Kath BERGAMIN

Personal Details
Status: Missing believed Murdered
Reward: $100000
Last Seen: 715 PM Sunday August 18th 2002
Occupation: Disability Worker
Age:37
Gender: Female
Year of birth: 1965
Height: 175cm
Build: Medium
Eyes: green
Hair: short fair. Complexion: Fair

Circumstances: Kath was last seen wearing three-quarter length, red Adidas gym pants with white stripes, a white Tommy Girl t-shirt with a red and blue logo and a red-colored, hooded windcheater-type jacket.
Wangaratta resident Kath Bergamin, 37, went missing from her home in Brien Crescent on August 18 2002. She has not contacted friends or relatives, including her three children. She has not taken any personal items and her bank accounts have not been accessed. Police said the case is now being treated as a murder inquiry.
________________________________________________________________
7 years on and still no answers
DI THOMAS 19 Aug, 2009 12:00 AM
THE family of Kath Bergamin marked yesterday’s seventh anniversary of her disappearance with a renewed plea for information about the Wangaratta woman’s fate.
Sister-in-law Maria Russell spoke yesterday from Melbourne where she and her husband, Roger, Mrs Bergamin’s brother, moved a year ago after several years living in Victoria’s Western District.

“We have heard nothing since the inquest finding a year ago and that was pretty comprehensive,” Mrs Russell said.

“Aside from bringing those responsible to justice, we still haven’t got closure.

“That is definitely important for Roger and his mother, Margaret.

“They have been getting on with their lives but it doesn’t go away, it doesn’t get any easier.

“If anything it becomes deeper.”

In June last year coroner Peter White found Mrs Bergamin had been the victim of foul play with her remains secretly dumped.

But he could not determine who had murdered the Wangaratta mother of three after she vanished from her Brien Crescent home on August 18, 2002, aged 37.

Mr White dismissed the idea that Mrs Bergamin had killed herself, finding instead that in spite of her being under pressure from her estranged husband, John, she had retained a positive attitude to her life and her children.

But he also said Mr Bergamin had tormented his wife after they separated in May, 2002, and she had moved from the King Valley to Wangaratta.

Mrs Russell said she, her husband and mother-in-law had spoken again in recent weeks about asking the public again to come forward with any details about the disappearance.

A $100,000 reward announced two years ago still stands for information offered to police.

“At some point someone has got to say something or dob someone in,” Mrs Russell said.

“There are more than two or three people who know exactly what’s gone on and we want them to know that we haven’t forgotten and the community hasn’t forgotten.”

Anyone with details should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


_______________________________________________________________
Wangaratta mum Kath Bergamin was murdered, says coroner
Jane Metlikovec AAP From: Herald Sun June 04, 2008 12:00AM
A VICTORIAN coroner has found mother-of-three Kath Bergamin was murdered, but has been unable to determine the identity of her killer.
In the Victorian Coroner's Court today, coroner Peter White found the Wangaratta mother was killed by an unknown person or persons after she disappeared from home on the evening of August 18, 2002.

Mr White delivered an open verdict at the conclusion of her inquest this afternoon.

He said after considering evidence from family and friends, much of it unreliable, he found Ms Bergamin was taken from her home on the night of her disappearance and killed soon after.

Her remains have never been found.
______________________________________________________________
Kath Bergamin inquest update VIC POLICE
Release date: Tue 11 September 2007

The inquest relating to the death of missing Wangaratta woman Kath Bergamin has been adjourned until 26 October 2007.

Kath Bergamin disappeared during the evening of Sunday 18 August 2002 from her Brien Crescent home that she shared with a female friend.

A reward of up to $100,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of anyone responsible for the death of the 37-year-old mother of three.

Detectives believe members of the community may have information in relation to this incident and are urging them to come forward.

Investigators particularly want to speak to anyone that anonymously contacted police recently, but did not directly speak to Homicide Squad members.

Any person with information is urged to contact the Homicide Squad on
9865 2362 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Senior Constable Brett Adamson
Media Officer
_______________________________________________________________
$100,000 Reward
Announced June 2007
A reward of up to $100,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of anyone responsible for the death of 37-year-old mother of three Kath Bergamin.

Ms Bergamin disappeared during the evening of Sunday 18 August 2002 from her Brien Crescent home that she shared with a female friend.

Investigations by Homicide Squad detectives have established Ms Bergamin was wearing three quarter length red Adidas gym pants with white stripes, a white ‘Tommy Girl’ t-shirt with a red and blue logo, a red coloured hooded windcheater-type jacket and red Nike gym socks.

