No new leads in woman's disappearance

Posted Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:00pm AEST  - ABC

Tasmania Police believe there are still people with information about a missing Burnie mother who have not come forward.

20 year old Helen Munnings was last seen on the Bass Highway at South Burnie on July 23.

The Burnie CIB has been re-interviewing witnesses and reviewing the evidence, but have come up with nothing fresh.

Detective Inspector Adrian Shadbolt says another officer is conducting an independent review, but it will take some time.

"As time progresses, people have assessed their knowledge of certain events and observations on that day and have contacted us," he said.

"I'm sure that there are people out there in possession of information, relevant information, and we're still encouraging them to come forward and make contact with us.

"The case will always remain ongoing and open until we come to some resolution, so to speak."

Ms Munnings' family believe she has been murdered.

Police divers search for missing mother

Posted 41 minutes ago - August 14th 2008 - ABC

Investigations into the disappearance of a northern Tasmanian woman are being stepped up today, with police divers searching the waters of Emu Bay, at Burnie.

20 year old Helen Karel Munnings has been missing since July 23.

Divers will search waters opposite the Australian Paper Mill where Ms Munnings was last seen when she was dropped off from a white Holden flat tray ute.

Police now have new evidence that Ms Munnings said she wanted to walk along the beach next to the Bass Highway on the day she disappeared.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Steven says the dive team will be looking for Ms Munnings' clothing or her body.

"We've been getting some specialist advice from a number of scientific areas including the CSIRO and AUSAR, the Australian Search and Rescue personnel," he said.

"If a body did go in at the South Burnie beach on the afternoon that Helen went missing, the possibility that if a person has drowned in that area, the body still could be in that area this far down, three weeks down."

Police have not ruled out that Ms Munnings disappeared of her own accord, but she did not have her mobile phone or identification with her.

Ms Munnings' family say she was pregnant and believe she has been murdered.

It is still not clear if she was murdered, committed suicide or if something else happened to her.

Sgt Iain Shepherd, of the dive squad, was hoping for tips on sea areas to search from local fishers and others who knew the shoreline well.

"If someone has local knowledge or thoughts on where anyone could go into the water, we'd like to hear.

"Fishermen or others may know of people being swept off from a particular spot in the past, or have information about tidal areas.

"If it was brought to our attention we'd look at it."

Sgt Shepherd acknowledged it was possible they would find nothing.

"When you take tide, wind and weather patterns into account, we're talking about significant areas (of sea)."

Ms Munnings has been missing since July 23.

The last report of her whereabouts concerned her being dropped off from a Holden Rodeo flat tray on the Bass Hwy, outside Australian Paper, about 5.30pm that day.

Det-Sgt Kim Steven said Australian Paper's security staff had helped police with an extensive search of the company's site.

He said it did not turn up evidence of Ms Munnings.

Anyone with information, including sea search tips, is asked to contact Burnie Police on 64345211 or CrimeStoppers on 1800333000.

Munnings family pins hopes on Internet

BY SEAN FORD - The Advocate

21/01/2009 1:00:00 AM

 

MISSING Burnie mother Helen Munnings' family has turned to the Internet social networking site Facebook in a search for answers to her disappearance.

They are hoping someone who may be hesitant to contact police may leave them vital clues, nearly six months on from Ms Munnings' disappearance on July 23.

"Please help find Helen," the website they set up reads.

"She was a pretty 20-year-old mother and her son misses her."

The Facebook page may give the impression Ms Munnings is alive, although the family does not believe that.

"We're just trying to get it out there to see if anyone knows anything," her cousin, Chris Isherwood, of Burnie, said. "We're not expecting her to still be alive."

Ms Munnings' family said she was pregnant when she disappeared and her second child would have been due in February.

"Helen's family miss her and need some closure," they wrote in a letter to The Advocate.

"We need to find her body and the body of her unborn child.

"It is so important that we find her.

"It's awful thinking of her laying in some unmarked place."

Ms Munnings, 20, was last seen being dropped off on the Bass Hwy near Australian Paper.

Her disappearance sparked a major police investigation, which is continuing.

Police believe she may have been murdered.

Information for the family can be emailed to help.find.helen@gmail.com or given to police on 64345211.

