Massive $500,000 reward for woman who went missing more than 30 years ago

A massive new reward has been revealed to help crack the mysterious disappearance of a young woman who vanished more than 30 years ago.

A massive $500,000 reward has been announced to help crack the case of a woman who went missing along Queensland’s central coast more than 30 years ago.

Michelle Coral Lewis, who was 21 at the time of her disappearance, vanished on January 14, 1989, after leaving a friend’s house in Rockhampton at 10.45pm to ride her bike a short distance home. But she never arrived home and neither her or and her red bike were ever seen again.

The state government and Queensland Police on Tuesday announced the reward for information regarding Ms Lewis’s disappearance amid the nation’s Missing Persons Week.

Michelle Coral Lewis, 29, was last seen in 1989 at north Rockhampton. Picture: Supplied.

On the afternoon of her disappearance, Ms Lewis rode her bike to her friend’s house on Stenlake Ave – which was no more than a kilometre away – to watch a movie. She was wearing a pink tie-dyed singlet, a pair of shorts and white dunlopsneakers at the time of her disappearance.

Ms Lewis also did not access any of her bank accounts.

More than 150 “tasks” were completed by police and 42 statements were made, including reported sightings of Ms Lewis – although none were confirmed.

At the time, police believed her to be the victim of serial killer Leonard John Fraser, who was a convicted rapist that confessed to killing Beverley Leggo, Sylvia Benedetti, Julie Turner and schoolgirl Keyra Steinhardt in the late 1990s.

Investigations revealed Fraser was in prison at the time of Ms Lewis’s death, although some members of the public believe there were times when he was allowed to roam from lower security correctional facilities.

Fraser died in 2007 while serving life imprisonment.

Google Earth image showing the proximity of Alexandra St and Stenlake Ave in Rockhampton North where Michelle Lewis went missing. Picture Supplied

Retired detective Ann Gumley, who led the investigation at the time, continues to search for answers. She said “if you find that bike, you’ll find Michelle”.

“To think that someone who had such a sad life in her younger years, who ended up with a foster family who did look after her – I mean, her room was beautiful, all her clothes were folded in her drawers – just disappeared,” she said.

“There are not too many cases that have stayed with me over the years, but after 33 years, but I still think about Michelle Lewis and what happened to her. She had such a sad life and then to just disappear just seems so unfair.

“It saddens me to think that someone can just disappear without a trace.”

Former detective Ann Gumley says he still thinks about Ms Lewis. Picture: Supplied

In a heartbreaking speech, friend Kerry Barlett – who was one of the last people to see Ms Lewis alive – pleaded with the public to come forward and let her friend be laid to rest.

“Every year that passes becomes harder, not easier, because there are no answers,” she said.

“If she met with foul play, it would be nice to have the answers as to who and why so we can have closure and Michelle can be laid to rest.”

Ms Bartlett was described by her best friend as a shy tomboy who always looked out for her friends.

“She would save everything to give to somebody else. Yeah, she’s a lovely person. She would really stick up for friends.” she said.

The former Glenmore High School graduate was described as “very responsible” and would always telephone her foster mum Adeline Salhus if her plans changed or she was going to be late.

After her mother gave her up at just a few weeks old, Ms Lewis went to live with her grandmother, who died when she was 16 years old.

Ms Lewis was then taken in by Ms Salhus, or Dell to her friends,and lived with her before her disappearance.

Ms Lewis is described as 155cm tall, with black shoulder length hair and brown eyes. She had two tattoos across the inside of one ankle with the letters M and L.

Ms Gumley said: “We can only hope that somebody out there may think of something even as it’s 33 years ago, but they may still be able to find something that they didn’t think of at the time.”

Originally published as Massive $500,000 reward for woman who went missing more than 30 years ago