Ms Bergamin had separated from her husband, with whom she had previously resided in the Cheshunt area, just a few months before her disappearance.

Extensive enquiries were conducted in and around the Wangaratta and Cheshunt areas to identify those responsible for her disappearance.

A large search of bushland area in Cheshunt South was also conducted in an attempt to locate her body.

Kath Bergamin’s remains have never been recovered.

Detectives believe members of the community may have information in relation to this incident and are asking them to come forward.

“The investigation needs that vital piece of information that will enable us to prosecute those responsible and resolve this case,” Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Steve Clark said.

“We hope this reward will encourage anyone to come forward - any piece of information could help. We particularly want to speak to anyone with information who has not yet contacted us.”

The reward is payable at the Chief Commissioner’s discretion and any information received is treated as strictly confidential.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au
_______________________________________________________________

$100,000 reward for missing mum
The Age Mark Russell June 24, 2007

A CORONER will investigate the suspected abduction and murder of mother-of-three Kath Bergamin, who disappeared from her Wangaratta home almost five years ago.

The prime suspect — Mrs Bergamin's estranged husband, John — is expected to be called as a witness.

Police have claimed in court the couple's son, Steven, 24, helped his father murder Mrs Bergamin.

The State Government will announce a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mrs Bergamin's killer.

John Bergamin, a prominent grape and tobacco grower, was charged with his wife's murder in March last year and spent a month in jail before being released on bail.

The charge was dropped in January because of a lack of evidence.

Mrs Bergamin's family hopes the inquest, which starts on July 31, will provide answers. "We're just hoping things will become a little clearer," her brother, Roger Russell, said yesterday.

Homicide detective Senior Constable Damian Jackson said the inquest, in Wangaratta, was set down for three weeks, with more than 60 witnesses.

"The main focus for the reward is we believe people in the community may have information … and we're asking them to come forward," he said.

The police case against Mr Bergamin and his son has been outlined in court documents obtained by The Sunday Age.

Granting bail to Mr Bergamin last year, Supreme Court judge Betty King said that police claimed he killed his estranged wife so he would not have to sell the family farm and business to pay her if they divorced. The farm at Cheshunt, 55 kilometres south of Wangaratta, had been inherited from Mr Bergamin's parents.

Justice King said police claimed Mr Bergamin:
■Had continued before the murder to contact, stalk and harass Kath Bergamin, despite an intervention order.
■Became aware, on or about August 16, 2002, that Kath Bergamin had initiated proceedings, including spousal maintenance and property settlement.
■Was unable to pay her and could potentially lose the farm.
■Had threatened to kill Kath Bergamin in the past.
■Wanted Kath Bergamin dead to protect the farm.
■Was aware that she was alone at her rented home in Wangaratta on the night of August 18, 2002.
■Abducted her on August 18, 2002, between 7.26pm and 10.10pm, with the help of his son, bundled her into a car, took her to an unknown location and murdered her.
■Disposed of her body at an unknown location and deliberately set fire to the car to destroy any evidence.
■Lied to investigators.
■Disposed of her body at an unknown location and deliberately set fire to the car to destroy any evidence.
■Lied to investigators.

Justice King said the case against Mr Bergamin, 46, was entirely circumstantial and revealed how Mrs Bergamin, on February 11, 2002, attempted to commit suicide with a .22 calibre rifle. The bullet fragmented in her rear lower skull without damaging her brain or other vital organs.

Mrs Bergamin was treated at The Alfred hospital and transferred to the Albert Road Clinic where she was treated for depression.

When police interviewed Mr Bergamin and his son, they denied they had murdered her.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestoppers.com.au
_______________________________________________________________

Susan Goodwin

Personal Details
Last seen: Friday, 19 July 2002
Year of birth: 1962
Height:
Build: Slim
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Collar length brown hair
Complexion: Fair
Gender: Female
Distinguishing Feature: Tattoo of a purple rose on left hip.
Circumstances: Her disappearance is described as out of character.