Missing Helen

24/12/2008 9:50:00 AM - The Advocate

 

THIS Christmas Julie Payne has no answers, no closure and no grand-daughter.

It has been five months since Helen Munnings was last seen and her family can still only imagine what happened to the loving mother.

Their pain is intensified at a time of year so focused on family.

Ms Payne struggles to describe the constant feeling of despair she now lives with.

"I was in a store the other day and I saw something Helen would like and I thought `That's what I'll get Helen for Christmas'. Then it suddenly hit me and the tears came."

 

 

Investigation into missing Burnie woman continues

Posted Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:22pm AEDT - ABC

Police in northern Tasmania will continue to investigate the disappearance of a north west woman, despite the fact they are preparing a file for the coroner.

Helen Munnings, 20, was last seen in July last year on the Bass Highway east of Burnie.

Burnie Police Detective Sergeant Richard Chugg says they are hoping to give the file to the coroner by March, but Ms Munnings disappearance will remain an open investigation.

"It's an ongoing investigation with Burnie CIB, generally there'll be two officers working on it almost full time and the resources of the department and the rest of the office are available when required," he said.

Police extend search for Burnie woman

Posted Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:33pm AEDT - ABC

Police investigating the disappearance of a Burnie woman 18 months ago are reviewing the file before handing it onto the coroner later this year.

Twenty-year-old mother Helen Munnings was last seen on the Bass Highway outside of Burnie in July 2008.

Detective Acting Inspector Richard Chugg says they originally planned to hand the file to the coroner by March but that date has been pushed back.

"It's an ongoing case into the circumstances surrounding Helen's disappearance and that investigation will continue even after the matter is before the coroner, on the basis of new information received," he said.

Mr Chugg says they are going to wait for the second anniversary of Ms Munnings' disappearance.

"It's our intention now to wait for the current reward that's in place to come up for review," he said.

"At that time we would expect to be prepared for the coroner and submitted at that time."

Inquest into Tasmanian mother's fate

• From: AAP
• January 27, 2011 4:01PM

THE Tasmanian coroner will investigate the disappearance of a young mother last seen in the state's north two-and-a-half years ago.

Helen Karel Munnings, of Burnie, also known as Helen Black, was last seen in South Burnie in July 2008 when she was aged 20.

She was due to pick up her two-year-old from child care but failed to arrive and has not contacted the boy or relatives since.

Her disappearance sparked an intensive air and ground search along the beach at South Burnie.

A coronial investigation will be held into Ms Munnings' disappearance, it was announced on Thursday.

A date has not been set, but it is envisaged that the inquest will start later this year and hear evidence for about two weeks, a statement from the coroner's office said.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/inquest-into-tasmanian-mothers-fate/story-e6frfku9-1225995574365#ixzz1CGhqaSck
 

Missing woman's case still active

 

Updated July 26, 2011 16:16:25 - ABC

 

Tasmania Police has marked the third anniversary of the disappearance of Burnie woman Helen Munnings.

Ms Munnings was 20-years-old when she was last seen on the Bass Highway, east of Burnie, on July 23rd 2008.

Her family believes she was murdered and hopes a coronial inquiry into her disappearance will shed new light.

Detective Inspector Robert Gunton from Burnie CIB says the investigation is still active.

"This month marks three years since Helen was last seen."

"The investigation into her disappearance remains both open and active, we continue to investigate any credible information received," he said.

A coronial hearing will be held later in the year.

 

Inquest set for missing woman

Posted August 16, 2011 09:39:49 - ABC

Tasmanian police are appealing again for credible information into the disappearance two years ago of Burnie woman, Helen Munnings, as they prepare their case for the Coronor.

The hearing has been set down for November in Burnie, before Coroner Robert Pearce.

Last month marked three years since Ms Munnings disappeared.

She was 20 years old when she was last seen on the Bass Highway, east of Burnie, and her body has never been found.

Ms Munnings' family believes the young mother was murdered, and is hoping the coronial inquest will shed new light on what happened to her.

Ms Munnings' son is now five years old.

Burnie CIB still considers the investigation open and active, and is calling for any credible information on the case.

Leads still flow on Munnings case

Posted November 21, 2011 14:36:04 - ABC

Burnie police say there has been constant flow of information in the case of Burnie woman Helen Munnings since she disappeared more than three years ago.

