The top unsolved mysteries in the Goulburn Valley
A mum missing for more than 20 years, a teenager who disappeared without a trace and a burnt down pub are just some of the cold cases plaguing Shepparton.
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A mum missing for more than 20 years, an unsolved hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 34-year-old woman and a burnt down pub with no reason for burning are just some of the mysteries plaguing Shepparton.
Read on to find out some of the biggest unsolved cases of the Goulburn Valley region.
Mum still missing more than 20 years later
Police are still determined to solve the case of missing mother-of-three Kath Bergamin who disappeared in August 2002.
The 37-year-old Wangaratta woman had split from her husband John in the period before disappearing from her Brien Crescent home.
John Bergamin was charged in 2006 with the murder of his wife but the prosecution was withdrawn on legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr Bergamin and his son Steven, who has changed his surname to Zanin, have both denied being involved in Mrs Bergamin’s disappearance.
The Herald Sun is not suggesting they are guilty of the murder, only that police consider them suspects.
Five years ago detective Sen-Constable Sophie Leete — who still has photos of Kath on her desk in an effort to close the case — urged an anonymous letter writer to come forward.
Information in the letter is specific and credible, she told the Herald Sun at the time.
In 2017 DNA from duct tape found in Kath’s car was tested but the case remains open.
Her body has never been found and a $1m reward remains in place.
A 2008 inquest could not say who killed her.
First holiday turned horror trip
The family of Donald Govan is still waiting for answers after the 16-year-old went missing near Echuca on September 1, 2012.
Rachael O’Keane, 26, decided to take her younger brother camping for the weekend with friends.
The siblings had endured another cold winter in the Victorian town of Ballarat and decided to escape to the banks of the Murray River for the weekend.
It was a modest trip but Donny’s first real holiday.
“It started off as we had planned, we were relaxing and having fun, the boys were kicking the footy and it was great,” Rachael told the Herald Sun in 2013.
But as one or two drinks turned into three or four, an argument broke out and in a heated exchange Donny disappeared into dense bush.
He never returned.
Wearing a black T-shirt with a Flight Path logo, white board shorts, black runners, and spacer earrings, he had no phone, wallet, or money with him.
The mysterious disappearance remains unsolved.
Fruit picker disappears without a trace
In May 1997, John Costello went missing without a trace near Cobram.
The small town was in shock as the community banded together to search for the missing man, but after weeks of searching, there was still no sign of the Queenslander who would travel to the Goulburn Valley every year to pick fruit.
The 59-year-old father of two was last seen leaving a local pub on a quiet Friday evening.
He was known to be a social drinker but never missed a day of work or failed to pick up his children from school.
His sudden disappearance left his family and friends baffled and concerned.
Police searched the area extensively, but the only evidence found was a set of tire tracks leading to the nearby bushland.
Months later two of his suitcases were found on the eastern side of Pullar Rd, inside the fence of the orchard.
The mystery surrounding Mr Costello’s disappearance has left investigators stumped for more than two decades.
In 2022, a coroner ruled the itinerant fruit picker deceased.
Despite numerous leads and tips, the case remains unsolved, and Mr Costello’s family still holds out hope for answers.
Hotel goes up in flames
In the early hours of March 14, 2007, a devastating fire broke out at the historic Shepparton Hotel, causing extensive damage to the building and leaving many in the community shocked and saddened.
The cause of the fire remains a mystery, with investigators unable to determine the source of the blaze.
Some locals speculate the fire may have been deliberately lit, but no concrete evidence has ever surfaced to support this theory.
More than 45 firefighters battled for 90 minutes to control the blaze, and in 2021 the hotel was labelled a “danger” by council.
One person who has been closely linked to the Shepparton Hotel in recent years is councillor Milvan Muto, with the hotel registered in his name in 2002.
Mr Muto has been a vocal advocate for the preservation of the hotel, which has stood on the same site for over a century.
In the wake of the fire, Mr Muto expressed his sadness at the damage done to the hotel, and called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the blaze.
Documents obtained by the Herald Sun reveal disgraced councillor Milvan Muto, who was jailed for eight months in 2014 for attempting to pervert the course of justice, ceased his involvement as a director of the company in August 2019.
The Shepparton Hotel fire remains one of the most significant events in the town’s recent history, and its legacy continues to be felt by the community today.
$1m reward but still an open case
The 38-year-old father of two was involved in a fight with a group of men out the front of the Fontana Bar on Wyndham St about 1am on January 22, 2006.
He suffered stab wounds and was taken by ambulance to hospital but could not be saved.
Detectives have interviewed numerous people, followed up on countless leads and even issued a $1m reward for information, but the case remains open.
Meanwhile Mr Formica’s family continues to hope for justice and closure.
His sister Maria Nardella spoke in 2018, pleading for anyone with information to help.
“An innocent life was taken away in seconds,” she said.
“I don’t understand how people can do this and walk around the street.
“An arrest won’t bring him back but it would be some closure for us.”
Cyclist left for dead
On a quiet rural road on the outskirts of Wangaratta, Kelvin Tennant was riding his bicycle when gunshots broke the silence.
A dark-coloured sedan had driven up beside Mr Tennant on the Myrtleford-Everton Rail Trail and shot him a number of times.
He was discovered by two passing cyclists on the bike trail with gunshot wounds to his head and chest, after the driver had fled the scene.
Mr Tennant was then flown to The Alfred hospital in a life-threatening condition and survived despite it taking months to recover from his injuries.
Six years on from the attack, police have issued a $500,000 reward for anyone who comes forward with information.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Brad Potts said the shooting took place in a close knit area, and police were hopeful someone may have found out something in relation to the incident.
“Kelvin was simply out enjoying a bike ride along a beautiful regional trail when someone has tried to kill him, and we’ve never been able to uncover any possible motive for this,” he said.
“He loved the area and loved to ride his bike, and there is no way he would have expected this ride to end like this.
“I know every investigator who worked on this matter over the years would love to see it solved – not only to provide justice to Kelvin and his family, but also to find out the mystery of why this shooting occurred.”
Wangaratta hit-run
It was about 6am one foggy September morning almost 28 years ago when a Deer Park man was fatally hit on the side of the Hume Freeway.
The driver of what police believe could have been a large truck fled the scene, leaving the 30-year-old victim lying on the road.
When he was found he was rushed to hospital with critical injuries, where he later died.
The incident took place about 6am on September 15, 1995 but to this day nobody has been charged.
At the time investigators were told the man had been driving an allegedly stolen car, that he had parked before he hitched a lift to a service station at Glen Rowan.
It’s believed he purchased fuel there and was walking back towards the car along the freeway when he was struck north of Greta Rd.
At the time police appealed for information, prompting witnesses to come forward - they said they saw the 30-year-old man sitting on the side of the road prior to the collision.
Broken lights were found at the scene of the incident.
Two people were interviewed and their vehicles examined by police but both people were exonerated.
Child hit by train in the state’s north
A girl waiting on her bike has been hit by a train as it travelled through Avenel on Tuesday afternoon.
Shepparton crook picks wrong elderly woman to rob
A crook who got stuck in a window while trying to break into a Shepparton home was beaten off the property by an elderly woman with a stick.