_______________________________________________________________

The Disappearance of Susan Goodwin
Sunday Mail 28-12-2003 By: Anna Merola with Peter Haran
EVERYWHERE Susan Goodwin went she look her toothbrush and a small bottle of water.
But the Port Lincoln woman took neither with her the day she disappeared.
She had ignored her obsession with dental hygiene, a fact that gave police reason to worry about her safety.
Police said events from years ago ruted out the likelihood of suicide - Susan had survived an horrific car crash in which her three siblings were killed.
"She considered life precious," Major Crime investigator Detective Sergeant Mick Standing said.
There had been no falling out or altercation with her partner, Michel Peterson, with whom she lived, but something had distressed her on the day she vanished.
Susan had arranged to pick up Ms Peterson from a Port Lincoln fish processing plant at 4.30pm on July 19.
She had shopped for food for the evening meat and was seen in town by people who later told police she was "distressed" or "distraught".
Why Susan was upset is not clear. She drove her four-wheel drive back home and apparently unpacked her groceries.
At 4.30pm Ms Peterson arrived home and became alarmed after finding the four-wheel drive locked and parked in the drive- way.
Inside the couple's home meat had been unpacked and left on the kitchen bench for the evening meal.
Investigators built up a picture of Susan and concluded foul play was involved. One detective said "the whole picture is not right".
The following week police and SES volunteers scoured 25sq km of dense scrub near Port Lincoln for clues or a grave.
Susan carried $140 with her but had not used her bank accounts.
Seventeen months on, her disappearance - listed as a major crime - still mystifies all concerned.
Her father, Don Goodwin, who lives in rural Victoria, told the Sunday Mail his daughter had "been to hell and back" after the tragedy ot the car smash.
"She was very close to me and this has set me back," he said. "I've come to the conclusion she's not alive."
Susan's mother, Margaret, said: "If she was alive we would have heard from her - somebody knows something."

Amber Michelle HAIGH

Personal Details
Status: Suspected Murder
Reward: $100,000.
Sex: Female
Year of Birth: 1982
At Time of Disappearance on 5 June 2002
Age: 19
Height: 160.0 Build: Thin
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Green/Hazel
Complexion: Fair / Caucasian


Circumstances: Amber was last seen at Campbelltown. Ms Haigh was reported missing on 19 June, 2002 by a married couple who she had been living with in the rural town of Kingsvale in southern NSW. The couple told police that they dropped Ms Haigh off at the Campbelltown railway station on 5 June, 2002 and never heard from her again.

__________________________________

Sick 'jokes' around missing girl: court

Jun 23 2011 By ninemsn staff

An inquest into the disappearance of Amber Haigh has been told the 19-year-old was killed and put through a farm shredding machine. Ms Haigh was reported missing by Robert and Anne Geeves, who lived on a farm with her at Kingsvale, near Young, in New South Wales, in 2002.

A witness, Adam Blundell, told the inquiry on Thursday he had heard rumours of Ms Haigh’s body being put through a shredding machine but he also believed the comment was made as a joke. the ABC reports

At one point the coroner became enraged and castigated Mr Blundell, telling him "It's not a joke.... it's not funny."

Only five months before she was reported missing, Ms Haigh, who experts said had the mental age of a ten-year-old, gave birth to Robert Geeve’s baby. It has been alleged she was acting as a surrogate mother for the couple.
David Williams, a former abattoir worker, told the inquest he had heard rumours Ms Haigh’s body was "hidden in grapevines".

But he added he was drunk and stoned at the time and the conversation had started as a "practical joke."

__________________________________

Teen missing since 2002 'used as surrogate mother'

James Madden From: The Australian June 21, 2011

AMBER Haigh and Robert Geeves were a most unlikely couple.

When Ms Haigh moved in to his NSW farmhouse in 2001, she was just 18, and he, a married father of one, was in his early 40s.

Stranger still, his wife, Anne, approved of the union and remained under the same roof with her husband and his new girlfriend in the marital property near Young, in southern NSW.

Nine months after moving in with the Geeves, Ms Haigh, who had a mild intellectual disability, was pregnant. And six months after giving birth to a baby boy, she disappeared and has not been seen since. Her family and the police accept she is almost certainly dead.

Almost nine years to the day since Ms Haigh was last seen on June 5, 2002 -- when the Geeves say they dropped her off at Campbelltown train station in Sydney's southwest -- her family and Mr Geeves yesterday sat just metres apart in Parramatta Local Court on the first day of the inquest into the young mother's disappearance. It is the belief of the family and the police that the Geeves used Ms Haigh as a surrogate mother. Mrs Geeves had lost a baby girl not long before Ms Haigh moved in with them and was thought to be unable to conceive another child.