An inquest into the 20-year-old mother's disappearance begins next week.

She was pregnant at the time and was last seen being dropped off from a white flat tray utility on the Bass Highway, east of Burnie.

Her body has never been found despite extensive searches around Burnie, including at Lake Kara.

The police investigation into her disappearance is ongoing.

Detective Sergeant Richard Chugg says there has been a reasonably constant flow of information.

"Some of that is of assistance but generally a lot of it's information that we've previously had."

A $100,000 reward for information is still being offered.

The inquest starts on Monday in Burnie.

 

Tears at inquest opening

Updated November 28, 2011 13:53:27 - ABC

The inquest into missing Burnie woman Helen Munnings has heard she was unhappy on the day she was last seen.

The 20 year old pregnant mother of one has not been seen since July 2008

The magistrates court in Burnie has heard Ms Munnings' mother reported her daughter missing after she failed to collect her two-year old son from childcare.

Constable Mark Cowan from Burnie police told the court, he interviewed the boy's father, Adam Taylor, after the missing persons report was filed.

Constable Cowan said Mr Taylor gave a statement to police saying he had picked up Ms Munnings in his car on Marine Terrace in Burnie on the day she was last seen.

Mr Taylor told police they had driven around Natone before he dropped her off on the Bass highway south of Burnie, because she wanted to 'clear her head'.

He said Ms Munnings had seemed a little upset and depressed and upset, but she was often like that.

Members of Ms Munnings wept during the opening statements this morning.

The 20 year-old was three months pregnant and had a two year-old son when she went missing.

Constable Leigh Stanley told the inquiry in Burnie this morning a 2009 police dive search found a nine litre plastic bucket filled with concrete and a rope attached.

He told the inquest it was a unusual object to find but in his opinion it was too small to be used to weigh down a body.

Despite extensive land and sea searches Ms Munnings' body has never been found.

The court has heard more than 40 witnesses including police, family and friends will give evidence over the next five days.

The Coroner, Robert Pearce, was challenged as to whether he had the jurisdiction to proceed with the inquiry because there was no evidence a death had occurred.

But Coroner Pearce ruled the inquest could proceed because a suspected death had taken place.

 

 

Memorial for young Burnie mother

Posted Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:35am AEST - ABC

The uncle of missing north-west Tasmanian woman, Helen Munnings, says a memorial service has gone some way towards closure for her family.

A service was held yesterday at Fern Glade, near Burnie, four years on from when the young mother disappeared.

Six weeks ago an inquest found that Ms Munning was probably dead but could not determine the circumstances of her death.

Ms Munnings' great uncle, Tom Payne, spoke about the 20-year-old's love of life and family, especially her son.

"My indication from family is that they now accept the fact that she's dead but it's just a matter of knowing how or where it happened and that may, or may not, ever be revealed," he said.

 

Tasmanian cold case being treated as a murder investigation with family desperate for answers

Posted 3 Jun 2018, 9:13am

A lot can change in 10 years: toddlers become teenagers, relationships are made and others dissolve, careers change and people move on.

But not for the Munnings family.

They are stuck in the moment on July 23, 2008 when 20-year-old Helen Munnings disappeared in the seaside city of Burnie.

She told her family she was making the short walk from their home to the doctor.

In fact, she had arranged to meet Adam Taylor, the father of her two-year-old son.

Her mother Karel Munnings cried as she recalled that day.

"She said she had to go down to the city medical and she left her keys on the table — and that's the last we saw of her," she said.

Mr Taylor was the last known person to see her alive.

The builder first slept with Helen Munnings when he was 30 and she was just 16. The age of consent in Tasmania is 17.

The relationship continued in secret after she turned 17, with her mother pushing police to charge Mr Taylor with having sex with a minor and Mr Taylor still living with his long-term partner.

Shortly before she disappeared Helen Munnings told friends and family she was pregnant again and Mr Taylor was the father.

The 2012 inquest into Helen Munnings' disappearance heard Mr Taylor did not want her to keep the baby.

"I'd been to the police, I'd been out in the street yelling at him, literally. I got charged for doing it," Karel Munnings said.

"Helen wanted that family unit because my children were brought up with one parent and Helen must have thought 'well, it would be nicer with a family'."

