Niamh Maire MAYE

                   

                    

      Photo of Niamh's parents by Robert Pearce.

Niamh Maye: $250,000 reward offered in search for NSW woman missing for two  decades | New South Wales | The Guardian  Police issue $250,000 reward for information on Niamh Maye's disappearance  | Daily Telegraph

 

Niamh MAYE
DOB: 1983
HAIR: Brown
BUILD: Medium
EYES: Brown
CIRCUMSTANCES: A highly intelligent and talented student, Niamh Maye had been fruit picking during a gap year before starting university studies. She was last seen near Tumut, NSW on 30 March 2002 while travelling to her sister's home for Easter with her family. Police and coronial investigations found that Niamh met with foul play, however her remains have never been found. Both Police and her family know that someone, somewhere knows something and are hopeful that they will come forward with the information required to find Niamh's remains and reunite them with her family. Please contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

Parents' agony: three calls a week to three weeks without word

By Brigid Delaney - SMH
April 19 2002

In the catalogue of parents' fears, surely this is one of the greatest. Your youngest child has gone missing, maybe while hitchhiking, and her bank accounts have not been touched.

In the maelstrom of distress and anguish there are thing to attend to: talking to her friends, liaising with police and fronting a media conference, where, flanked by police, you distribute her photo and tell her story.

Brian and Anne Maye travelled to Sydney from their home in Armidale yesterday to do just that.

Their daughter, Niamh Maye, 18, has been missing for 19 days. Mrs Maye said Niamh had last contacted her family just before Easter, when she phoned to say she would travel from Batlow, near Tumut, to her sister's house in Sydney. She did not arrive.

Police are investigating what happened after a black HT Holden hearse dropped Niamh in Tumut at about 1pm on Easter Sunday, March 31.


Monday, 11 April 2005
Inquest may be held into fruit picker's disappearance


The coroner will decide whether there will be an inquest into the disappearance three years ago of a teenage girl while on a working holiday in the Riverina in southern NSW. Niamh Maye of Armidale went missing on Easter Saturday 2002 after she had been fruit picking at Batlow and Jingellic. The man who last saw her alive, another picker, Jason Nicholson, took his life in Brisbane after being arrested for rape. Superintendent Frank Goodyer says the 19-year-old's disappearance remains a mystery. "Well, look it's very, very frustrating for investigators involved in this matter when they do reach a point where they've exhausted all lines of inquiry and we'd hope that there's something out there or some piece of evidence that could be turned up no matter how insignificant, police would be most interested," he said.

Superintendent Goodyer says with no progress, a report is now being prepared for the coroner. "The death of the primary person of interest in the investigation was an impediment to progressing those direct lines of inquiry that we had, and inquiries have been made around the associates of that particular individual," he said. "However, they haven't disclosed anything that may lead us in a positive direction."

Officers excused from testifying
 Sat Aug 21 2004


Two police officers in charge of a suspected rapist who fell to his death while being escorted to a Brisbane jail cell have refused to testify at his inquest. The officers were both excused from the coronial inquiry in Brisbane after claiming privilege against incrimination over the death of Jason Paul Nicklason on October 18, 2002. However, the inquest has heard from a third officer, Constable Leigh Browne, that Nicklason, 31, was "calm" despite being under arrest for viciously raping a woman. Since his death, Nicklason has also been named by NSW detectives as a suspect in the disappearance of Armidale teenager Niamh Maye. The 18-year-old girl went missing in 2002 after meeting Nicklason while fruit-picking at Batlow, in southern NSW. Nicklason had admitted to police to agreeing to give Niamh a lift to Tumut, dropping her off on the roadside enroute to Sydney, where she was visiting her sister for Easter.The teenager failed to arrive in Sydney and has not been seen since. The inquest on Wednesday heard Nicklason was arrested on the day of his death for raping a woman at West End in inner Brisbane. Nicklason was being escorted by police to the city watchhouse when he fell from the top floor of the three-storey building in front of several commuters. Constable Browne, who interviewed Nicklason before he was escorted by the other officers, said Nicklason told him he was not suicidal, using drugs or depressed at the time. "He was particularly calm," he told the inquest. The incident was referred to Queensland's Crime and Misconduct Commission and the Police Ethical Standards Command for review. The inquest before Deputy State Coroner Christine Clements is continuing.


