National Missing Persons Week: ACT Policing, NSW Police establish Strike Force Viking to investigate Laura Haworth disappearance
Detectives in the ACT and NSW have joined forces to investigate the 2008 disappearance of a young mother, revealing their fears about her fate for the first time.
Canberra Star
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Detectives in the ACT and NSW have joined forces to investigate the 2008 disappearance of a missing mother, revealing for the first time that they suspect she “met with foul play”.
Laura Haworth was just 23 when she vanished after leaving a friend’s home on Collett Street, Queanbeyan, in January 2008.
Her car, a red Mazda 121, was later located across the ACT border in Reid.
Despite a significant search of the surrounding area, Ms Haworth was never seen or heard from again.
On Monday, Detective Acting Inspector Adam Rhynehart revealed ACT Policing had received information that suggested Ms Haworth “met with foul play” at or around the time of her disappearance.
He made the revelation as ACT Policing kicked off National Missing Persons Week with the announcement of Strike Force Viking, a joint operation in which detectives from Canberra will work with their NSW counterparts in a bid to finally bring Ms Haworth’s family answers.
While Detective Acting Inspector Rhynehart would not be drawn on what had led police to suspect foul play, he said he believed people in the community knew what had happened.
“We are urging those people to come forward,” he said.
“It’s been 16 years since Laura went missing, and that’s 16 years her family has not had Laura or had any answers.
“I implore anyone with information, no matter how big or small, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
“The information you provide could be the key to giving Laura’s family some much-needed answers.”
Detective Acting Inspector Rhynehart also said he believed Ms Haworth’s family appreciated the fact police had not given up on the investigation despite the passage of time.
His NSW Police counterpart, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Grey, said the joint strike force had been established because there were “lines of inquiry that go into NSW”.
“Whilst we won’t talk about specific lines of inquiry, obviously 16 years is a long time for a family not to hear from anyone,” he told reporters.
“For that reason, we have grave concerns for her welfare.”
Detective Chief Inspector Grey described feeling “extremely optimistic” the joint resources of the two police forces would finally solve the long-running mystery.
“I’m extremely confident someone out there knows what happened to Laura,” he said.
“All we need them to do is make that phone call.”
Six months ago, police marked the 16th anniversary of Ms Haworth’s disappearance by appealing for information from people who visited Canberra to attend Summernats in 2008.
Ms Haworth vanished on the weekend the annual car festival took place, and police said attendees from interstate may have information about the mother-of-two’s movements.
Asked on Monday whether police suspected foul play because of information provided in response to that appeal, Detective Acting Inspector Rhynehart remained tight-lipped.
Ms Haworth’s family pleaded with the public for information at the time of the January 2024 appeal, saying they “ache to know what has happened to her”.
“Every day, we live with what ifs, whys and maybes,” the family said in a statement.
“The pain of not knowing what has happened to Laura is brutal and has a huge impact on our daily lives.”
The family concluded that statement with a message for Ms Haworth.
“Laura, we love and miss you,” they wrote.
“You have a loving family waiting for news. Please, please be in touch.”
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