Dereel dam drained in search for missing Bannockburn woman Lorrin Whitehead

Police have drained a dam west of Melbourne in a bid to find the remains of a mother who vanished more than a decade ago. SEE THE VIDEO.

A dam on a property northwest of Geelong has been drained as part of the search for a Bannockburn woman who went missing 12 years ago.

Detectives from the Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit were conducting a search at a farm in Dereel on Wednesday afternoon as they continue to probe the disappearance of Lorrin Whitehead.

A dam at the property has been drained and an excavator brought in as part of the operation.

According to Victoria Police, the search is based on intelligence that the mother-of-five’s remains may potentially be located in this area.

The fresh search comes three weeks after it was revealed that a Coroner would investigate her disappearance. Detectives also scoured bushland at a rural Shelford property for the missing woman’s remains and belongings, including her personal phone and laptop, on January 7.

Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit detective Steve Murphy said he was “thankful for each new piece of information provided to us by the public”.

Images released by police of Lorrin Whitehead.

“Next week will mark 12 years since Lorrin disappeared without a trace,” Detective Murphy said.

“Lorrin’s family and friends have spent more than a decade not knowing what happened to Lorrin and we want to provide them with some answers.

“We know there is someone out there who has information that can assist us in working out exactly what happened to Lorrin and provide closure to her loved ones and the tight-knit community of Bannockburn.

“Our team will continue to follow up every new piece of information we receive until Lorrin is found.”

Ms Whitehead was last spotted on February 8, 2013 when a witness saw her enter the back seat of a red four-wheel drive in Bannockburn’s CBD.

At the time of her disappearance, Lorrin did not own a red 4WD.

She was 42 at the time.

SES volunteers search bushland near Shelford as a part of a police investigation into the 2013 disappearance of Lorrin Whitehead. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis

Former veteran police officer and host of News Corp Australia’s The Missing podcast Meni Caroutas has investigated Ms Whitehead’s disappearance as part of the series.

He said earlier this month that he believed finding the missing red 4WD would uncover the last person to have seen her alive.

Ms Whitehead’s children have pleaded for answers into her disappearance, with her eldest daughter Amelia Grozdanovski telling the Geelong Advertiser last year that she had her own theories about who was involved. “I feel that this person is solely responsible for her going missing, and they know who they are,” she said.

According to a Victoria Police spokesman “Lorrin’s disappearance was extremely out of character and her bank accounts have remained untouched since she went missing”.

Her work phone was also found at her home, which raised further concerns.

Over the past year, detectives from Moorabool CIU have spoken to a number of people who knew Lorrin and they are continuing to explore all possibilities in relation to her disappearance.

Police on Wednesday re-released pictures of Ms Whitehead, which include a digital image depicting what she may look like in 2025.

Ms Whitehead is described as 170cm tall, with a medium build, brown eyes, and brown hair, and she was wearing black pants and a light-coloured shirt with a collar when she was last seen.

Anyone with information is urged contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Originally published as Dereel dam drained in search for missing Bannockburn woman Lorrin Whitehead