Friday, October 28, 2005
Police keep quiet about missing teen search location


Police in Tumut, in south-eastern New South Wales, are not revealing the location of the third search for a teenager who disappeared three-and-a-half years ago and is feared dead.

The search planned to be held next month will be the last step before police finalise a report for the coroner on Niamh Maye, 18, from Armidale.

Tumut detective Steve Rose has again appealed for anyone with information about Ms Maye's disappearance to contact police.

"We've had a search of the Gocup Road which was our very initial information where Niamh was dropped off," he said.

"We've now discarded that. There was also a search of an area on the Blowering foreshores which was identified by a clairvoyant and now we have a search happening in another area and I don't wish to disclose that at this time, purely on the information that's been received through the investigation."

Big search planned for missing teen
Thursday, 1 December 2005


A team of 50 police and volunteers will spend the weekend searching bushland around Tumut, in southern NSW, for the body of a teenager who has been missing for three-and-a-half years.

Niamh Maye, 18, from Armidale, was last seen on Easter Saturday 2002.

The man who says he dropped her off near Tumut later took his life while in custody in Brisbane on a rape charge.

Detective Steve Rose has appealed for anyone with any clues about the woman's disappearance to contact Tumut police before the search begins.

"Now is the perfect opportunity for anyone that may have any information to assist police with the investigation, locating Niamh Maye or any of her belongings, to come forward," he said.

"There are going to be numerous resources here in the area over the weekend. If we can utilise those resources while they're here it'd be much appreciated."

It will be the second search for the missing girl, but Detective Rose is not optimistic about the outcome.

"I'm not particularly confident of turning up property belonging to Niamh or Niamh's remains themselves, but it's just the last ditch effort basically, once we complete these searches this weekend, the investigation will be sealed and forwarded to the coroner for him to make a determination."

Members of the missing girl's family will be in Tumut this weekend for the search.

Detective Rose says it has been a traumatic few years for them.

"I can only try and imagine what it would be like for the parents and other members of her family - let's not forget she's one of seven children," he said.

"It's a terrible time of the year and particularly coming up to the festive season when the family gathers.

"Although it's great to see members of the family come together, I always know in the family of Niamh Maye there's always one missing."


Search resumes for missing teen
From: AAP By Tara Ravens and Vera Devai
December 03, 2005


FROM the moment 18-year-old Niamh Maye failed to call her parents, they knew something had gone very wrong.

Two days later, when there was still no word, they were convinced she was dead.
Police have resumed searching for any trace of the Armidale teenager, who went missing in bushland at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains more than three years ago.

She had been travelling from Batlow, in southern New South Wales, to visit her sister in Sydney.

Her mother, Anne, today said the family just wanted to take her body home.

"Right from the start we knew she was dead because there was no reason for her to go missing: she was so positive, she was taking a break between finishing school and starting university," she said.

"We knew the moment she got to Sydney she would be on the phone to catch up and she didn't ring.
"We thought she had been delayed a little and we waited a bit, and then we waited some more ... she didn't ring the next day, or the next day. We knew then."

The Armidale teenager, who loved scuba diving and triathlons, was last seen on Gocup Road, between Tumut and Gundagai on March 30, 2002.

Despite extensive publicity, no trace of her has ever been found.

Detective Inspector Shane White today said police were making a final effort to locate her body over two days this weekend.

"It is an absolutely tragic story and we would dearly love to find Niamh's body to allow her family to take her home and put her to rest," he said.

"But I've got to concede that we are near the end of the tether as far as investigative options go.

