Latest news with #JessicaSmall
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- The Advertiser
'We need her home so she can have dignity': grieving mum welcomes inquiry
Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed." Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed." Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed." Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed."
ABC News
07-05-2025
- ABC News
Police renew push to solve cold case disappearance of Jessica Small
Police have renewed an appeal for information about the kidnapping and suspected death of a New South Wales teenager 27 years ago. Fifteen-year-old Jessica Small and a friend were hitchhiking home from an amusement centre in Bathurst in the early hours of October 26, 1997 when a man in a white sedan picked them up and allegedly assaulted them. The friend managed to escape from the car and raised the alarm with people nearby, but the man drove away with Jessica inside. Jessica Small and her friend were assaulted by the male driver of a Holden Commodore in 1997. ( Supplied: NSW Police ) Homicide Squad Commander Joe Doueihi said new witnesses and lines of inquiry emerged after police offered a $1-million reward for information in 2018. "We were specifically given information and received information about the car that was seen in the area at the time of Jessica's disappearance," he said. " And we have had a nomination of a potential person of interest that was not previously known to the investigation. " Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi says the Crime Commission is working with police on the case. ( ABC News: Ethan Rix ) The white Holden Commodore was last seen travelling toward Hill End, near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, according to Strike Force Carica II detectives. Detective Superintendent Doueihi said the investigation had the support of the NSW Crime Commission, which is able to compel witnesses to supply evidence. "The NSW Crime Commission are a law enforcement partner that we will call upon for assistance depending on the complexity and the nature of the investigation," he said. "They have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police Force do not have, and some of those include [holding] some type of hearing." The state coroner has granted a fresh inquest into the death of Ms Small at a date yet to be set. Jessica Small's mother Ricki and sister Rebecca leaving court during the 2014 inquest. ( ABC News: Melanie Pearce ) Something went 'terribly wrong' During a 2014 coronial inquest in Bathurst, Jessica's mother Ricki Small said it was her deepest wish that her daughter be found. "I have no doubt something went terribly wrong," she said. In 2014 Deputy State Coroner Sharon Freund found Jessica was abducted and murdered by an unknown person on the day she disappeared or the day after. Magistrate Freund told the inquest there were two persons of interest in the case, but because the original police investigation was inadequate she had been hampered from coming to any conclusions as to who was responsible. The 2014 coronial inquiry into Jessica Small's disappearance was held in Bathurst ( ABC News: Lani Oataway ) In March 2020, police arrested a then-43-year-old man in Bruinbun in the Hunter Valley and accused him of sexually assaulting Jessica in 1994 and 1996. The man cannot be named but was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment on four charges of aggravated sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16 years. He will be eligible for parole in October 2027. Anyone with information that may assist police investigations is asked to contact
