Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.

Clocks tick louder. Time passes slower. Endless days go by without word. Every time the phone rings, hearts leap. Maybe this will be the one. Across Australia, families of missing loved ones cling to hope when all else is lost. Families still waiting for answers years after their loved ones vanished.

Loved ones like Jimmy Taylor, who was 12 when he disappeared on a walk to the shops in Derby in 1974. Or Zane Stevens, who went missing near Broome in April last year. Their families were among hundreds who marched in the Pilbara and Mid West last July, chanting “bring them home”.

A Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children revealed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to go missing and less likely to be found, with Aboriginal women accounting for 20 per cent of women missing in Australia.

The disappearance of three Indigenous children in Bowraville between September 1990 and January 1991 still haunts the New South Wales community decades on.

Colleen Walker-Craig, 16, vanished after a party on 13 September 1990; her body has never been found. Her four-year-old cousin Evelyn Green disappeared just three weeks later after being put to bed by her grandmother; her remains were found seven months later. Clinton Speedy-Duroux disappeared on 31 January 1991 after a party; his body was found on 18 February 1991. While a man was charged on two separate occasions for the murders, he was acquitted. There is $1 million reward for information relating to each case.

Clinton’s sister-in-law Leonie Duroux, who is speaking with the permission of his parents, says the families were given little support at the time.

“Clinton was the last one to go missing but the first one found.  He was missing for 18 days. I believe that in NSW and possibly Australia, three children have never gone missing in such close proximity to each other, and it not been the same perpetrator,” she says.

“Justice has definitely not been done in this case. The original investigators failed to investigate the matter properly which set the stage.  Even after new investigators took over the cases, who were brilliant, the cases were always up against it.”

In the early days of the investigation, Duroux says the family were left lost and misguided by authorities.

“The NSW Government are all lip service; they say certain things but will never ever take full accountability for what occurred. The POI (person of interest) was acquitted after trial for Clinton’s murder.  There was crucial evidence at the time of Clinton’s murder that was provided to police, but they didn’t include it in the brief,” she says.

“The families have jumped through every hoop and done everything they have been asked to do with incredible dignity and still have been treated with contempt by certain sectors of the NSW Government.”

Providing support

Taz Millar is one three team leaders at Indigenous Missing Person Support Services, a not-for-profit established on Facebook in 2024 to give families a voice, somewhere they can share their stories.

“There is literally no data for the exact amount of missing Indigenous persons,” Millar says.

“Between Mob not feeling comfortable reporting someone missing, and then police literally refusing to take a missing person report on an Indigenous person, I am afraid we will never truly know the amount.”

Millar says the constant reports of missing loved ones takes its toll, particularly for an organisation with limited resources. 

“Families don’t cope. It is absolutely heartbreaking to hear some families talking, I recently had one mother ask, ‘when am I going to be able to sleep again Taz, I wake up every night with bad dreams,’” she says. 

The IMPSS Facebook page has more than 28,000 followers.

“At the end of the day, we are a volunteer group of people, we are limited. We create flyers, send emails, yarn,” she says. “We also do searches, we have certified cadaver dogs, we also have private investigators, however at the end of the day, we are forever behind the eight ball. We still try and will always keep going.”

Investigative researcher and criminology student Asha Walther says the increasing number of missing person cases across Australia isn’t receiving the media coverage they deserve. 

“Through my platform Exhuming the Truth, I analyse cases from both a criminological and forensic perspective, with the aim of improving investigative practices, awareness, and outcomes for families still searching for answers,” she says.

“While not every missing person’s case ends in tragedy, the overall number of reports has been steadily increasing across Australia. This rise is partly due to population growth and improved reporting systems, but there’s also a concerning trend in the number of unresolved and repeat disappearances. What’s most troubling is that although thousands go missing each year, only a small percentage receive sustained media or investigative attention.”

According to the Australian Federal Police, more than 50,000 missing persons reports are made across Australia each year. While most people are found within days, about 2700 people, like Colleen Walker, remain missing after decades.

