 a week for a three-bedroom house, is cheaper than anywhere else in Dubbo.

The man believed police were stirring up trouble in the estate over the New Year period for just one reason: "They think Naden is here."

Others said the same. "It's got nothing to do with kids this time. It's Naden they're after," said Charlie Nelson, who drives a community bus.

"They think his relatives are harbouring him. He's got heaps of relatives around the place, and they think they've been helping him."

Police are anxious to speak to Naden, an unemployed shearer, skinner and boner, and skilled bushman - not only about the killing of his cousin Kristy, but also about the disappearance of another cousin, Lateesha Nolan, a 24-year-old mother of four.

Nolan was last seen on January 4 last year, dropping off her children at the same house where Scholes's body was found. Naden has since disappeared, and his reputation as a wild man has grown since he fled. Some residents say his eyes are "just crazy" and that he could "snap a girl's neck with his fingers".

It is known Naden spent some time hiding with the animals at Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo, a few kilometres from the Gordon Estate. He reportedly lived on rotten meat and fruit left out for the bears, tigers and rhinos.

Sixty police, sniffer dogs and a helicopter were used to search the zoo last month after a staff member spotted Naden, but he was not found.

"They think he's come back to Gordon Estate," said Nelson. "That's why there's been trouble here."

But the problems at the estate extend well beyond the hunt for Naden.

"This place was built for good people - just good people on low incomes," one white local, who has lived there for 25 years, said through his closed curtains. "Now it's like a slum."

Some blame the Aborigines, most of whom are unemployed. The women have children very young, the children don't go to school for long, and there is drug abuse and alcoholism.

But Aborigines who are living upright lives feel the racism too. Nelson's son Robert, a self-described "blackfella", said: "I can't get a job here. Lot of rednecks here."

Charlie Nelson - who has six children and 25 grandchildren, many of them living on the estate, and all employed - tries to talk to the young Aborigines running wild on the streets around his neat home.

"You try to set them on a right path," he said. "We pick them up at night in the community bus and take them home." The problem is some families just don't care that their children are running wild. They are too drunk or drugged.

The suspected presence of a wild bushman, a murder, the disappearance of a mother and the riot on New Year's Eve brought the media to Dubbo.

The damaging publicity upsets the good folk of the town, and a brawl broke out between local politicians over whether the problems should be discussed in the "Sydney media".

MP Dawn Fardell was upset by an interview councillor Ben Shields gave on the Seven Network,, and called on him to resign for "damaging Dubbo's image".

In response, Shields told the local Daily Liberal newspaper: "To hell with her, I'm sick to death of her trying to push things under the rug."

**Continued in part 4**
Naden sightings reported
Thursday, 12 January 2006 - Dubbo Daily Liberal

Suspected murderer Malcolm Naden, on the run for the past five months, continues to evade police despite fresh reported sightings in the Dubbo area.
NSW Police believe the skilled bushman has been using his craft to survive on the outskirts of the central-western city since they issued a warrant for his arrest in August.

Naden, 31, is wanted over the death in June last year of 24-year-old mother of two Kristy Scholes and the disappearance six months earlier of his cousin, Lateesha Nolan.

The three were part of an extended family living in West Dubbo.

"Police are following a number of reported sightings of Naden in the Dubbo area this week," a NSW police spokeswoman said.

Naden belongs to a large Dubbo family, but police have not found any evidence to suggest they are helping him, the police spokeswoman said.

"Police continue to appeal for the public's help in finding Naden and we continue to receive reported sightings," the police spokeswoman said.

Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo was closed for a day last month when a massive police search failed to find the fugitive after he was sighted on the grounds.

Police thought Naden may have been sourcing food from somewhere within the zoo.

Video link to footage of the Dubbo Zoo hunt -

http://seven.com.au/news/popup_video/131137

Murder suspect evades police
From: AAP
By David Dixon

February 28, 2006

SUSPECTED killer Malcolm John Naden, who evaded police in a manhunt that led to the evacuation of Dubbo's Western Plain Zoo in December, has again escaped his pursuers.

A team of 60 police, accompanied by police dogs and a helicopter, swooped on the Willowbend Village Aboriginal mission in Condobolin at the weekend, expecting to corner the 31-year-old former shearer and abattoir worker.

But for the third time since September, when he was sighted at the Grawin Opal Fields, 80km west of Walgett, authorities found that Naden, a skilled bushman, had again eluded them.

On December 23, a massive police search led to the evacuation of the Western Plains Zoo after Naden was reported to have been seen there.

Police later said they believed he had slipped through their cordon.

Naden disappeared on June 20 last year, three days before the body of his cousin, 24-year-old mother of two, Kristy Scholes, was found in his bedroom.

