Missing Tasmanians: Heartbroken families need answers to why their loved ones went missing
The mystery of a missing teenage girl and the fate of a St Helens pensioner are among seven Tasmanian cases police have turned the spotlight on for Missing Persons Week.
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IT hurts them to say it, but sisters Tammy Williams and Shirley Strochnetter have accepted there is little hope their brother John Norrish will be found alive.
The 52-year-old pensioner went missing from St Helens in late November last year and hasn’t been heard from, or seen, since.
“It’s been very hard, but I have come to the conclusion that he has to be deceased,” Ms Strochnetter said of her younger brother.
“And I think it has been to some sort of foul play, we can’t say for sure, but that’s what I feel.
“It is sad. And the hard thing is not knowing what has happened, we have no answers.”
Mr Norrish’s disappearance is one of the unsolved cases being highlighted as Tasmania Police today launches Missing Persons Week.
There are more than 160 missing persons cases on Tasmania Police records, stretching back to 1955.
That’s a lot of heartbroken families who expect the worst has happened to their loved ones, but still crave answers to bring them closure.
In a handwritten note to the Sunday Tasmanian, Ms Williams and Ms Strochnetter made a plea for information on Mr Norrish’s disappearance.
“We are desperately wanting someone to come forward. Someone knows, or has seen or heard something. He can’t just vanish into thin air overnight,” they said.
“Please, can anyone remember anything, small or big.”
Ms Williams said Mr Norrish, who had an acquired brain injury, had gone missing in the past.
This included an incident in 2014 when he became disoriented while staying in Narawntapu National Park and had to be found by a search party.
“But this is different. Something has happened to him and I just wish to God we could find out what did happen.
“People don’t know what I’ve been going through since he’s been gone,” Ms Williams said.
Tasmania Police is highlighting seven Tasmanian cases as part of National Missing Persons Week.
“The impact on families and friends when someone goes missing is significant,”
Sergeant John Delpero, of the Tasmania Police Missing Persons Unit, said.
“Those left behind always deserve answers to what happened to their loved ones and police will not close a missing person case until the answers are found.”
The seven cases highlighted this week are:
JASON Mazurek, last seen in Sandy Bay on September 15, 2002, aged 20.
Mr Mazurek was last seen about 2am walking out the Wrest Point Casino main entrance and on to the Marina area at the northern end of Drysdale Avenue.
At the time he was wearing blue ‘stone-wash’ jeans, a white short-sleeve T-shirt and sandy
coloured Colorado-style shoes. He was carrying a black wallet which was attached to his
jeans with a chain.
Before he went missing, Mr Mazurek, 20, had moved from Bushy Park to Glenorchy and was unfamiliar with Hobart.
He is described as 175cm tall, medium build, dark brown hair, and brown eyes with an
olive complexion. He has a tribal tattoo on his back and a front tooth missing.
Significant police searches were undertaken at the time, including police divers searching the
waterways near Sandy Bay. Mr Mazurek was not located.
In 2008, Mr Mazurek’s disappearance was reported to the Coroner, who later determined he
had died, but his cause of death was undetermined.
EVE Askew, last seen in Fitzgerald (Derwent Valley) on November 16, 1991, aged 14.
Eve, 14, had been grounded by her parents for smoking and left a note saying she was leaving.
She went missing overnight from her family home about 57km north-west of Hobart.
At the time of her disappearance, Eve was 157cm tall, slim build, with red hair and a fair
complexion with freckles. Eve’s thumbs were distinctive, described as though they had been
pushed down and hadn’t quite grown back to their full length. She was shy and reserved.
Investigators suspect Eve met with foul play. Extensive investigations, searches and appeals for information have not located her.
A reward of up to $100,000 remains on offer for any information that results in the conviction of person/s responsible for Eve’s disappearance.
JOHN Norrish, last seen at St Helens on November 26, 2018, aged 52.
Mr Norrish was last seen near the Bayside Inn at St Helens, riding a red ‘Huffy’ mountain bike.
He was wearing cargo pants, black Blundstone boots, zip-up parker, and an Akubra style hat.