"If at the end of the weekend we haven't located anything we can safely say we have given it our best shot and, as much as we hate to admit it, all the indicators are that there was foul play."

Searching on foot, horseback and motorbike, about 60 people from the police, SES, rural fire service and members of the local community are combing more than 25 square km of rugged bushland, Det Insp White said.

"We would like to find Niamh's body or some of her belongings or clothes which would give us a greater indication of where she might be," Det Insp White said.

"She had a fair bit of gear with her in terms of camping gear and equipment and that equipment has got to be somewhere."

Despite disappointing results today, Anne Maye said she still held hope tomorrow would bring "some little miracle".

"What has kept us going is the fact the we have been on the job if you like. Knowing that we wouldn't find her still alive but wanting to find her body, and that is what we are still doing," she said.

December 2, 2005 - 11:01AM

Police will search bushland in southern NSW for a teenager who went missing more than three years ago.

Niamh Maye, 18, was last seen on Gocup Road, between Tumut and Gundagai on March 30, 2002, and is feared to have been murdered.

The Armidale teenager disappeared after phoning her parents just before Easter, 2002, to say she was travelling from Batlow, in southern NSW, to see her sister in Sydney.

Despite extensive publicity, no trace of the teenager has ever been found.

About 60 local police and volunteers will this weekend conduct an extensive search of bushland near Tumut, in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, by foot, motorbikes and horseback.

Police said the search follows a review of the investigation, which has identified four possible sites where the teenager's body or belonging's may have been disposed of.

Niamh's parents, Anne and Brian Maye, will attend the search.

Jason Paul Nicklason, an acquaintance of Niamh, is believed to be one of the last people to have seen her after giving her a lift and dropping her off on the roadside enroute to Sydney.

The pair met in early 2002 when they were both fruit-picking at Batlow.

Nicklason was arrested on October 18, that year, following the bashing and rape of a woman at West End, in inner Brisbane.

But he fell to his death while being escorted to a Brisbane jail cell on the day of his arrest.

Police said at the time they believed it was likely Niamh was murdered and have never ruled out Mr Nicklason as a suspect.


Sat, Dec 03, 2005
Search for girls body in bushes
By KYLIE MUNRO - The Border Mail, Wodonga

TUMUT police will today scour dense bushland in the Snowy Mountains for the body of missing Armidale youth Niamh Maye.

The teenager disappeared in the Tumut area on Easter Sunday 2002 and police are investigating her murder.

About 60 police and volunteers will search on foot, motorcycle and horseback in rugged terrain in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains today and tomorrow.

The girls parents, Anne and Brian Maye, will watch the search in the hope clues to their daughters disappearance or her body will finally be uncovered.

The search follows an investigation review which identified four possible sites where Miss Mayes body or belongings may have been dumped.

The 18-year-old was last seen on the Gocup Rd between Tumut and Gundagai at lunchtime on March 30, 2002.

Miss Maye had been working at Batlow as a fruit picker to save money before starting a university degree in Sydney and had contacted her parents to tell them she would travel to Sydney to spend Easter with a sister.

The youngest of seven children, Miss Maye went to Jingellic with several people she was working with and one of the group promised to drive her to Batlow in time to catch her bus to Cootamundra and then the train to Sydney.

Miss Maye never got on the bus at Batlow.

Jason Nicklason, a fellow fruit picker, told detectives he drove Miss Maye, in a 1968 hearse-style station wagon, to Gocup Rd.

Nicklason has since committed suicide after fleeing police custody and jumping off the top floor of the Roma St transit centre in Brisbane.

Miss Maye has been described as creative and talented, having topped her school at Armidale.

Miss Maye was 170-175cm tall, of slim build, shoulder-length brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a freckled face.

She was last seen carrying a backpack, tent, sleeping bag and a stick.

Police unwilling to speculate about Maye
Skeleton a mystery - The Border Mail


POLICE will not speculate whether skeletal remains found at Blowering Dam, near Tumut, could be Niamh Maye.

