The remains of a young woman who disappeared in the Blue Mountains 23 years ago have been found.
Kellie Ann Carmichael, 24, left a hostel in Katoomba, west of Sydney, on April 29, 2001.
She told staff she would collect her belongings after going for a walk, but she was never seen again.
However, bones discovered by NSW Police in Katoomba last week have been confirmed to belong to her.
Kellie Ann Carmichael, 24, left a hostel in Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, on April 29, 2001.
She told staff she would collect her belongings after going for a walk, but she was never seen again.
“During an unrelated police operation on Tuesday 30 April 2024, officers attached to the Blue Mountains Police Area Command located human remains in bushland near Katoomba,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said.
‘Following investigations, the police went to the same location on Monday, May 27, 2024, where they located more remains.
“The human remains initially located and seized have been formally identified as those of missing person Kellie Ann Carmichael and her family has been notified.
“The investigation is being carried out by the Unsolved Homicide Team and a summary of evidence is to be prepared for the coroner.”
Carmichael’s parents, who live in Geelong, Victoria, have always believed their daughter could have been murdered.
Agents from the Unsolved Homicide Team informed them of the discovery.
A post-mortem examination will now attempt to determine whether any indication can be established as to how he died.
The surprising find only happened by chance, when an officer rappelling down a cliff as part of an unrelated search in late April spotted the bones in the bushes.
Police returned to the same location in May where they found more remains.
However, bones discovered by NSW Police in Katoomba last week have been confirmed to belong to her.
Carmichael’s parents (pictured), who live in Geelong, Victoria, have always believed their daughter may have been murdered.
Carmichael’s parents reported her missing after not hearing from her for six days.
Her case shocked the nation and gave rise to many theories about her disappearance, including whether she had been the victim of a serial killer.
But a police investigation concluded that he had committed suicide because he suffered from schizophrenia.
In 2011, the New South Wales government placed a $200,000 reward for information about his disappearance.
“I feel like we’ve been robbed of having our daughter and our grandchildren,” Margaret Carmichael told reporters at the time.
“We have never had the opportunity to have our daughter… our family has never been the same.”