For two weeks no one looked up to see her there.

It seems, for a part of that time at least, no one was really looking at all, apart from her frantic family who now want answers about the search, the circumstances of her death and how with public buildings in full view of her body no one noticed her there.

A CLOSE FAMILY

Ask any of Charlene Warrior’s tight-knit immediate family and they’ll say her sister, Theresa, knew her better than anyone. The pair, just two years apart, were the youngest of Kenneth Newchurch and Alma Warrior’s six children.

They were so close that it was Theresa who posed with Charlene for a maternity shoot in the weeks before her daughter, A’methyst, was born last year. And it was Theresa who first noticed Charlene had disappeared during a trip to the small Yorke Peninsula town of Bute in September.

Charlene, 21, had gone to pick-up A’methyst, now a year old, from the home of her ex-partner when Theresa realised something was amiss.

“She wasn’t answering me so I started messaging her partner and he said he woke up and she was gone,” she said.

“I started to think something was wrong when I found out she didn’t have her phone, she took her phone everywhere.”

CHARLENE IS MISSING

Theresa reported Charlene missing and posted a desperate call-out on Facebook to her wide circle of family and friends.

Police launched a wide-scale search too, eventually involving STAR Group officers, the Mounted Operations Unit, a helicopter and SES volunteers.

The family, who live in the Adelaide suburb of Seaton, kept driving efforts to find Charlene but privately, Theresa feared the worst.

Her sister had left her daughter and personal belongings behind – giving the family immediate cause for concern.

She had also sent a series of messages in the days before her disappearance indicating something was not right.

“Would you do a night trip down here, I need to run away with daughter,” she messaged Theresa on Friday September 17.

The following night: “I hate this. Literally the saddest s*** ever”. Then … nothing. 

MYSTERY IN BUTE

Bute, which sits about 40km east of Wallaroo and 25km west of Snowtown, is comprised of a handful of crisscrossed streets and offers a small range of services for surrounding farms.

“It’s a town that’s got half people that have been here for years and the other half are transients that come and go,” a resident told The Advertiser this week.

Even so, news of the missing young woman spread quickly, following the last confirmed sighting of Charlene on September 18.

“It was very sad and it was quite mysterious from the beginning,” said another resident, who said she has lived on Martin St for more than 20 years.

On Sunday October 3, more than two weeks after Charlene disappeared, a local out walking found her body in a tree at the edge of a paddock on Martin St.

A resident, who lives metres from where the body was located, said neighbours were first horrified, but have since been left wondering.

“She was right there, there’s got to be more to it,” the resident said.

“How did she get there? In the middle of the night? I don’t know how she could have been there for the whole two weeks.”

BLAME GAME BEGINS

Charlene’s ex-partner claimed he had been the subject of an unfounded hate campaign after her death, and several Bute locals said he has now left town. He has not been charged or accused of any wrongdoing.

For her devastated family, the discovery only led to more questions. First among them: if she had spent the whole period in the tree, why wasn’t she found sooner?

“The fire station was directly visible from the tree and the SES staging area was right there as well,” said her aunty, Noelene Wills.

“It was impossible to miss her.”

A suitcase found days prior to Charlene’s body was first thought to have belonged to her, though the family says that has now been discredited.

MORE QUESTIONS

In a media release following the discovery, police said the death “appears to be non-suspicious” but investigations would continue.

But the Warriors have questions about that, too. Brother Clifford said Charlene’s body was found several metres above the ground, and her slight frame meant it was unlikely she could have climbed to that height by herself.

He said a childhood injury left her with permanent damage to one of her arms.

“They're saying she’s taken her own life, it’s just not adding up,” he said.

On top of that, why was Charlene’s phone found damaged? Why did a neighbour report she heard screaming in the days before she disappeared? And if she had taken her own life, why there? Why then?

Nearly six weeks on, the Warriors say they’re no closer to finding answers.

Last week, the family met with police investigating the case to highlight some of their concerns.

They’ve also raised awareness at two CBD vigils, where the community has gathered to remember Charlene and demand action.

THE INEQUITY

Organiser Natasha Wanganeen, Charlene’s cousin, said those events were also an opportunity to shine a light on the way the police, media and public treat cases of missing Aboriginal women.

“If she was a white woman, it would have been handled completely differently by everyone,” she said. “She deserved much better than this.”

Based on her devotion to her daughter and the circumstances surrounding her death, Charlene’s family reject outright the idea that she took her own life.

But suicide is a reality many other families must face. Suicide rates among Indigenous people are the highest they’ve been in decades, and the gap between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous rate is growing.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that suicide rates are now more than twice as high in young Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians.

“It’s time for change … this can’t keep happening to our women,” Ms Wanganeen said.

THE POLICE RESPONSE

In response to inquiries, a SA Police spokesperson said Charlene’s death was being thoroughly investigated.

“In circumstances such as this, investigators are always alert to any possibility of foul play,” a statement said.

“At this time, investigators, including support from SAPOL’s Major Crime Investigation Branch, are confident that Ms Warrior’s death is not suspicious and a comprehensive report into the cause and circumstances of Ms Warrior’s death will be presented to the State Coroner in due course.”

The spokesperson said police are committed to working with the family, and extend their deepest sympathies.

“Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott has stated that various members of SAPOL have been working closely with Ms Warrior’s family to listen, appreciate and understand their concerns about the circumstances surrounding Ms Warrior’s tragic death,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, senior SAPOL representatives have met previously with Ms Warrior’s family on a number of occasions – the most recent was last week, where they provided an update on the status of the very thorough coronial investigation that is being undertaken.”

Residents in the area where Charlene’s body was found said police working on the case visited at the end of October to inquire about CCTV. 

FAMILY IS FOREVER

Among the identifying information released to the public during the search for Charlene was details of her two distinct tattoos.

One, on her collarbone, read “every dark night has a brighter day”. The other, on her arm: “family is forever”.

For her parents and siblings, those words ring true.

The family is limited in what they can say about the future custodial arrangements of A’methyst, but hope she’ll be there to farewell her mum at a funeral service next week.

And for Charlene, they have vowed to continue their fight to find what led to the sudden and tragic death of a loving young mother.

At a minimum, they are urging the South Australian coroner to hold an inquest into the matter.

“We’ll keep going for as long as it takes,” Charlene’s brother Kenneth said.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800

MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

Headspace: 1800 650 890