Miss Maye, 18, disappeared after visiting Jingellic almost five years to the day from when the body was discovered.

On Saturday, trail bike riders found the remains in dense pine forest, 4km from the dam foreshore.

Animals had scavenged the remains.

Initial reports suggested the remains had been there for less than six months with police poring over missing person reports from late last year.

But yesterday police media said nothing would be known until next week.

“The remains have been transferred to Glebe to be examined by the coroner,” a spokesman said.

“Nothing will be known before next week.”

Police are treating the death as suspicious.

Detectives took over the investigation on Monday.

Miss Maye, 18, was last seen on the Gocup Road between Tumut and Gundagai on Easter Sunday, March 30, 2002.

She had been fruit picking at Batlow to save money before starting a university degree in Sydney and had contacted her parents to tell them she would travel to Sydney to spend Easter with a sister.

The youngest of seven children, Miss Maye went to Jingellic with several people she was working with and one of the group promised to drive her to Batlow in time to catch her bus to Cootamundra and then the train to Sydney.

She never got on the bus at Batlow.

Jason Nicklason, a fellow fruit picker, told detectives he drove Miss Maye, in a 1968 hearse-style station wagon, to Gocup Road.

In a bizarre twist, Nicklason later committed suicide after fleeing police custody and jumping off the top floor of the transit centre in Roma Street, Brisbane.

Miss Maye has been described as creative and talented, having topped her school at Armidale.

She was 170-175cm tall, of slim build, shoulder-length brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a freckled face.

Bike riders find body near Blowering Dam
Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - ABC


A body found near Blowering Dam at the weekend is to be sent to Sydney for a post-mortem.

Police say a group of trail-bike riders found the body on the Batlow side of the dam on Snubba Range on Saturday.

Tumut police say they cannot identify the sex or age of the person as the body is badly decomposed.

Police have yet to find any trace of the teenager Niamh Maye, who went missing in the Tumut region several years ago.

Dam body not of missing teen

 
THE body found close to the Blowering Dam near Tumut is male, ruling out the remains are those of missing teenager Niamh Maye.

Police said a post mortem analysis of the body, found on April 7, was continuing.

There had been speculation it could have been Miss Maye’s body when news of the discovery broke.

She disappeared after visiting Jingellic and was last seen on the Gocup Road between Tumut and Gundagai on March 30, 2002.

Police travelled to Melbourne earlier this week in connection with a man who disappeared in the Tumut area.

It is believed the body had been in a pine forest near the dam for about two months before it was found.

Niamh ‘a homicide victim’

09 Mar, 2012 10:04 AM - Armidale Express

 

TO HER family, Niamh Maye will always be with them.

The 18-year-old Armidale girl disappeared in 2002, and an inquest in Glen Innes this week found that she is deceased, a victim of homicide.

But for her parents Brian and Anne, sisters Catherine, Susan, Justine, Thomasine, Fionnuala and brother Kieron, “this is never over for us”.

“She is with us every day and is part of our family,” Mrs Maye said.

The official finding by Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon was that Niamh is deceased, a homicide victim, by a person or persons unknown, cause of death unknown, at or near Tumut on March 30 or 31, 2002.

Niamh had been fruit picking in the Riverina area to save money before embarking on a film production course at university.

On March 27, she had told her mother she was leaving for Sydney and was expected at her sister’s home on March 31, but failed to arrive.

A statement issued by the Maye family following this week’s inquest said: “We miss our beautiful Niamh.

“Each of us carries her with us every day and our greatest hope is to one day bring her home.

“This is never over for us.

“The findings of this inquest are not unexpected. We recognise it as an important step in the process of investigating Niamh’s disappearance.

“We would like to thank the police for their dedication over the past 10 years and for their continued commitment to finding Niamh. We would also like to thank the communities of Tumut, Batlow and surrounds, and of Armidale, for their assistance and support.

“We could not have managed over the years without the love and care of our family and friends.”

