‘So heartbreaking’: Family wait anxiously as police scour forest for missing woman

The family of Sydney woman Jessica Zrinski are in a tense wait for answers as police spend a second day scouring a forest near the Jenolan Caves for the missing 30-year-old.

On Saturday afternoon Jessica’s father, Dark Zrinski, told this masthead he had given up hope of seeing his daughter alive again as search crews raced to use the last remaining hours of daylight to continue their search through the Hampton State Forest in the state’s Central Tablelands.

“It would be so emotionally satisfying to find my daughter remains,” he said. “I want so much to give Jessy a proper burial.”

A bushland search will continue on Saturday for missing woman Jessica Zrinski.

Search crews were briefed at 8am at a picnic area and campsite known as the Millionth Acre and it is understood the search is concentrated in and around that area.

“As a single father it’s so heartbreaking for myself and for my family,” Zrinski said.

“Jessica was so full of life and it was such a joy to see her smile always.

“It’s the waiting and not knowing what happened to my beautiful daughter Jessica.”

Saturday’s search includes officers from PolAir, the dog unit, the rescue and bomb disposal unit, as well as volunteers from the State Emergency Service and NSW Rural Fire Service.

The forest, which spans over 5000 hectares, is located 30 kilometres north-east of Oberon, and a short drive from the Jenolan Caves.

“It’s so overwhelming to see how many people who took time out with their families to be there for me and my family,” Zrinski said.

Jessica Zrinski was last seen in November 2022.Credit: NSW Police

Homicide squad detectives have taken carriage of the investigation into Jessica’s suspicious disappearance, after she accepted a lift from a stranger in the car park of a pub at Greenfield Park in Sydney’s south-west just after 10pm on November 28 last year.

Jessica entered the driver’s blue Holden Commodore, which was later seen travelling west along the M4 motorway.

Police have established that Jessica was alive and still with the vehicle in the Blue Mountains region in mid-morning on November 29.

CCTV footage of the blue car at Greenfield Tavern in November last year.Credit: NSW Police

In January, detectives seized the vehicle for forensic examination and located the driver, but he did not assist in identifying Jessica’s whereabouts.

The search began on Friday and is expected to continue into Sunday.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.