Family friend Heather Donaldson says if Nancy died in a hit-and-run accident on the East Coast as has been speculated, then it made sense to run a nationwide, public appeal for the man involved to come forward.

She said the way to coax him out of hiding would be to let him know that in finally speaking up, he’d be giving the Grunwaldt family something they’ve waited decades for — closure.

Mrs Donaldson also said that if Nancy’s death was indeed an accident, the man involved should be offered an indemnity from criminal prosecution.

The Scamander shack owner reached out to the German family when Nancy was reported missing back in 1993 after she’d been holidaying in Tasmania.

Mrs Donaldson fundraised enough money to bring the grief-stricken family to the location their daughter was last seen — collecting $8000 in a week in tins with Nancy’s face printed on them.

The Grunwaldts have returned to Tasmania every year since, and spend time at a memorial stone set up by the locals.

“In those early years, they thought they would still find her,” Mrs Donaldson said.

“I think now, it’s the closest they can be to her.”

She said she would often walk along the beach with Nancy’s mother Helga and father Bernd, before he died “heartbroken” in 2005.

They would collect shells from the area’s beaches, just like Nancy — who was wearing a shell necklace when she disappeared — used to do.

“For the first few years it was heartbreaking,” she said.

“They’re very appreciative of the grotto the locals have built for her, they go and sit there at a little memorial stone.

“It’s really beautifully kept.

“In the first few years, someone left a little note on the stone, someone said ‘I don’t know you Nancy but I come here to speak to you and I hope you are at peace’ — something along those lines.

“It was a really lovely letter.”

Mrs Donaldson said the Grunwaldts had learnt to speak English over the years of coming to Tasmania and that they’d had contact with Victoria Cafasso’s family early on.

She said their faith in God kept them strong through their loss.

“They’re very deeply religious,” she said.

“They don’t talk religion to you, but they have this deep religion inside them that helps them.”

Mrs Donaldson said not knowing what happened to Nancy made it harder.

“I think they knew fairly early on that she would not be alive — but I think they would still like to know what happened to her,” she said.

“It’s one of those really sad stories and it’s even sadder that it’s never been solved after all these years.”

The 26-year-old backpacker was last seen on her red bicycle on March 12, 1993, about 5km south of Scamander.

Some people, including retired detective Bob Coad, believe Nancy was killed accidentally in a hit-and-run accident by a tourist, who subsequently made two frantic anonymous phone calls admitting to what had taken place.

SNEAK PEEK: GONE GIRLS EPISODE 4

From a fruit picker who falsely claimed he killed Nancy, to a person who meditated on Beaumaris Beach until “visions” came, and even a red jacket planted as false evidence after Victoria’s murder, these cold cases have led to plenty of dead ends and bizarre false leads. Retired detective Bob Coad, author Melanie Calvert, and current Detective Inspector Kim Steven explain why these cases have led to so much fascination — and so much speculation.

Visit www.themercury.com.au tomorrow to read and listen to Part 4 of the Gone Girls Beaumaris Beach mystery.

amber.wilson@news.com.au