Mr Taylor told the inquest the pair had driven around the greater Burnie area talking and he had dropped her off on the highway near the old pulp mill about 6:00pm before heading home to his partner.

She has not been seen since.

The family, including Helen's Munnings' sister Kathryn, is still searching for answers.

"It's probably been hardest to watch my mum, to be honest. She's just heartbroken," she said.

"What do you say? 'It's OK'? Because it's not OK, what's happened, and it's just really hard."

Coroner could not rule out self-drowning

An inquest was unable to shed much light on the case.

Coroner Robert Pearce found it was unlikely Helen Munnings had deliberately disappeared to start a new life.

He found while "it would take a remarkable effort of human resolve to deliberately stay under water to the point of drowning" he could not rule out that she had drowned herself.

The inquest identified Mr Taylor as a person of interest.

But while the coroner found the relationship between Mr Taylor and Helen Munnings was "tumultuous and turbulent" and at times "characterised by ill will", the evidence before him did not support a finding that Mr Taylor was involved in her disappearance.

He made no formal recommendation or comment concerning Helen Munnings' death except to indicate that the police investigation into it should remain open, because "further evidence may become available".

'This is a murder investigation'

The Cold Case Unit has now identified a number of new leads, with the investigation being led by Detective Inspector Rob Gunton.

"I'm investigating this as a murder," he said, adding that police have one person of interest.

"This is very much an active investigation and will remain an active investigation until such time that we've resolved the matter," he said.

"I have my suspicions but my suspicions and my beliefs are certainly not enough.

"It's not about what we believe, what we think or even what we know — it's what we can prove."

The disappearance was too much for Kathryn Munnings, who left Burnie because of it.

"Everybody will talk about who's sleeping with who but they keep their mouth quiet about a murder — it never has made sense to me," she said.

"That's the reason I don't live down there. It's too frustrating."

A $100,000 reward for information about the disappearance has so far not loosened tongues but police hope over the past 10 years circumstances that stopped people speaking out may have changed.

The family members are pinning their hopes on it, with Kathryn Munnings desperate for someone to have the courage to come forward.

"To sit in the sidelines and watch us suffer, literally screaming out for help and answers ... I don't know how they sleep at night because I sure as hell don't," she said.

The Munnings said the disappearance not only robbed them of Helen but also of regular contact with her son Donovan, who lives with the Taylor family, and the baby she was carrying.

Explosive question to missing pregnant woman’s ex-boyfriend

ADAM Taylor was the last person to see his pregnant ex-girlfriend alive. In an explosive interview, he faces hard questions.

“DID you kill Helen Munnings?”

Mr Taylor was a prime suspect in the investigation but has always denied any knowledge of what happened to Ms Munnings, with authorities unable to establish where her body might be or how she died.

Sunday Night also put investigating officers in the spotlight, questioning whether “crucial evidence” could have “gone missing” under their watch.

Ms Munnings' family were recently given fresh hope following announcement that the cold case had been upgraded to murder after police uncovered fresh leads.

Cold case unit Detective Inspector Rob Gunton said a “person of interest” had been identified and that a $100,000 reward remained in place for information leading to an arrest.

Mr Taylor began a sexual relationship with Ms Munnings while he was in a long-term relationship with another woman, Karalina Garwood.

He was 30 when he started sleeping with the 16-year-old.

Ms Munnings mother Karel Black attempted to have Mr Taylor charged with having sex with a minor, as the age of consent is 17 in Tasmania.

The couple secretly continued their relationship after Ms Munnings turned 17 and she gave birth to their son, Donovan.

It was not long before she disappeared that Ms Munnings told friends and family that she was pregnant again and Mr Taylor was the father.

Throughout the 2012 inquest it was heard that Mr Taylor was unhappy she was pregnant again and wanted her to get rid of the baby.

On the day of her disappearance she lied and told her mother she was walking to the doctor’s office, when in reality she was meeting up with Mr Taylor.

The two went for a drive together and Ms Munnings was never seen again.

Mr Taylor told the inquest the pair had driven around the greater Burnie area talking and he had dropped her off on the highway near the old pulp mill about 6pm before heading out on his boat.

On Monday it will be a decade since the pregnant mum vanished

Anyone with information about her disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.