A PIVOTAL discovery in a cold case has been made after the remains of a missing backpacker were found – more than two decades after she first disappeared.
In April 2001, 24-year-old Kellie Ann Carmichael disappeared from a hostel in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW) in a bombshell unsolved case.
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Her remains were discovered on Sunday by police in Katoomba, 23 years after she told staff she was going for a walk and never returned.
Carmichael, from Geelong, Victoria, was not seen again, even though her belongings were left behind at the backpacker hostel.
NSW Police released a statement saying: “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.
“Following investigations, police attended the same location on Monday, May 27, 2024, where they located further remains.
“The remains initially located and seized have now been formally identified as those of missing person Kellie Ann Carmichael, and her family has now been notified.”
Police were reportedly rappelling down a cliff when they spotted the remains.
The investigation has been handed over to the Unsolved Homicide Team, who are currently preparing to discuss evidence for the coroner’s use.
It is hoped that the cause of his death will be partially identified through his bones so that more light can be shed on the tragic case.
I feel like we were robbed of having our daughter. Our life will never be the same
Margaret Carmichael
The Carmichael family has suspected she was murdered since her disappearance.
Parents John and Margaret first reported their daughter missing after becoming concerned when they had no contact with Carmichael for almost a week.
After calling the hostel, they were told she had checked out on April 29th.
Staff said his ID, wallet, phone, camera, toiletries and cards were found in his room.
Margaret told the media at the time: “I feel like our daughter has been stolen.
“Our lives will never be the same.”
Various theories have been made about what happened to the 24-year-old, with some claiming that a serial killer may have kidnapped her and abandoned her body.
Police initially thought the woman may have taken her own life as she suffered from schizophrenia throughout her life.
Homicide Squad detectives took control of the investigation after the media storm the missing woman.
Areas in the Blue Mountains were all cordoned off as rescue efforts were carried out to try and locate Carmichael.
If you were responsible for causing harm to Kellie Ann, the police will never close this file. They will hunt you until the day you die
Michael Daley
After eight years of searching, a 2009 inquest led by deputy coroner Carl Milovanovich declared Carmichael dead.
But they couldn’t say when, where or how she died.
Michael Daley, the area’s police minister, pleaded with the public at the time, saying: “Please give her family the closure they deserve. Please submit information.
“And understand that if you were responsible for causing harm to Kellie Ann, the police will never close this file.
“They will hunt you until the day you die.”
A reward of £160,000 was offered for any information about the cold case.
It turns out a 12-year-old murder mystery that saw three Brits killed in the French Alps could soon be solved thanks to advances in DNA testing.
The horrific murder hit a location in the French countryside in September 2012, in which three members of a British family were tragically killed.
If a groundbreaking discovery were made, this would not be the first case in a decade in France seen thanks to new DNA testing methods.
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