She got into a yellow van on a quiet street in a small Australian town. Her family has been waiting for an answer for more than 44 years.
On the evening of October 30, 1980, 12-year-old Lisa Marie Mott left her home in Collie, Western Australia, to play basketball with friends. She never made it back.
An Ordinary Evening
Lisa left home around 6:45 p.m. with her mother's permission to attend the local basketball courts on Throssell Street — only the third time she'd been allowed out at night. She spent the evening the way any 12-year-old would: shooting hoops, joking around with friends, then walking to a nearby pizza shop around 8:45 p.m. before heading back to the courts.
Around 9 p.m., Lisa started walking home. A friend walked partway with her, following Throssell Street onto Harvey Street toward the railway crossing. There, the friend stopped, watching Lisa continue on alone toward Forrest Street.
The Last Sighting
Witnesses saw Lisa cross Forrest Street and approach a yellow panel van parked near a local shop. She appeared to pause, as if someone inside had spoken to her, then walked to the passenger side and got in. The interior light came on briefly before the van drove off.
She was never seen again.
For decades, the driver of that van remained a mystery. But a more recent development has reshaped how investigators understand that night: an eyewitness has since told detectives she saw Lisa talking to a man at the basketball courts earlier that evening — a man Lisa appeared to recognize, and who the witness had seen at the courts on at least three previous occasions. Police have since released a description of that man, hoping it might jog someone's memory.
Who Lisa Was
Lisa was born in May 1968 and lived on Atkinson Street in Collie with her mother and two sisters, the third of five children. Her mother, Marion, remembered a happy, easygoing kid. “She was always at my elbow and I got on extremely well with her,” Marion said. “There were ups and downs with her, she played the clarinet and I just remember she was really happy.”
Lisa's father, Brian, died of lung cancer years later, never learning what happened to his daughter.
The Birnie Theory
For years, one name kept surfacing in connection with Lisa's case: David Birnie. Along with his partner Catherine, Birnie was convicted in 1987 of abducting and murdering four young women in Perth. He had worked in the Collie area as a crane driver around the time Lisa vanished and reportedly owned a similar vehicle. Police interviewed him about Lisa's disappearance in 1986; he denied any involvement. Birnie died by suicide in prison in 2005, having never confessed to Lisa's case specifically.
A Case Reopened
Lisa's disappearance went cold for decades, but it never closed. In 2024, Cold Case Investigators revisited the case, releasing a podcast and setting up a mobile police unit in Collie to gather fresh information from the public — a response Detective Sergeant Greg Dowding described as “amazing,” bringing in more than 100 new pieces of information.
That renewed attention led investigators back to a yellow Holden panel van found abandoned in bushland near Hoddell Road in Collie in 1996. At the time, police ruled it unconnected to Lisa's case. Cold case detectives now think otherwise. With all vehicle identification stripped from the van, forensic investigators managed to retrieve a hidden chassis number and are working to trace its original owner.
In March 2025, police searched bushland in the Mumballup State Forest, south of Collie, and other searches have targeted old wells in the nearby town of Noggerup, where a yellow vehicle was reportedly seen around the time Lisa disappeared.
Where the Case Stands Now
The Western Australian Government has a $1,000,000 reward on offer for information leading to a conviction, with the possibility of protection from prosecution or a pardon for an informant who wasn't directly responsible for Lisa's death. Police are confident someone in the community holds the answer.
“Someone out there knows what happened to Lisa and can tell us where she is,” Detective Sergeant Dowding said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers WA on 1800 333 000, quoting case number 12108.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Lisa Marie Mott's case been solved?
No. Despite a major reward and a renewed 2024–2025 investigation, no one has been charged and Lisa has never been found.
Was David Birnie responsible?
It's a long-standing theory due to his vehicle and location at the time, but he denied involvement when questioned and died in 2005 without confessing to the case.
What's the significance of the yellow van found in 1996?
Cold case investigators believe it may be connected to Lisa's disappearance and have retrieved a chassis number in an effort to trace its owner — a lead police had previously ruled out.
Is the case still being investigated?
Yes. As of 2025, Cold Case Investigators are actively searching the Collie area and following new leads from the public.
Sources
Police Search Collie Bushland in Relation to Lisa Mott Disappearance — Government of Western Australia
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/police-search-collie-bushland-relation-lisa-mott-disappearance
Lisa Marie Mott — Crime Stoppers Western Australia
https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/open-cases/missing-suspicious-lisa-marie-mott-collie-wa-1-million-reward/
New Clues Revealed in Lisa Mott's Unsolved WA Cold Case — New Idea
https://www.newidea.com.au/crime/lisa-mott-cold-case-update/
Operation Scoris — Australian Police Journal
https://apjl.com.au/operation-scoris/