Relatives of missing people from New South Wales have detailed police failures and their fear that the disappearance of their loved ones could have been linked to the notorious Australian serial killer, Ivan Milat.
The first hearing of the state parliamentary inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons’ cases began today.
Kevin Docherty told the inquiry of how police knocked on his door in 1979 to tell his family his 15-year-old twin sister, Kay, was missing after she disappeared from Warilla, south of Wollongong.
Kay was last seen near a bus stop on Shellharbour Road and may have been hitchhiking with her friend Toni Cavanagh.
Cheryl Grimmer, Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh, three of the many people whose cases will fall within the scope of the new parliamentary inquiry. (Supplied)
In 2013, an inquest found Kay and Toni likely died shortly after their disappearance and that there was evidence to suggest fugitive Graham Potter or Ivan Milat may have murdered them.
Thirty years later, Mr Docherty said detectives arrived at his family’s home to tell them they were investigating Kay’s cold case.
“This was the first contact [from police] in 30 years,” Mr Docherty said in an opening submission.
“At the time, I don’t know why, but I used to make excuses for the police.
“We sat back, and we said nothing for too long. Now it’s time we were heard.“
Mr Docherty said he knew something wasn’t right when police initially told him Kay was a “runaway” as she was scared of being alone in the dark.
Search for burial site
The pain is still raw 47 years on, Mr Docherty said, adding that he believes both of his parents died of “broken hearts”.
“My mum actually died in my arms [12 years ago],” he said.
“You can only imagine the last thing I said to her; it was a promise I knew I couldn’t keep.
“And that was that I would continue the search for Kay and try to find answers.”
The centre has allowed Kevin Docherty to share his experience with other families. (ABC Illawarra: Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro)
Since 2020, Mr Docherty said he, retired police officer Jeff Dakers, and a search dog organisation had met three times to scour an area of scrubland on the border of Primbee and Windang where Milat was reportedly seen.
They believe Kay’s body could be buried in an overgrown site and have suggested controlled burns to gain access to the spot where a witness said Milat chased him.
Mr Dakers told the inquiry that, alongside Mr Doherty, he had been unable to obtain permission from Illawarra detectives to clear the land off Bakers Lane for a search.
“Police cannot have the excuse that we don’t have the resources; we’ve got many volunteers who would love to go and assist,” he said.
“I’ve had all the excuses. It’s Crown land. All I’m doing is hitting brick walls all the way along with everything I’m doing.“
Disappearances linked with Ivan Milat
Mr Docherty’s account is one of dozens of public submissions before the inquiry, which is examining long-unresolved missing persons cases and alleged historical links to Milat.
Between 1989 and 1992, he abducted, assaulted, and murdered five foreign backpackers and two Australian tourists, dumping their bodies in Belanglo State Forest.
He was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms in 1996 and died in prison in October 2019.
MP Jeremy Buckingham, who is chairing the inquiry, said the inquiry had received “scores” of reports of assaults or near-misses that were only later associated with Milat.
It will also hear from Steven Clark, who believes Ivan Milat picked him up while hitchhiking to Wollongong to catch a movie after they missed a bus in Warilla as a teenager in the 1970s.
The inquiry is also examining other cold cases, including the disappearance of three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer from Wollongong in 1970, and hearing broader concerns about missing women around Newcastle and Sydney during that period.
The hearing started today after a visit to Belanglo State Forest on Wednesday.