 

We have never given up hope’

Missing Persons Week brings unsolved cases to the fore including that of Niamh Maye

As part of this year’s Missing Persons Week, NSW Police are renewing their appeal for information to locate a woman who went missing from Jingellic more than 18 years ago.

Niamh Maye, then aged 18, left a campground at Jingellic on Saturday, March 30 2002.

The Armidale teenager had travel arrangements to leave Batlow for Sydney to stay with her sister, however never made the journey and was reported missing by family.

Police were told that Niamh had been fruit picking in the Riverina region prior to her disappearance and that she had been driven to Gocup Road at Tumut by an associate.

A coronial inquest in March 2012, determined Niamh had died at or near Tumut, by a person or persons unknown to her, on Saturday 30 or Sunday 31 March 2002.

Despite extensive investigations, no trace of Niamh has ever been found and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.

Investigations are continuing by detectives from Riverina Police District, together with the State Crime Command’s Unsolved Homicide Unit and Missing Persons Registry, under Strike Force Yola.

The investigation is currently being formally reviewed under the new unsolved homicide framework.

Niamh Maye’s father, Brian Maye, remembered his daughter as a happy and creative young woman with a great sense of humour.

“Niamh is always with us in spirit and we will always honour the 18 years she filled us with her brightness,” Mr Maye said.

“Not a day goes by we don’t think of Niamh and the life she would have lived. We miss our beautiful, loving, cheeky, fun daughter, sister and aunt.

“On behalf of our family, we would like to thank the local community for their support and police for their dedication to finding Niamh – we hope one day we can bring her home,” Mr Maye said.

Niamh Maye’s mother, Anne Maye, said her daughter was a devoted and much-loved sister and aunt to her six siblings and one niece.

“As a family, we have never given up hope that we might be able to find Niamh and give her a proper resting place,” Mrs Maye said.

“Niamh’s memory lives on with us – including eleven new nieces and nephews, two of whom carry her name as their middle name, in honour of the aunt they never had the opportunity to meet.

“After 18 years of unanswered questions, we’re asking anyone in the community who may have information to please come forward,” Mrs Maye said.

At the time of her disappearance, Niamh was described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 170cm tall, with a slim build, shoulder-length dark blonde hair and blue/grey eyes.

She was last seen carrying a backpack, tent, sleeping bag and metre-long stick.

Anyone with information about Niamh Maye’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Information is treated in strict confidence. The community is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Missing Persons Week is an annual national campaign to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons and runs between Sunday 2 August and Saturday 8 August 2020.

For more information on the campaign visit www.missingpersons.gov.au.

2/8/2020

 

As part of this year’s Missing Persons Week, police are renewing their appeal for information to locate a woman who went missing from the state’s Riverina region more than 18 years ago.
Niamh Maye, then aged 18, left a campground at Jingellic on Saturday 30 March 2002.
The Armidale teenager had travel arrangements to leave Batlow for Sydney to stay with her sister, however never made the journey and was reported missing by family.
Police were told that Niamh had been fruit picking in the Riverina region prior to her disappearance and that she had been driven to Gocup Road at Tumut by an associate.
A coronial inquest in March 2012, determined Niamh had died at or near Tumut, by a person or persons unknown to her, on Saturday 30 or Sunday 31 March 2002.
Despite extensive investigations, no trace of Niamh has ever been found and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.
Investigations are continuing by detectives from Riverina Police District, together with the State Crime Command’s Unsolved Homicide Unit and Missing Persons Registry, under Strike Force Yola.
The investigation is currently being formally reviewed under the new unsolved homicide framework.
Niamh Maye’s father, Brian Maye, remembered his daughter as a happy and creative young woman with a great sense of humour.
“Niamh is always with us in spirit and we will always honour the 18 years she filled us with her brightness,” Mr Maye said.
“Not a day goes by we don’t think of Niamh and the life she would have lived. We miss our beautiful, loving, cheeky, fun daughter, sister and aunt.
“On behalf of our family, we would like to thank the local community for their support and police for their dedication to finding Niamh – we hope one day we can bring her home,” Mr Maye said.
Niamh Maye’s mother, Anne Maye, said her daughter was a devoted and much-loved sister and aunt to her six siblings and one niece.
“As a family, we have never given up hope that we might be able to find Niamh and give her a proper resting place,” Mrs Maye said.
“Niamh’s memory lives on with us – including eleven new nieces and nephews, two of whom carry her name as their middle name, in honour of the aunt they never had the opportunity to meet.
“After 18 years of unanswered questions, we’re asking anyone in the community who may have information to please come forward,” Mrs Maye said.
At the time of her disappearance, Niamh was described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 170cm tall, with a slim build, shoulder-length dark blonde hair and blue/grey eyes.
She was last seen carrying a backpack, tent, sleeping bag and metre-long stick.
Anyone with information about Niamh Maye’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Information is treated in strict confidence. The community is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Documentary shares personal side of missing Niamh Maye

