They called a friend to say they'd made it to a party. That was the last anyone ever heard from them.
Gillian Jamieson and Deborah Balken, both 19, disappeared after leaving a Parramatta hotel on July 12, 1980. A New South Wales coroner formally ruled them dead in 2006, but no one has ever been charged.
Two Friends, One Night Out
Gillian and Deborah had been friends since high school and shared a house in Dundas, a Sydney suburb, working as trainee nurses' aides. On the evening of July 12, they were at the Tollgate Hotel in Parramatta, a pub they visited regularly, when they left with a man described by witnesses as offering to drive them to a party in Wollongong.
The Last Phone Call
About 90 minutes later, Deborah called their housemate, Sue, saying they'd arrived safely in Wollongong and asking her to tell their workplaces they'd be out sick for several days. She mentioned they were with someone Gillian used to work with, describing him only as "the gardener fellow." Neither woman was heard from again. Both left their full pay packets behind at the house.
A Threatening Encounter
A woman working at the Tollgate Hotel that night later told police she'd overheard the group discussing the party and seen them leave together with a man in his mid-20s to 30s, tall, with long dark hair. Months later, the same man reportedly returned to the pub, recognized the woman, and told her the two friends were dead and that police would never find them, threatening her and her children before leaving. She quit her job that night and never returned.
Persons of Interest
At a 2006 coronial inquest, police named four men as persons of interest in the case, none of whom were ever charged: Michael Toomey, a gardener who had worked with Gillian and was among the group talking with the women that night; Peter King, who had reportedly been in a relationship with Deborah and was known to police in connection with drugs; Peter Flood, a former classmate who was later convicted of an unrelated sexual assault and had reportedly remained fixated on the case; and Ivan Milat, later convicted of murdering seven backpackers in the early 1990s, who was working near the hotel at the time. Milat was interviewed by police and denied any involvement or ever having visited the Tollgate Hotel.
Other Theories
Investigators have also raised the possibility that the two women, who had some prior history with drug use, may have overdosed, or that they were killed after accepting a ride while hitchhiking, with someone known to them potentially disposing of their remains afterward. More than 40 alleged sightings were reported to police in the months following their disappearance, none of which were ever confirmed.
A Sister's Search, and a Ruling
Deborah's sister, Cheryl, spent years personally searching for the two women, distributing photographs and appealing to media outlets long after the official investigation slowed. In May 2006, a NSW deputy state coroner formally found that both women had died, though their remains have never been recovered. Police have said the case remains formally open and will continue to be treated as an active unsolved homicide investigation.
A Standing Reward
New South Wales Police continue to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Ivan Milat ever charged in this case?
No. He was named as one of several persons of interest at the 2006 inquest and denied any involvement; he was never charged in connection with this case.
Have the women's remains ever been found?
No. Despite the 2006 coroner's ruling that they had died, neither woman's remains have ever been located.
Is there still a reward for information?
Yes, $100,000, offered by NSW Police for information leading to a conviction.