He's also wanted for questioning over the disappearance of another cousin, 24-year-old Lateesha Nolan, who went missing from the same house after dropping two of her four children off on January 4 last year.
Despite the Dubbo man's success in evading capture, police deny he is outsmarting them or that Aboriginal trackers should be employed in their hunt for him.

They say Naden's "reclusive personality" and "a poor communication" of leads to his whereabouts is helping him evade detection.

"He's a desperate man in a desperate situation and he knows he's wanted. He's doing everything he can to lie low," Lachlan Local Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Tony Taylor said.

Naden is believed to be getting support from family and friends and is moving around in an area of western NSW from Tamworth in the north down to Condobolin and Parkes in the south.

"At the moment, we're still looking at information on the Condobolin area. We believe that he does have ties and that is one possibility we are exploring to explain why he might be hiding in Condobolin," Det Insp Taylor said.

The weekend operation included heavily-armed police from the State Protection Group, operational units; detectives from Dubbo and Parkes, the highway patrol, dog squad, and AirWing.

It involved raids on two homes in Condobolin and a search of nearby bushland.

Det Insp Taylor said because Naden was such a skilled bushman, there would be little point in employing an Aboriginal tracker.

"If we had information that he was operating in an area of bushland, our preferred option would be to use the dog squad because of their speed and senses," Det Insp Taylor said.

"It's just a matter of time; he's playing a game that he will eventually lose. Somebody will recognise him and he will be apprehended," he said.

Murder suspect manhunt involves local police
Wednesday, 1 March 2006 - Parkes Post

About 6am last Saturday police from the Lachlan and Orana local area commands along with negotiators and detectives from Sydney Special Protection Group and State Protection Support Unit stormed two homes in Dargin and Gordon streets in Condobolin.

According to Parkes police officer Sergeant Ben Dawson the search warrants were executed following a tip-off that Mr Naden was in the town.

Bushland around the area was also extensively searched on foot and via police airwing unit and numerous homes were canvassed by police seeking more information from the public. The search lasted for more than four hours.

Mr Naden (31) was last week placed on the state's most wanted list. He has been on the run from police for eight months.

Police welcome $50,000 reward for the capture of Malcolm Naden - Dubbo
3 January 2007

Homicide Squad detectives have welcomed today’s announcement by Police Minister John Watkins of a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Dubbo man Malcolm Naden.

An arrest warrant for murder has been issued for Naden, 32, in relation to the 2005 murder of mother-of-two Kristy Scholes.

Ms Scholes’ body was found in a house at Bumblegumbie Drive, West Dubbo, on 23 June 2005.

She and her two children, then aged three and four, had moved into the home temporarily while their own home was being repainted.

There is a second arrest warrant for Naden over a 2004 offence of indecently assaulting a child.

Unlike rewards that offer money if a person is convicted in court, today’s reward has $50,000 on offer for information that leads to the apprehension of Naden.

The reward comes a day ahead of the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of Dubbo mother Lateesha Nolan.

Ms Nolan, then 24, was last seen on the night of 4 January, 2005, at her grandparents’ Bumblegumbie Drive home in West Dubbo.

She had left her four children there, then aged one, three, four and five, about 9.30pm with a promise to return shortly, but has not been seen since. It’s believed she might have met with foul play.

Detectives believe Malcolm Naden might have important information about Ms Nolan’s disappearance and are very keen to speak to him.

Detective Superintendent Geoff Beresford, Commander of the Homicide Squad, welcomed the Minister’s reward, saying it may encourage the breakthrough police have been seeking.

“Detectives have been carrying out exhaustive inquiries across the state to locate Mr Naden, but believe he has been assisted in his efforts to evade police” Det Supt Beresford said.

“It is our view that with the offer of this reward, it may cause whoever is helping him to rethink their position and provide us with crucial information.”

Naden is described as being of Aboriginal appearance, 177cm tall, 85kg, with a medium build, olive description, and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Naden’s whereabouts is urged to phone Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.

Anyone who sees Naden should not approach him but phone ‘000’ immediately.

MALCOLM NADEN SIGHTING - WIN News Feb 1st 2006
One of Australia's most wanted men, spotted in Roma

New South Wales detectives from Strikeforce Durkin were last night on the trail of one of Australia's most wanted men, spotted in Roma.

There'd been unconfirmed reports from a local business operator that Dubbo's Malcolm Naden, who's accused of the strangling murder of mother-of-two Kristy Scholes in two thousand and five, was in town.

Thirty-two-year-old Naden's thought to have been seen in a red Ford Falcon, and was recognised from an article in a women's magazine.

The man believed to be him was last seen heading towards Toowoomba.

A fifty thousand dollar reward's being offered for information leading to Naden's arrest.

Police also want to question him over the disappearance of his cousin Lateesha Nolan two years ago.

Naden's of Aboriginal appearance, one hundred and seventy seven centimetres tall, eighty five kilograms, with a medium build and brown eyes.