She was last seen at the front of the house, holding a glass of soda. When her mother looked again, she was simply gone.
The Day
On October 17, 1992, Nicola Cruickshank and her family stopped in Kingston, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand, after a vehicle breakdown delayed their travel. The group, including Nicola's partner and friends staying in the area, decided to stay the night, and a barbecue was organized with about eight to ten people present. Amber-Lee, Nicola's 2-year-old daughter, was with the group; her mother's last clear memory of her is at the front of the house with a glass of soda, shortly after being taken out of a boat.
The Disappearance
When Nicola realized Amber-Lee was missing, the group began searching the immediate area, initially assuming she had wandered off or was with someone else. As the search extended and the sun began to set, the family called police. A search effort was organized that night and continued through the following days before being called off, with investigators initially presuming she had drowned.
An Unlikely Drowning
Nicola has said Amber-Lee had a strong aversion to water and had refused to even wade in the lake earlier that day, making an accidental drowning seem inconsistent with her daughter's known behavior. She has also said Amber-Lee was wary of unfamiliar people, making it unlikely she would have willingly gone off with a stranger.
The Investigation
The search eventually expanded to include the lake, a local waste site, surrounding bushland, railway tracks, and creeks, involving helicopters and search teams covering an extensive area. After public attention from a television appeal, the case was formally reclassified from a presumed drowning to a suspected case of foul play. Despite the scale of the search, no trace of Amber-Lee was ever found.
A Reward for Answers
Decades later, police announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case. Nicola has said she remains hopeful the reward might prompt someone with knowledge of what happened to come forward, describing the decades of uncertainty as an ongoing source of pain for her family.
FAQ
Has Amber-Lee Cruickshank ever been found?
No. She has never been located, and the case remains unsolved.
Do police believe foul play was involved?
Yes. The case was reclassified from a presumed drowning to suspected foul play after the initial search, though it has never been resolved.
Is there still a reward for information?
Yes, police have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.