Elisabeth Membrey murder remains unsolved 20 years on

SATURDAY marks the 20th anniversary of Elisabeth Membrey’s murder, a crime that has baffled police investigators.

22/11/2002 NEWS: Copy picture of murder victim Elisabeth Frances Membrey. Elisabeth Membrey disappeared from her flat on December 6th, 1994. Pic. Photo File

IN 1994, Roger Membrey made an emotional plea to the public for information about his missing daughter.

“She is not the sort of person who would simply fade into oblivion,” he told reporters.

Time has failed to prove him wrong.

The fate of Elisabeth Frances Membrey, a sprightly 22-year-old who was last seen working the bar at the Manhattan Hotel in Ringwood, has not faded from the public’s memory.

While her body has never been found, the cold case remains etched in the psyche of Melburnians.

Detectives believe Elisabeth met a grisly end. When her parents entered her apartment on the day following her disappearance, they discovered the walls and carpet had been stained with blood.

Roger and Joy Membrey in the 1990s with a photograph of their daughter Elisabeth.

Several suspects were identified, but investigators uncovered little concrete evidence for 11 years.

Police hunted for clues in every nook of interest, including two fruitless searches around Ringwood Lake and Warrandyte State Park in 2000 for her body.

At one point, detectives conceded they had almost run dry with leads to follow.

But in 2006, a $1 million reward for information leading to a conviction resulted in dozens of phone calls from the public.

Information acquired that year changed the direction of the investigation.

The cold case at last reached boiling point in April, 2010 when Shane Bond, of Launching Place, was arrested and charged with one count of murder.

Prosecutors alleged a story of spurned romantic advances that ended in violence.

But the well-publicised case did not end with a conviction.

A Supreme Court jury spent seven days deliberating over the case before declaring Mr Bond not guilty of the murder.

Shane Bond walks free from court after being found not guilty of the murder of Elisabeth Membrey.

Mr Bond’s barrister told jurors there was no physical evidence against Mr Bond and prosecutors had failed to exclude the possibility that someone else had killed her.

“Virtually nothing is known about how she died or indeed why she died,” Mr O’Connell told the court.

Saturday, December 6 marks the 20-year anniversary of Elisabeth’s murder. The whereabouts of her remains and the identity of her killer remain unknown.

Roger Membrey, and his wife Joy, still hope justice and closure can be found and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au