Rachel Antonio: Police prepare to dig up Bowen tip in search of body

UPDATE: Money is no object when it comes to solving the disappearance of schoolgirl Rachel Antonio, police have declared.

P5//Rachel Antonio. Coroner to head inquest into 14-year mystery of her suspected death. Rachel was 16 years old when she vanished from Bowen in 1998.

• Diary could lead to body
• Parents’ plea for tip search

MONEY is no object when it comes to solving the disappearance of schoolgirl Rachel Antonio, police have declared.

Mackay Detective Inspector Nikki Colfs today held a press conference to announce developments in the case, more than a month after a Courier-Mail podcast revealed new information.

She said police were examining the “feasibility” of digging up the Bowen tip and looking for more evidence.

SEARCHING FOR RACHEL ANTONIO: Listen to our podcast series

It would come down to the chance of finding evidence almost 20 years after Rachel vanished, rather than the expense of the search, she said.

“Cost is never a consideration with it comes to someone’s life,” she said.

Police will have to determine the area of the excavation site, what evidence they are looking for, the likelihood of it being there and if the evidence would have survived 20 years in the ground.

Former Bowen tip manager Hugh Smith told the podcast Searching for Rachel Antonio that he believed a search could be done with relative ease.

As revealed in The Courier-Mail today, police are looking at conducting preliminary checks including drill tests to determine if a search is feasible.

“Look, my impression, and I’m not an expert, it would be a fairly difficult job,” Det Insp Colfs said.

“There is a lot more involved in knowing the area and the equipment that could be used. It is a lot more complicated than just putting an excavator in.”

She didn’t give a timeline of when a final decision to dig up the tip or not would be made.

A coroner last year found Robert Hytch had killed Rachel and hid her body. Hytch is appealing the findings in an ongoing case.

Det Insp Colfs said police did not intend to speak to Mr Hytch about the new information at this stage.

Earlier, drilling tests will be conducted and a bones specialist brought in at the Bowen tip where missing schoolgirl Rachel Antonio’s parents fear her body was dumped.

Police will today announce the first formal steps towards digging up the tip, just over a month after a The Courier-Mail podcast uncovered maps showing where rubbish was buried at the time Rachel vanished.

The officer overseeing the case, Mackay Detective Inspector Nikki Colfs, visited the tip for the first time yesterday with a forensic expert, a council representative and former tip manager Hugh Smith.

“We have commenced a detailed evaluation and plan of action in relation to the possible site excavation of the tip,” Insp Colfs said last night.

“I have spoken to Rachel’s family and advised them of this current course of action.”

Mr Smith was contacted for the Searching for Rachel Antonio podcast last year and revealed he had discovered his old tip diaries while sorting through his belongings.

He said the rubbish was put in its own “pocket” between layers of dirt, and a preliminary search would confirm if it was preserved and in place.

Ian and Cheryl Antonio believe their daughter’s body may have ended up at the dump. Picture: Peter Walis

Rachel’s parents, Ian and Cheryl Antonio, said that because of the suspected limited time a killer had to dispose of her body, she could have been put in a skip and ended up at the tip.

The 16-year-old disappeared after being dropped off at the cinema by her mum on Anzac Day, 1998.

Despite extensive searches elsewhere, the dump was never searched.

The Antonios, who were visited yesterday by Insp Colfs and scenes of crime officer Senior Sergeant Justin Crawley in Bowen, welcomed the developments.

“We’re very satisfied,” Ms Antonio said last night.

“It’s the best information we’ve had for ages.

“We’ve got something positive now.”

Mr Antonio said: “They are going to do some drilling and they’re going to do that before the end of the wet.

“The wet season only goes until March, so they might start that soon.

“They’re going to come back up with a bones specialist and have a look at some drill samples.”

Police will today say they are exploring the possibility of searching the tip in the renewed investigation into Rachel’s disappearance.

Insp Colfs said yesterday’s visit included comparing the area’s layout to the late 1990s and discussions about former refuse practices.

A coroner last year found lifeguard Robert Hytch killed Rachel and hid her body.

He is appealing against the findings in a case that remains ongoing.

A $250,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the recovery of Rachel’s remains.

Anyone who has information that can assist police is asked to contact Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.