Mr Norrish, is described as being 167cm tall, slim build, blue/green eyes, brown hair, with a ruddy complexion. He has numerous tattoos on both arms and walks with a limp.
Mr Norrish’s family is concerned that something has happened to him, and says he usually didn’t travel far from his home at St Helens.
Significant police searches have been undertaken but Mr Norrish and his bike have not been
located.
Tasmania Police said report into Mr Norrish’s disappearance is being prepared for the Coroner.
CHRISTOPHER Watkins, last seen at Mayfield (Launceston) on August 7, 2013, aged 28.
Mr Watkins was last seen with a number of associates in the area of Box Street, Mayfield.
Mr Watkins, 28, is described as 170cm tall, medium build, shaved bald head, blue eyes, and a
fair complexion. He has tattoos of barbed wire on his left bicep, a brick wall on his left wrist,
an 8-ball on his inner left arm and a Celtic band on his left thigh.
A police investigation remains ongoing into the disappearance and suspected murder of
Mr Watkins.
A $50,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to a prosecution in the case.
Three people have been charged and convicted with various crimes concerning Mr Watkins including failing to report the killing of a person, perverting the course of justice, conspiring
to pervert the due course of justice, and making a false statutory declaration.
DAVID Bonney, who lived at Latrobe, was last seen in Devonport on June 25, 1998, aged 40.
He is described as around 187cm tall, solid build, medium complexion, brown eyes, and short
brown hair.
Mr Bonney’s white and blue 1974 Toyota LandCruiser was recovered by police in the bush near Sassafras two days after he was reported missing.
Police and volunteers searched the area, but Mr Bonney was not located.
Anyone with information that would assist police to locate David is asked to come forward.
Mr Bonney’s disappearance was reported to the Coroner, however, he remains a missing person.
LESTER Lee was last seen on Torquay Rd, East Devonport, about 8pm on December 19, 2004, after an evening with friends at the Argosy Hotel.
Aged 41 at the time, he is described as 184cm tall, slim build, olive complexion, blue eyes, grey hair and beard and a 6-7cm long scar on his left cheek.
Mr Lee was last seen wearing blue jeans and work boots and was carrying a black
backpack with a bicycle helmet attached to it.
Police searches, including the use of police divers, did not locate Mr Lee.
Mr Lee’s disappearance has been reported to the Coroner.
GEOFFREY Rallings
Mr Rallings was last seen in the Elizabeth Street Mall in Hobart on December 27, 1995.
At the time of his disappearance, Mr Railings, 65, lived at Southport with his wife.
Mr Rallings is described as 167cm tall, medium build, brown eyes, ruddy complexion, with
black hair and beard.
Mr Rallings’ disappearance has been reported to the Coroner who, in 2001, recorded an
open finding.
“In Tasmania, around 125 people are reported missing each year, thankfully nearly 99 per cent are located, most within 48 hours,” Sgt Delpero said.
“In Tasmania there are currently 168 people listed as missing since 1955. With the national focus this week on ‘Individuals Not Statistics’ I urge people to take a look around for the profiles and faces of our missing people, keep the families of those missing in their thoughts, and if they have any information come forward.
“Even if you think it may be insignificant, please come forward. You could have the piece of information that assists police to locate a missing person and find answers for the loved ones left behind.”
Nick Bonney was 18 when his father, David Bonney, then 40, went missing in June 1998. Mr Bonney was last seen in Devonport, although the search switched to rural Sassafras a few days later when Mr Bonney’s 4WD was found in bushland there.
Mr Bonney Jr was involved in that search, which turned up few clues.
He said he still thinks of his father most days, the loss brought into sharper focus in recent weeks as Mr Bonney counts down the weeks to the birth of his own child.
The men worked together at Mr Bonney’s mechanic workshop at Spreyton and shared a passion for motorsport.
“It was a hard time. It’s definitely not good for a young bloke to lose his father at that time in his life,” Mr Bonney, of Devonport, said.
“I did struggle with it for a long time.”
Mr Bonney said it was difficult not having answers to why his father was gone.
“You can’t really bring any closure to the situation.”
Information in relation to a missing person can be provided to Tasmania Police on 131 444 or
Crime Stoppers anonymously at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 000.
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