Walther says Indigenous missing person cases are most often forgotten.

“Indigenous Australians are disproportionately represented in missing persons statistics, and those cases often receive less visibility and fewer investigative resources,” she says.

“Many of these disappearances are connected to broader systemic issues such as intergenerational trauma, policing inequities, and socioeconomic disadvantage. What’s urgently needed is culturally informed search strategies and stronger collaboration with Indigenous communities who often hold vital local knowledge.”

With positive developments like the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre from the Australia Police Force, Walther says there are new resources in digital and DNA technologies to enable a more consistent search. However, national protocols are still needed to ensure that no case or person is forgotten. 

Walther says one of the biggest challenges is assisting families with the loss of a missing loved one. Group networks and non-for-profit organisations play an important role in supporting families but it’s sometimes too much.  

“Families of the missing live in a unique kind of grief known as ‘ambiguous loss’ – they’re caught between hope and despair, never fully able to mourn or move on. Many describe it as a living nightmare,” she says.

“Support varies greatly depending on location; some families receive help through organisations like Missing Persons Advocacy Network or Leave a Light On, but others are left to navigate the system alone. Ongoing counselling, advocacy support, and community awareness are crucial in helping families survive the uncertainty.”

With new advancements in technology, it has become easier to locate missing persons but the sheer size of the country brings its own problems.

“We now have drones, satellite imaging, AI-assisted mapping, and facial recognition but the challenge often lies in coordination, access, and timing,” Walther says.

“Data isn’t always shared efficiently between agencies, and crucial early hours are often lost. In many cases, environmental factors like vast bushland, waterways, or isolated terrain make searches extremely difficult. Technology helps, but human decision-making, local knowledge and rapid deployment remain just as critical.”

Regional and remote areas present unique challenges, with vast, rugged landscapes, limited search teams and slower access to specialised equipment. “In places like the outback or small rural towns, the sheer scale and environmental conditions can erase evidence quickly,” Walther says. “That’s why it’s vital to involve local communities, Indigenous trackers, and drone experts early in the process. Every hour counts in regional searches.”

Recognising all missing people

Duroux says Clinton’s death will continue to affect the family for generations.  “I lived with his brother for 16 years until his death in 2009 – it changed everything in his life,” she says. “My kids and their cousins never met their uncle but have carried on his legacy and their emotion is as raw as the family members that knew him.  Why should our kids have to carry on the fight for an uncle they never even knew? It’s just passing the trauma on, and the Government are responsible for that.” 

During the early stages in the investigation, Duroux sought more support to help the family heal. “Initially counselling was not offered for the families, there was no support.  As the years have gone on, there have been things put in place to provide support, but it took a long time,” she says.

“In 2002, I made contact with Victims Services about providing counselling.  The response I got from them was ‘What do you want me to do?’  I never followed this up because I thought the answer to this was pretty obvious.  A few years later funding was provided for a mental health worker to be put in the community.”

Duroux believes actions speak louder than words. After protesting in the early stages of the investigation outside NSW Parliament House in Sydney, little changes began to occur for the family. 

“In our cases, there have been some people within the system that have taken up the fight with us, which we are eternally grateful for,” she says.

“In our cases, we’ve had stories pulled because they weren’t interesting enough for the ‘six o’clock news’.  Murdered and missing Indigenous people are on the whole not newsworthy.”

Millar says it’s vital we come together as a community and a nation to recognise all missing person cases across Australia.

“In all honesty, not everyone has social media, and for us personally, that’s our thing – raising awareness online,” she says. “We would love to see a regular TV show, or newspaper article, even the photo’s back on milk cartons. More public support is needed. So many people turn a blind eye because it’s not their problem. Until one day it is.” 

If you believe someone is missing in Australia, report it to the police on 131 444 or visit your local station immediately. Do not wait 24 hours before reporting the disappearance. You can also provide anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers Australia at 1800 333 000 or via the website Crime Stoppers Australia.