Grieving son pleads for help to solve Helen Courtney cold case murder mystery

Jaie Hosking believes he knows who killed his mum. Major Crime detectives think they know too. But there’s a “frustrating” reason her suspected murderer is still at large.

Jaie Hosking thinks he knows who killed his mother. And the Major Crime detectives investigating her disappearance think they know too.

The only problem is, they lack the evidence to charge the man they suspect murdered her 30 years ago.

The disappearance and suspected murder of Ingle Farm mother Helen Courtney, on September 20, 1991, remains an active cold case with detectives continually reviewing existing evidence and conducting new inquiries as required.

And despite the passage of time, Ms Courtney is never far from the mind of her son Jaie, who still hopes there will be a resolution in the case.

Jaie Courtney, son of missing woman Helen Courtney. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Helen Courtney missing and presumed murdered on September 20 1991

“It still troubles me,” he said. “There have not been any answers to this day how he has got away with it for all these years.”

Mr Hosking said he was “looking for closure” after so long and felt there may be individuals who were once close to the suspect who knew what had occurred.

Sadly, Ms Courtney’s parents both passed away before seeing any resolution in the case.

“They thought about it day and night. It was the first thing they woke up with and the last thing before they went to sleep, nanna told me,” Mr Hosking said.

“I think about mum every day too, and it is very hard at this time of year.

“The hardest thing is not having any closure, not having a grave to go to or knowing where she is.”

Ms Courtney’s husband, John Courtney, has told detectives the last time he saw his wife was when she dropped him off at a crash repair business on Bridge Rd, Pooraka, at 2pm on September 20.

John Courtney, husband of Helen Courtney. Image from Facebook.

Ms Courtney, 33, usually picked her children up from school. But on that day Mr Courtney collected the children – Jaie, Aaron, then 8, and Sarah, then 4 – and told them their mother had gone shopping.

Mr Courtney dropped Jaie, who was not his biological son, at Ms Courtney’s parents house at Melrose Park. Jaie, aged 10 at the time, never returned to his home.

Ms Courtney’s white Mitsubishi Colt was found parked near the Franklin St bus station on October 2.

Helen Courtney’s car Mitsubishi Colt with numerous parking tickets attached to wipers, found in Pitt St Adelaide October 2nd 1991. Pic Supplied SAPOL

Suspiciously, when it was found the car was meticulously clean.

It was usually messy inside – as most cars are that belong to families with children.

The most likely scenario is that whoever killed Ms Courtney deliberately placed the car in that location after cleaning it, most likely after using it to transport her body to an unknown location.

In 2008, detectives excavated a large area of the backyard of the Courtneys’ former home at Ingle Farm, but failed to find any gravesite or remains.

Police excavate under a shed at Helen Courtney’s Ingle Farm home in 2008. Picture: SAPOL

Retired Major Crime Detective Sergeant Bryan Mitchell, who was case officer in the inquiry for a decade before he retired, said it was “quite frustrating” there was not enough evidence to charge a suspect.

“It was not far off,” he said. “We had asked the Director of Public Prosecutions for an opinion on that, but it was deemed there was insufficient evidence. I hope that will happen into the future.

“I think if her body is ever located that will be another step toward that.

“It is a challenging case, but it is solvable.”

Mr Mitchell said while her murder may have taken place “on the spur of the moment”, he believed some thought and time was put into covering it up afterwards.

He believes there may be “at least one person” close to the suspect who may have some knowledge of what happened, but they have not yet spoken to detectives.

Anyone with any information on Ms Courtney’s disappearance and presumed murder is urged to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Grieving son pleads for help to solve Helen Courtney cold case murder mystery