BREAKING NEWS Major update in search for Aussie girl who vanished without a trace
A 14-year-old girl who went missing without a trace on Sunday has been found safe, police have confirmed.
Holly Whalan was last seen at 12.15pm on High Street in Warialda, a town in regional New South Wales.
Following her disappearance, Holly's mother issued a desperate plea for help on social media.
'Anyone who tries to contact her is blocked immediately: her Facebook has been deactivated,' her mother wrote.
'We are extremely worried for her safety. Please help us bring our baby home. If you know something do the right thing and tell us immediately.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
Desperate search for missing mum, 28, who vanished four days ago as family urge ‘your children want you home'
POLICE are desperately searching for a 28-year-old mum who vanished four days ago, as her family pleads, "your children want you home". Louise Shaw was last spotted on Garnett Avenue, Kirkdale, around 3.15pm on May 31. Cops describe the mum as white, 5ft 7in tall, slim, with long black hair, a nose piercing, and tattoos. The 28-year-old has an owl/butterfly tattoo on the centre of her chest, a blue tiger tattoo on her left thigh, a dolphin on her lower left leg and a woman with two children on her lower right leg. Merseyside Police revealed she was last seen wearing a black vest, black leggings and lilac trainers. In a statement from her family they said: "Louise, this message is from all your family – please let someone know you are safe, we are all worried about you and your children really want their mum to come home'. In a heartfelt Facebook post, the family added: "Please can you all share my daughter has been missing since saturday. "She has 2 young children who just want there mummy. Louise isn't well and we just want to get her the help she needs or at least know she is safe. Louise shaw 28 from kirkdale area," Police have urged anyone who has seen the 28-year-old mum to call 999 or to contact them via or any other information to @MerPolCC or 101.
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
Satellite pic from days after Maddie vanished shows eerie ‘tent' in Brueckner's camping spot now being searched by cops
MADELEINE McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner stayed in a 'wild camping' ground on land now being scoured by cops, The Sun can reveal. Search teams have zeroed in on scrubland between Brueckner's old home and the apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal where Maddie was snatched in May 2007. 15 15 15 15 15 And German police leading the hunt hope the convicted child sex fiend and rapist may have left vital clues which could finally nail him for Maddie's murder. Searchers were yesterday focusing on at least five derelict farmhouses and barns where Brueckner camped at the time the British tot was taken. Sun analysis of a June 2007 satellite image of one building being searched yesterday revealed what appeared to be a white tent pitched within its walls. The stone-walled property was photographed from space on June 22, 2007 - seven weeks after Maddie was taken from her family's Ocean Club apartment a five minute drive away. Recent pictures of the same spot show the building's massive deterioration - and lay bare the enormous task facing police seeking elusive scraps of DNA evidence. The 2007 images shows the roofless cottage or barn is approximately 58ft long by 25ft wide with a white, 9ft tent like structure pitched inside its walls. It is impossible to say whether the building was occupied by Brueckner or one of a number of hippie types living in the area in camper vans and tents at the time. But fading hopes of finding evidence linking him to the three-year-old British tot were also being hampered by the march of time yesterday. Chain saws and diggers were drafted in to excavate ground and clear thick undergrowth which has overwhelmed many of the abandoned buildings. And luxury holiday homes have been built on other key spots within a ten acre area being combed by scores of Portuguese and German cops. 15 15 15 Teams spent yesterday toiling in 29C heat at the seaside search plot in an area called Atalaia, a mile east of the Ocean Club and half a mile from Brueckner's old house. Ground penetrating radar scanners - capable of finding bodies 15 feet below ground - were also drafted into the grim search. Locals said the spot close to a cliff was once a romantic spot where Portuguese couples would canoodle after dark in their cars. But by the early noughties the open scrubland offering sea views and no parking charges attracted a foreign 'wild camper' set - believed to include Brueckner. Police are believed to have launched their 'last throw of the dice' search after tip-offs from associates about the area and geolocation checks of his computer hardware. Local man Joao Pedro, 63, who grew up in the area, told The Sun: 'It used to be a romantic spot - I used to take my girlfriends there. 'But at the time Maddie went missing in the noughties it was very popular with foreign campers and you'd see camper vans and tents there all time. 