Wagga’s missing persons: The unsolved cases of the Riverina

A car rolled into a river and a brother was never seen again, a woman left home to buy a horse and didn’t return – these are the stories and faces of Wagga’s missing persons.

Andrew Bourke, 44, was camping along the banks of the Tumut river, when after a night of drinking he and a friend fell asleep in a vehicle when it accidentally rolled into the river.

Andrew’s friend escaped from the ute while it sunk, and alerted authorities, however Andrew was never seen again.

Tom Bourke, one of Andrew’s brothers, spoke with The Wagga News about the disappearance of his sibling 10 years ago on July 30, 2011 at Brungle, 18km south of Gundagai.

“There are a lot of questions left unanswered, and they are never likely to be answered,” Mr Bourke said.

“I did find it hard to move on at the start, three of us in the family were involved in the search for his body.

Mr Bourke said the police and SES rescue crews did all they could but there was no trace of Andrew.

“For weeks they searched in helicopters up and down the river, but unfortunately nothing has ever been found, so we are left with this feeling of unknowing, but I have accepted that he has likely passed on,” he said.

“We all live in hope that he will be found. Tom spoke of how at family reunions and get-togethers, Andrew’s name is one of the first ones to come up in conversation.

“If Andrew is alive, and he is out there, we just want him to show his face and reach out. “We miss him a lot.

“We’ve had a fair bit of bad luck in the family, out of the 15 of us children there are only nine of us left.”

In Australia, more than 30,000 people are reported missing to police – that’s one person every 18 minutes.

According to data on the missing persons registry, an average of 28 people go missing every day in New South Wales, most are located immediately however around 1% become long term missing persons.

Within an approximate 300km radius of Wagga, there are 10 people who remain on the Missing Persons Registry. These are the sons and daughters that never came home, the unsolved, missing persons cases in the region dating back to 1983.

Niamh Maye.

Niamh Maye, Tumut

Niamh Maye, from Armidale, had been fruit picking in Batlow, near Wagga, as part of a gap year after high school before taking on study at university.

Ms Maye was camping in Jingellic and was offered a ride back to Batlow to catch the bus to Sydney, after a mix up with the bus schedule.

Ms Maye was never seen again, and the last person to see her alive committed suicide six months after her disappearance.

In 2012, a coronial inquest determined Ms Maye had died at or near Tumut on March 30 or 31, 2002.

Andrew Bourke.

Andrew Bourke, Brungle

Andrew Bourke was last seen camping by the Tumut River on July 30, 2011 with a friend Wayne Candish.

Mr Bourke was drinking with Mr Candish while camping off the Tumut River when the car allegedly rolled into the river.

Mt Candish managed to escape the vehicle and went for help.

The vehicle was recovered however Mr Bourke has not been seen since.

Andrew Bourke was the youngest of 15 children, and has two children, he would be 54 this year.

Rafael Vanegas.

Rafael Vanegas, Wagga

Rafael Vanega is a refugee from El Salvador who disappeared without a trace from his home in Wagga.

He was last seen at his home address on November 14, 2002 by a community health worker.

A visiting family member was unable to locate him the following day.

Mr Vanegas also suffered from schizophrenia and sometimes wandered into the bush to feel safe.

He was father to eight children, and would now be 76.

Julie Beyer.

Julie Beyer, Lavington

Julie Beyer was last seen in Lavington on July 9, 2004.

The 43-year-old was working as a legal secretary prior to her disappearance, she had recently resigned from her job as she was planning to relocate to Mackay, Queensland, where she had rented a home.

Julie had put some belongings in storage in preparation for the move, but before she set out for Queensland, she vanished.

At a coroner’s inquest in 2012, Julie was declared deceased.

James Rice.

James Rice, Condobolin

James Earl Patrick Rice was last seen when a neighbour dropped him off near his property in Condobolin on July 13, 1999.

Concerns were raised when his family and friends had not heard from him in a long period of time.

James would now be 53.

Elsie Tonini

Elsie Tonini, Peak Hill

There are few details surrounding the circumstances of Elsie’s disappearance.

Elsie Tonini was last seen on May 4, 1983, by an attendant of a motel she was staying at in Peak Hill.

Elsie has not been seen heard from since this date.

Elsie would now be 97.

Judith Young.

Judith Young, Gunningbland

Judith Young was last seen on December 5, 1999, when she bought a Palomino mare and drove the horse back to her home in Gunningbland, which is 25km west of Parkes.

Her husband Phillip Young never reported her missing and the last person to see her alive was her alleged lover, Peter Brennan, who has denied an “intimate relationship” with her according to a coroner’s report.

An inquest found Ms Young had been having affairs during her marriage and had been using other aliases, including Judy Davis.

She had a number of business interests before she disappeared, including buying and selling horses, raffle tickets and antique furniture.

She also owed money and many of her debts remained unpaid.

Judith would now be 62.

Max Day.

Max Day, Peak Hill

Max Day was last seen leaving his home on January 7, 2017. His green Ford Fairmont was located abandoned in Forbes.

Max was picked up hitchhiking on January 25, 2017, just outside of Forbes, he was then dropped off at Gooloogong Caravan Park.

Max was last sighted hitchhiking at a truck stop on Newell Highway, 10km north of Parkes on February 5, 2017.

Max has never been seen since, he would now be 58.

Maurice Vagg.

Maurice Vagg, Albury

Maurice Vagg was 53 when he was last sighted leaving his accommodation in Albury on August 1, 2017.

Mr Vagg hasn’t accessed his mobile phone or bank account since.

He also suffers from a number of medical conditions.

Ian Gray.

Ian Gray, Bunnaloo

Ian Gray was last seen in Bunnaloo leaving his farm at 7.30am on September 11, 2015.

Mr Gray was driving a white ute with a stock crate on the back. Neither Mr Gray or his vehicle has ever been found.

Ruth Ridley.

Ruth Ridley, Tumbarumba

Ruth Ridley has been missing since October 30, 2019 when she was 58.

Police believe she travelled from her home in Port Macquarie to Tumbarumba on October 18, 2019.

Ms Ridley had recently separated from her husband Gary Ridley, 61, but the pair living in Tumbarumba had been recorded on security cameras, including one at an Albury supermarket.

The pair were heading towards camping and fishing spots along the Murray River, near Jingellic on the NSW and VIC border.

Police confirmed in November last year that Ms Ridley’s car, a dark blue Mitsubishi Pajero, was found more than 40km from the campsite, in the Victorian town of Shelley — with the body of her estranged husband inside.

Victoria Police believe he was responsible for Ms Ridley’s death.

Despite extensive searches by both Victoria and New South Wales police around the Corryong and Walwa areas, there has been no sign of Ms Ridley.

Neil Hyett.

Neil Hyett, Perisher

Neil Hyett was 34 when he disappeared in Perisher on July 22, 1993.

He was last seen walking along the Charlotte Pass Road in Perisher.

Mr Hyett has not made any contact or been seen by family or friends since this date, he would be 62 now.

Anyone who may have seen something related to any of the incidents, or who has any information of what may have happened, is urged to come forward to police or confidentially contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.