Police renew appeal for information into the unsolved murder of Bargo’s Rachelle Childs

POLICE are renewing their appeal for information into the brutal and unsolved murder of Bargo woman Rachelle Childs 15 years after her death.

POLICE are renewing their appeal for information into the brutal and unsolved murder of Bargo woman Rachelle Childs 15 years after her death.

The unsolved case was pushed back into prominence this month when Crime Stoppers NSW renewed its plea for information on a Facebook post.

Homicide Squad detectives investigating the death of Ms Childs, then aged 23, are reminding the public of the 2011 decision to double the reward to $200,000 to solve the case.

The $200,000 is payable for information that leads to the conviction of the person or people responsible for Ms Childs’ death.

On June 7, 2001, after finishing work at the Camden Holden dealership, Ms Childs headed to the Bargo Hotel to meet someone.

DNA testing of Bargo residents, two years after the death of Rachelle Childs.

In the early hours of the following morning, her charred body was found in a shallow ditch in national park near Gerroa on the South Coast.

Despite exhaustive investigations by detectives and a coronial inquest, the case remains unsolved.

“This was a deeply shocking incident that left a small town reeling and we need the community’s help to solve this crime,” the post on Facebook stated.

“Rachelle was well-liked within the community. She was a trusting and caring woman who excelled in her career as a car saleswoman and also represented NSW Cricket.

“Someone out there knows what happened to Rachelle and we need them to come forward so we can solve this matter and give closure to Rachelle’s family.”

Police have not been able to confirm Ms Childs’ movements on the day of her murder but were told that she was supposed to meet someone at Bargo Hotel.

Her vehicle was found secure in the car park of the hotel after her body was located.

Rachelle Childs vehicle in a car park at Bargo Hotel.

Ms Childs’ parents, Graham and Ann, have since relocated to the north coast from Glenfield, but there is not a day that they do not think of their beautiful and vibrant daughter.

“I’ve had to learn to live without having my baby in my life,” Mr Childs told the Macarthur Chronicle in 2014.

He said he kept in contact with police on an irregular basis but conceded it was very much a cold case without new information.

“I’m just hoping that someone comes forward and says something or remembers something,” he said.

“Or the perpetrator makes a mistake … that’s what we are hoping for. The police exhausted all avenues of investigation at the time.

“Without physical evidence, it’s where it is.”

Mr Childs said his family would never have closure over his daughter’s murder.

“It’s a terrible word, we can never have closure. You learn to live with it,” he said.

“Even if we found the person who did it, we would close just a little bit of it with the who and why.

“That’s the two things you always ask — who could do such a thing to a beautiful young life?”

Anyone with any information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.