"There appeared to be some kind of motive of the Geeves to be rid of Amber. It was our concern that she was some kind of surrogate mother," Detective Sergeant David Cockram told the court yesterday. About a year after Ms Haigh's disappearance, police raided the Geeves home and seized a doona that contained bloodstains consistent with the DNA of a relative of Roslyn Wright, Ms Haigh's mother.

The doona was taken from the bedroom once shared by Ms Haigh and Mr Geeves. A further police raid of the property in 2005 found similar blood samples on the carpet. Neither Mr Geeves, nor Mrs Geeves -- who was too sick to attend yesterday's inquest -- have been charged with any crime relating to the disappearance of Ms Haigh.

The court was told Mr Geeves had been acquitted of the murder of another girlfriend, 29-year-old Janelle Goodwin, whose naked body -- tied with twine from her ankles to her neck -- was found at the Geeves farmhouse in June 1993.

Ms Goodwin had moved in with Mr Geeves and his wife in the early 1990s, and became pregnant with his child. But on the night of June 20, 1993, she died from a bullet wound to her head. Mr Geeves told police that during a drunken argument, Ms Goodwin "introduced" a firearm to the dispute and was shot in the struggle.

In his opening remarks yesterday, counsel assisting the Coroner, Peter Hamill, said Ms Haigh's family members would tell the inquest that Amber had feared she would be "discarded" by the Geeves after she gave birth.

Ms Haigh's aunt, Patricia Haigh, told the inquest her niece had confided to her that she had been "raped and videotaped" by Mr Geeves and he and his wife had used the existence of the tapes to blackmail the teenager into promising to hand over the baby to them when it was born.

The inquest continues.

__________________________________

Baby 'taken', then mother vanished

Malcolm Brown June 21, 2011 SMH

A COUPLE who gave accommodation to a teenage girl in Kingsvale, near Young in southern NSW, might have agreed that the man should make the girl pregnant and they would then take the baby, Parramatta Coroner's Court heard yesterday.

The Deputy State Coroner, Scott Mitchell, inquiring into the disappearance of Amber Michelle Haigh in June 2002, heard that Anne Geeves, whose husband Robert Geeves made the girl pregnant, had lost a baby of her own and could not conceive again.

Peter Hamill, SC, counsel assist-ing the inquiry, said Amber, 19, gave birth to a baby boy in January, 2002. On June 5 of that year, Robert and Anne Geeves, on their later account to police, had taken Amber to Campbelltown railway station, where she was to catch a train to Mount Druitt to visit her father. She was never seen again. Robert and Anne Geeves reported her missing on June 19, 2002.

Amber, who suffered from epilepsy and had a mental disability, had formed a relationship with Robbie Geeves, son of Robert and Anne Geeves, but Robert Geeves had become interested in her as well and had asked her to stay with them.

Sergeant Andrew Cochrane, who investigated the disappearance, said Mr and Mrs Geeves had been suspects from the outset of the inquiry. He said he had taken note of the fact that Mr Geeves had been tried and acquitted of the murder of another girl in 2006 and he had also been acquitted of the abduction and sexual assault of a teenage girl in 1986.

Patricia Haigh, an aunt of Amber, said her niece had told her about terrible abuse, including rape, she had suffered at the hands of Robert and Anne Geeves.

''She [told me that] she had been tied to a bed and his wife took a video about it and they held that against her so she would not tell anybody anything otherwise they would use it against her,'' Ms Haigh said.

''Amber told me that Mrs Geeves had had a death of her own child, she wanted to have another baby, she could not fall pregnant, and they had held on to Amber so they could get the baby off her.''

The hearing resumes today.

_________________________________

Date set for Amber Haigh inquest

ABC Australia Riverina Online:  September 22, 2010

An inquest into the disappearance of a Young district teenager is scheduled to start almost nine years to the day after she was reported missing.

Amber Michelle Haigh, 19, from Kingsvale, had been staying with a couple in Sydney who reported her disappearance on June 19, 2002.

An inquest has been set down for five days at Parramatta starting on June 20 next year before deputy state coroner Scott Mitchell.

Local police have said they have provided details of Ms Haigh's missing person case to Strikeforce Hixson which is investigating the discovery of bones in the Belanglo State Forest.

__________________________________

Reward of $100,000 to solve disappearance of Amber Haigh
NSW Police Force Missing Persons

A $100,000 reward is on offer to solve the mysterious disappearance and suspected death of 19 year old Amber Haigh in 2002.

It is hoped the reward will prompt someone to come forward with new information.

Ms Haigh was reported missing on 19 June, 2002 by a married couple who she had been living with in the rural town of Kingsvale in southern NSW.

