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The ACT Government will offer rewards of up to half a million dollars for information that leads to the successful prosecutions of persons responsible for five unsolved homicide or missing persons cases.
The matters now eligible for a $500,000 reward are:
- Keren Rowland, who was 20 years old when she went missing on 26 February 1971, the night of the Royal Canberra Show. Her remains were discovered at the Air Disaster Memorial nearly three months later on 13 May 1971.
- Elizabeth Herfort, who was last seen on 13 June 1980 at the Australian National University Bar, Acton, ACT. Elizabeth failed to return home that night and has not been heard from or seen since.
- Megan Louise Mulquiney, who started work at 8.30am on 28 July 1984 at Big W, Woden Shopping Centre in Canberra. The 17-year-old was last seen standing outside the western entrance of Woden Plaza adjacent to Big W and the western car park about noon that day. She was due to catch a bus home from the Plaza, however never arrived home.
- Troy Hugh Forsyth, who was 17 years old when he was fatally struck by a panel van while walking home with friends along Kent Street in Deakin in the early hours of Sunday 1 March 1987. Police never found the panel van or its driver, despite an exhaustive investigation.
- David Abuoi, also known as Gabrielle Malak Arok, who was last seen on the morning of 10 July 2012 in the Canberra City area. He was aged 35 at the time of his disappearance. Police suspect David has been murdered.
While three of these matters are long-term missing persons, it is hoped that offering the rewards will encourage a witness or someone else with information about their disappearances to come forward. If the disappearance was the result of criminal action, then any witness or person with relevant information may be eligible for a reward.
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister, Dr Marisa Paterson said that half a million dollars is a significant incentive for anyone with information to come forward.
“The ACT Government is pleased to be able to offer these rewards for information that leads to a resolution for these families,” Dr Paterson said
“The families of these five people have never given up hope of getting answers regarding what happened to their loved ones. Half a million dollars is a strong incentive for someone to tell police what they know.
“If you know anything about Keren, Troy, David, Elizabeth or Megan’s matters, we are urging you to come forward.”
ACT Chief Police Officer, Scott Lee thanked the government for approving these new rewards.
“Our Unsolved Homicide and Long-Term Missing Persons Team identified these five matters as the ones most likely to have witnesses or information that can assist police,” Chief Police Officer Lee said.
"Hopefully this reward, funded by the ACT Government, encourages those with information to help us resolve these cases and provide their families with answers.
“As we continue to review, reconsider and re-examine each of these matters, we acknowledge that significant time has passed for some of these investigations. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there that knows what happened.
“One small piece of information may be all that’s required to lead us to the answers we seek.”
These five new matters are in addition to three existing unsolved homicides that had rewards announced in 2012 – the murders of Kathryn Grosvenor in 2002, Susan Winburn in 2004 and Frank Campbell in 2005.
Anyone with any information about any of these eight matters is urged to provide their details to Crime Stoppers at www.crimestoppers.com.au
While information can be provided anonymously, to be eligible for any reward requires the person providing the information to supply their details and speak with police. An appropriate indemnity from prosecution will be considered for any accomplice to a homicide who first gives information.
Family statements
It’s now been 46 years since our sister, Elizabeth vanished. Her mother and father have both died, waiting for news of her.
Elizabeth’s sister and her brothers have not stopped waiting for her to be found or for any news of what happened to her.
Since Elizabeth’s disappearance, we’ve led lives of profound grief and the dawning awareness that she was the best of us.
We simply ask if anyone remembers or knows anything that may be helpful in finding her, or finding out what happened to her, to please contact the police.
Our family has lived with the disappearance of Megan Louise Mulquiney for more than 42 years.
Megan was just 17 years old when she disappeared from Woden on 28 July 1984. She was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece and a cousin and friend.
Megan was loved, she had plans for her future, and she had a family waiting for her to come home.
That family has never stopped waiting.
For more than four decades, Megan’s parents, Paul and Dorothy, her siblings, and the generations of our family who have come since have lived without knowing what happened to her.
Today, the announcement of a $500,000 reward gives us renewed hope that someone may finally come forward with the information that Megan and our family deserve.
Forty-two years is a very long time to carry a secret. And we would like to thank everyone involved in making this happen.
People grow older. Circumstances change. Relationships and loyalties change. What may have felt impossible to say in 1984 may be possible to say today.
If you know something — no matter how insignificant you think it may be — please speak to police.
If you have been afraid, please find the courage now.
If you have protected somebody else, please think about the family that has spent more than four decades without Megan.
And if you have carried information about what happened to Megan all these years, this is your opportunity to finally do the right thing.
For us, this has never simply been a missing-person case.
This is Megan.
She was 17.
She mattered then, and she matters just as much today.
No amount of money can give our family back the years we have lost with Megan. But if this reward encourages one person to finally speak, it could give our family something we have waited more than 42 years for — answers.
Somebody knows something.
Please, let this be the time you speak.
My name is Karen Mulquiney, Megan Mulquiney is my sister.
For more than 40 years Megan has been known publicly as a missing person and one of Canberra's longest-running missing persons cases.
Megan was a big sister to my younger brother Michael and myself. She was the first born to my parents Paul and Dorothy, and a very much loved part of our family.
Megan was kind and caring. She was artistic, academic and intelligent. She loved ice skating and watching ice hockey games on a Sunday afternoon at the ice skating rink.
Megan valued her friends and was well liked by the people who knew her.
The three of us grew up with supportive parents who cared for us and did everything they could to protect us.
Then one afternoon, our whole world was shattered.
On July 28th 1984 Megan went to work at Big W at Woden Plaza. She finished her shift shortly after midday and was last seen outside the shopping center. She was supposed to catch the bus home. Megan never came home. Those four words have followed our family for more than 40 years.
As Megan's younger sister, and along with Michael, we have grown up without our big sister. Our parents have had to endure the heartbreak of losing their first born child and not knowing what exactly happened to Megan. We should have had a lifetime together sharing Birthdays, Christmas and other family celebrations. Instead we have had an empty place in our family where Megan should have been.
Megan should have had the chance to finish school and pursue a career, continue ice skating, to enjoy her friendships, to fall in love and one day have a family of her own and to decide for herself what she wanted her life to become. She was never given that chance.
On the 28th of July 1984 someone took a piece of our family. They took a piece of our hearts and while our family has lived with the consequences every single day since, we are still waiting for the truth.
If the reward being offered is what finally encourages someone to come forward, then please speak up.
Megan was loved in 1984. She is loved today and she will always be a part of our family. To whoever has information that could finally give our family the answers we have been waiting for more than 40 years. Please find it in your heart to speak up. Give our Mum and Dad the chance to know what happened to their daughter. Give my brother Michael and myseIf the chance to bring our sister home but most importantly give Megan the dignity, justice and peace she has been denied for far too long.
David was a kind-hearted soul, a beacon of wisdom and encouragement to both his family and the community. He was deeply respected for his graciousness, always approaching situations with patience and thoughtfulness before responding.
His legacy of wisdom remains immeasurable, though it feels incomplete without him. We miss him profoundly since the day he did not return or answer our calls.
He lives in our hearts as we search for the answers and seek ways to honour the remarkable life he led.