'It was totally unregulated back then and strangers would just pitch up and stay there for free and no one would bother them.' 15 15 15 A police source at the scene told The Sun yesterday that searches were focusing on the area because Brueckner used to camp in the buildings. One officer said: 'We are here because Brueckner used to camp here. Not only Brueckner but many people.' The Sun also examined historic satellite imagery showing Brueckner's single story house around half a mile from the current search site at the time of the abduction. Images recorded in 2006 and 2007 show vehicles resembling his distinctive VW camper van nearby. He moved out of the white and yellow bungalow in late 2006 but a white roofed van still appears to be parked outside it in June 2007 after Maddie was snatched. A white structure erected close to his house in 2006 when he lived there also appears to have vanished the following year. Imagery also shows scores of open wells across the entire search area which were being drained and methodically checked for clues yesterday. Wider satellite pictures taken in 2007 show a string of building plots around the current search area - which have since become luxury homes and holiday estates. The worst fear of officers is that Brueckner could have hidden Maddie's body or vital clues in the foundations of buildings which would now be impossible to excavate. Hopes that telltale fragments of clothing - like the missing tot's pink Eeyore pyjamas - might be found are also remote. German federal officers are racing against time to find vital DNA clues after the 48-year-old fiend Brueckner boasted he would 'go to ground' when he is released in September. The vile pervert - who cops are convinced took and killed Maddie - is currently due to finish a seven year sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. A Portuguese police source said last night: 'This really is a last ditch effort - search teams here are hoping they get lucky. 'Officers are determined to do everything they possibly can before Brueckner walks free. They know what is at stake.' 15 15 15 TIMELINE OF EVENTS Here's a timeline of the case which has gripped the world. May 3, 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history. January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search. February 16, 2016 Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop. He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then. May 3, 2017 Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner. September 27, 2018 On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy. He is extradited to Germany the following year. December 16, 2019 Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars. June 4, 2020 German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead. German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner). June 23, 2023 In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying 'she didn't scream' as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain. February 16, 2024 Brueckner goes on trial accused of non-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges. October 8, 2024 Brueckner was acquitted of all claims. Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. June 3, 2025 Fresh search for Madeleine's body begins. September 17, 2025 Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken. Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case.
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Footy star reveals the incredibly strict lifestyle changes that have left him in better shape now than when he was playing
Footy star Thomas Baulch, who is also the CEO of fitness company Prime Train, has opened up on the lifestyle changes he has made which have helped him improve his health, wellbeing and foster new friendships. Baulch is well known among footy circles for his Instagram account where he helps others get in the shape of their life. The fitness trainer, who has over 45,000 followers on his personal Instagram account, is also a well-established footballer, having played in the WAFL for East Perth, NEAFL and the VFL for Aspley and Port Melbourne. The footy player, who is often dubbed 'PrimeTrain' himself, regularly publishes clips of himself playing footy on social media, battling with opponents while kicking goals. As part of his fitness business, Baulch, a midfielder, has also had clients including Brownlow Medallists Patrick Cripps and Tom Mitchell. In recent weeks, the 21-year-old appears to have been enjoying a getaway in Bali with several friends. The Queenslander, who was born in Gladstone, shared a picture of himself enjoying a meal with two friends and fellow fitness coaches, Keenan Chapman and Ned Wagner. The trio grinned at the camera as they prepared to tuck into a delicious looking meal, while Baulch captioned the post: 'Final supper with the crew in Bali for a while. 'I've been on a journey this year... at the start of the year, I said to myself it was time to lock in. 'It was lonely for a while...' At the start of January, he also shared two pictures of his own body transformation, showcasing his shredded physique on his company's Instagram account, which also has 169,000 followers. And on Tuesday, he revealed the huge lifestyle changes he had made that have seen him improve his physical and mental wellbeing. 'No alcohol, no caffeine, no nicotine, no hookups, wake up at 5am every day, gym every day, no vaping, no processed food, no substances,' he said. 'I would rather sit with a few who get the real me than stand in a crowd that never did. 'Small circles win.' In March, it was announced that 'Prime Train' was now set to join up with Division Three club, The Basin in the Eastern League, with the footy star going on to make his debut for the club in May. 'Thomas is a perfect example of what hard work and dedication can do for you, and is a great role model for the younger generation coming through, with his educational social media videos providing constant and relevant information to those that follow him,' the Basin spokesperson said on Baulch. 'Admired by so many people already within our community, we couldn't resist the opportunity for Prime Train to don the red and green, and cannot wait for the opportunity for him to run out on May the 10th vs. Scoresby and show The Basin what a star he is.'