 

The story of missing teenager Niamh Maye has been shared regularly with Australians ever since her disappearance somewhere between Jingellic, Batlow and Tumut in March 2002, but last night the ABC shared a different perspective – that of Ms Maye’s elder sister, Fionnuala Hagerty, and their family.

The interview was part of the ‘You Can’t Ask That’ series and can be viewed online through iview.abc.net.au. Through the program, the families of seven missing Australians were asked a range of taboo questions about their experiences. 

The victims’ situations ranged from the disappearance of 11-year-old Joanne Ratcliffe in 1973, through to the death and discovery of Daniel O’Keeffe in March 2016. Most are still missing, with the exception of Mr O’Keeffe and 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe, who was abducted in 2003. Daniel’s remains were found in August 2011.

Ms Hagerty spoke clearly of her sister’s disappearance, describing the early days of the family’s tragedy, when Ms Maye went camping in Jingellic and was offered a ride back to Batlow to catch the bus to Sydney. 

She never caught that bus, and the man who gave her a ride was arrested in Brisbane roughly six months after Ms Maye’s disappearance on charges of raping a 19-year-old woman. He died by suicide while in police custody.

“When we found that out, we thought that was it. We would never find her,” Ms Haggerty told the program.

The seven families shared stories which were parallel at points, but ran in entirely different directions in other areas. 

 

The O’Keeffe family shared as many pictures of Mr O’Keeffe as they could find, showing him in different angles and lights and at different weights. 

Ms Haggerty said her family shared only one or two pictures of Ms Maye, wanting to keep the rest as their own private memories of her sister.

One of the boldest questions asked, “Is it better to be dead or missing?” but there was no consensus among the answers.

Ms Haggerty replied simply, “Home.”

Loren O’Keeffe, the sister of Daniel O’Keeffe, described how years of delayed hope can be “excruciating and exhausting” while others spoke of not being able to move on without answers. 

Sassoon Simonian, whose brother Sevak Simonian was last seen in October 2014 in the Blue Mountains, said he’d been told by others that they missed the days when they still had hope of their loved ones returning.

The families reflected on shared feelings of guilt, describing how they wished they had spent more time with their missing family members or been more attentive. Daniel Morcombe’s father, Bruce, said he had discovered too late that money and business paled in value after the disappearance of his son, and he wished he had been a “better father.”

 

Like others, Mr Morcombe spoke of the strain of having nowhere to grieve and no certainty while Daniel was still missing.

Ms Hagerty said her family held a memorial service for her sister, about six months after she disappeared, but she still dreams of Ms Maye.

“I still remember sitting outside Mum and Dad’s house, looking up at the stars and thinking, ‘She’s under the same stars somewhere,’” she said.

The program runs a little over 35 minutes and was put together with the assistance of the Missing Persons Advocacy Network, which was established by Ms O’Keeffe, and Leave A Light On, a movement created by Joanne Ratcliffe’s sister, Suzie, to raise awareness and provide support for families of missing persons.