The couple told police that they dropped Ms Haigh off at the Campbelltown railway station on 5 June, 2002 and never heard from her again.

Police believe that Ms Haigh met with foul play, but they have been unable to find enough evidence to prosecute anyone over her dissappearance.

Despite extensive searches of the Kingsvale area, she is yet to be found.

Someone within the tight-knit community of Kingsvale could hold the key to solving the mysterious disappearance.

The smallest piece of information may allow police to close this case.

Strike Force Villamar was set up to investigate the case, but police say they have exhausted all avenues of enquiry.

There are still many unanswered questions in the Amber Haigh case and it is only with help from the public that police can expect a breakthrough.

Aruna VERMA

Personal Details
Status: Murdered
Body Missing
Sex: Female
Year of Birth: 1966
At Time of Disappearance on 2 June 2002
Age: 35
Height (cm): 170.0
Build: Medium
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Brown
Complexion: Dark Brown
Nationality: Fijian Racial Appearance: Indian
Circumstances Aruna was last seen in Port Kembla.
_______________________________________________________________

Fijian man convicted of wife's murder By Amy Coopes
November 14, 2007

A Fiji-born man who fled to the Solomon Islands on a one-way ticket just days after the disappearance of his de facto wife in NSW has been convicted of her murder.

Aruna Verma vanished from her Port Kembla home while her four children and their nanny attended church on the morning of June 2, 2002.

Her bank accounts and mobile phone have not been touched since, and immigration records show no sign of her leaving the country.

Ms Verma's de facto husband Kaniappa Raju, 45, was convicted of her murder by a NSW Supreme Court jury on Wednesday.

The panel of 12 took just five hours to reach its verdict, following a trial of three weeks.

It was the third trial for Raju, with the first aborted and a hung jury at the second.

Ms Verma's relationship with Raju had been strained in the month leading up to her disappearance, the jury was told.

Raju suspected his wife was having an affair with his cousin Chinna Gounder, whom he dobbed in for working in breach of his visa.

Mr Gounder was detained in Villawood and eventually deported, and Raju threatened his wife the same fate awaited her.

The couple fought bitterly, with Raju becoming so aggressive Ms Verna took out a restraining order and made plans to leave with her four daughters.

On the morning of her disappearance, someone called the last numbers dialled on Ms Verna's phone, including the refuge where she was intending to flee the following day, said prosecutor Merv Grogan.

Within four hours of discovering his wife was missing, Mr Grogan said, Raju packed up his daughters and drove through the night to his lover's home in Queensland.

He left the girls there, then bought a one-way ticket to the Solomon Islands, where he remained until being extradited to face the murder charge in 2005.

"That is indicative of somebody acting in a way that shows their guilt," Mr Grogan told the court.

Raju wept as he took the stand in his own defence, claiming he drove around for hours searching for his wife.

His lawyer, Nathan Watts, told the jury it was impossible, within the narrow timeframe, for Raju to have killed his wife and disposed of her body.

Justice Virginia Bell remanded Raju in custody for sentencing submissions on December 6.

Niamh Maire MAYE

Personal Details
Sex: Female
Year of Birth: 1983
At Time of Disappearance on or about the 27th March 2002.
Age: 18
Height (cm): 175.0
Build: Thin
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: blue-grey eyes
Complexion: Fair
Racial Appearance: Caucasian
Circumstances: Police Fears for Missing Teenage Girl. On March 27, 18-year-old Niamh Maire Maye told her mother she was leaving Batlow to travel by bus to Sydney, expecting to arrive on March 31. On Wednesday April 3, the teenager's mother contacted police, concerned for her daughter's welfare. Niamh was last seen carrying a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and a metre-long stick. She is white, 170-175cm tall, slim with shoulder-length brown hair, blue-grey eyes and freckles. A missing persons investigation has released an image of a vehicle Niamh may have been travelling in.
"The car is a black Holden HT station wagon, described as bearing Victorian number plates," said Detective Inspector Gae Crea of Tumut Police. Anyone with information about the vehicle or Niamh is urged to call (02) 6947 7199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Kathryn GROSVENOR - Murder

Blue Boots Linked to an Unsolved Canberra Murder.