Other questions answered in the program included: When was the last time you saw them? When did you realise they were missing? What did the cops do? Were there any clues? Why did you pick that photo? Do you worry they’re trapped in a creep’s basement?

Ms Hagerty said that for now, the “obvious theory” about Ms Maye’s disappearance is that “the person who said he dropped her off didn’t drop her off and that she’s buried somewhere in that area.”

According to the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre, more than 38,000 people are reported missing to police in Australia each year. Most are found within a short period of time, but there are currently close to 2600 people listed as long-term missing persons.

A $250,000 NSW Government reward has been announced for information
leading to an arrest and conviction regarding to the disappearance of
Niamh Maye in the state’s south 21 years ago, or for information that                                                  
leads to the discovery of her remains.

Niamh Maye was aged 18 when she was last seen near Jingellic on Saturday 30 March 2002.
She was planning to catch a bus from Batlow to the train at Cootamundra,
to travel to her sister’s home in Sydney. She has never been seen or heard from since.
It is suspected she met with foul play.

At the time of her disappearance, Niamh was carrying personal belongings in a backpack,
including clothing, camera equipment, camping gear and cookware;
none of which has ever been located.

Strike Force Yola was established by officers attached to Riverina Police District, who have conducted extensive investigations at the time and over the years, including public appeals for information into Niamh’s whereabouts, however, they have been unable to locate her.

To prompt those who know something to come forward, police have today (Wednesday 21 June 2023) announced a reward of a quarter of a million dollars for information that leads to the discovery of Niamh’s remains, or for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Riverina Police District Commander, Superintendent Andrew Spliet, is hopeful the reward will be an incentive for those who know something to speak up.

“Any information, no matter how small, could be the missing piece of the puzzle we need to locate Niamh and finally bring answers and some peace to her family,” Supt Spliet said.

“Today is Niamh’s 40th birthday, and it’s about time her family can celebrate her life without the heartbreak of not knowing where she is.

“We have never given up on Niamh, and we’re not about to,” Supt Spliet said.

Now aged 82 and living in a retirement village in Sydney, Niamh’s mother Anne Maye said she and her family need to lay their daughter, sister, aunt and friend to rest. "Today Niamh should be celebrating her 40th birthday with her family and friends, instead we mourn the beautiful soul and precious time that have been taken from us.

We still desperately want to find her and lay her to rest with the dignity and respect she deserves. If you know something, or can help find her, please do the right thing and come forward.

“Words can’t describe how special Niamh is to our whole family. Her disappearance has left a gaping hole and we have never given up on finding her. We hope this reward will lead us to the answers we have sought for more than twenty years now,” Mrs Maye said.

As investigations under Strike Force Yola continue, anyone with information that may assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 and can do so anonymously.

 

 

Niamh vanished 21 years ago. On her 40th birthday police have announced a reward to find her

Today marks Niamh Maye's 40th birthday - but there will be no candles or cake.
Maye - from Armidale in NSW's Northern Tablelands - has been missing for 21 years, ever since she vanished at the age 18 in what detectives suspect were sinister circumstances.
Today, NSW Police announced a $250,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction into Maye's disappearance, or for information that leads to the discovery of her remains.
On Easter Saturday, 2002, Maye, then 18, had been fruit-picking with friends near the NSW-Victorian border.
She was booked to catch a bus north from Batlow to Cootamundra and then a train to Sydney, to spend Easter with her family.
But she never showed up.
 
Nobody has ever been charged over her disappearance, however, police believe she met with foul play.
A coronial inquest in 2012 found that Maye had died at or near Tumut in the NSW Riverina, on or around March 30, 2002.
In 2020, Maye's sister, Fionnuala Hagerty, made a public appeal for any information that could help uncover what happened to her.
"I was only 20 at the time and I think I had some naive optimism that maybe we would still find her, but realistically we knew immediately when she didn't get on that bus that something had gone wrong," Hagerty said.