15 July 2011 , 1:42 PM by Louise Maher - ABC

ACT police are urgently trying to track down the woman who bought this pair of electric blue platform boots from a St Vincent de Paul store in Wagga this week.
The shoes are thought to be connected to the murder of Kathryn Grosvenor.
23-year old Kathryn was last seen at her home in Canberra in March 2002. Her body was found nearly a week later in Lake Burley Griffin.
When Kathryn was last seen she was wearing dark coloured hipster pants and a pair of boots identical to the ones in the photo.
Louise Maher spoke to Detective Superintendent Brett McCann about the boots and details of the case.
If you know anything about them please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Karen MORTON

Personal Details
Last seen: Saturday, 9 February 2002
Year of birth: 1967
Height: 165cm
Build: Slim
Eyes: Green
Hair: Shoulder length brown hair
Complexion: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Distinguishing Feature: Numerous tattoos on her legs and arms





Circumstances: At the time of her disappearance Karen was residing in a unit at Pennington. Due to Karen's failure to appear over time Police together with family members have fears for her safety and welfare.

Carmel Louise GIANNASCA

Missing Persons
Sex: Female
Year of Birth: 1969
At Time of Disappearance on 14 January 2002
Age: 32
Height (cm): 175.0
Build: Thin
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Complexion: Olive
Racial Appearance: Caucasian


Circumstances: Carmel Louise Giannasca, 32, was last seen at her home in Albert Street, Gladesville,in Sydney's north-west, at 7am on January 14, 2002.
Carmel packed two suitcases and left the house after an argument with her husband and drove off in a dark green 1995 Holden Commodore registered TVN 835. The vehice was recovered in Newcastle several weeks after her disappearance.
Carmel has not been seen since nor has she contacted her family or friends which is quite out of character for her.
_______________________________________________________________

Police Investigate Vanishing Mums
Daily Telegraph 11-5-2005 - Brad Clifton

MOTHER-of-three Lisa Franks left home to go for her daily walk a little over two weeks ago.
She has not returned.
Since April 9, the 36-year-old's children Nicholas, 15, Patricia, 11, and Christian, 9, have been distraught, while police and her husband Ken remain baffled.
Mrs Franks is the latest in a string of mothers who have disappeared without trace in recent years, leaving behind shattered families.
In some cases, police believe they have met with foul play.
But in others there is evidence to suggest the women merely abandoned their families to start anew.
In Mrs Franks' case, she was last seen about 4.45pm on April 9 walking along Bungaree Rd, Toongabbie, in western Sydney, towards Pendle Hill railway station.
She had been seen earlier that day carrying two plastic bags full of clothing -- a possible indication that she had planned to leave home.
"There's been a number of sightings, which we're trying to prove or disprove," Parramatta crime manager Detetective Inspector Ian McNab said.
"We can't confirm it was her in any of these sightings.
"We've run by a number of scenarios that she may have met with foul play, she may have caused herself harm, she may have gone off somewhere, we just don't know."
Mrs Franks' bank accounts have remained untouched, but her family is hoping that some type of stress could have caused her to temporarily seek a break from home life.
A similar situation exists for Matthew Girkin, whose wife Cassandra, 30, has not been seen since leaving a Central Coast shopping centre on February 14. v Mr Girkin said she told him she was going to the toilet, but security camera footage shows she left the complex.
The couple's three daughters, Teegan, 9, Chloe, 7, and Georgia, 5, are constantly asking their father, "When will mummy come back?"
"It's just not fair, it really isn't," Mr Girkin said yesterday.
"What do you tell the kids? Just to take each day at a time, that's all I can do. I just try to keep myself busy, because if you just sit there thinking about it you end up going mad."
While there is evidence to suggest Mrs Franks, Mrs Girkin and another Central Coast woman Kylie McKay - who disappeared in 2002 - may have willingly left their families, police have reason to believe some other missing mums have met a more sinister fate.
Detectives are currently compiling evidence for a coronial inquest into the death of Gladesville mother-of-two Carmel Giannasca, 32, who disappeared in 2002 after an argument.
Police feel she has met with foul play and are hoping the upcoming inquest will lead to an arrest.
Grave fears are also held for Dubbo mother-of-four Lateesha Nolan, who has been missing since January 4.
Ms Nolan, 24, has not been seen since dropping off her two youngest children at their grandmother's house.
Her abandoned car was found next day near the Macquarie River.
Her children, aged 2, 3, 4, and 5, are being cared for by their grandmother.
"We've discussed the fact of foul play and that, on face value, seems very much apparent because of her situation with the children," Dubbo crime manager Acting Inspector Mark Meredith said.
"It would be very uncharacteristic of her to get up and leave her children in that way. She's very, very closely aligned to her family."