She finished her shift, walked out of the shopping center, and was never seen again.
On July 28, 1984, 17-year-old Megan Mulquiney disappeared after finishing a shift at Big W in Canberra's Woden Plaza, Australia. Four decades later, her case remains formally open, and her mother is still waiting for answers.
Who Megan Was
Megan was a Year 12 student at Narrabundah College, described by her family as gentle, warm, and a little shy. She worked part-time at Big W and was known for being reliable and punctual — which is exactly why her mother, Dorothy, grew worried within about two hours of her not returning home that day.
The Day She Vanished
Megan finished her shift around midday and was last confirmed seen around 12:15 p.m. near the western entrance of Woden Plaza, waiting outside a nearby pie shop. According to evidence later presented at a coronial inquest, Megan had plans to meet a classmate who had been pursuing a relationship with her for about a year, after her shift ended. That classmate told police he'd gone to the plaza but couldn't find her, so he returned home. His account was corroborated by other witnesses, and the coroner ultimately found no basis to suspect his involvement.
Megan never made it to the bus stop for her ride home. Police were notified that afternoon, and the search that followed covered surrounding nature reserves, the Brindabella Range, and diving efforts in both Lake Burley Griffin and Lake Ginninderra. Nothing was found.
A Suspect Emerges
Two months after Megan disappeared, 24-year-old Paul Vincent Phillips forced his way into a car belonging to another 17-year-old girl in the same car park and drove her to a nearby pine forest, where he raped her at knifepoint. He was arrested the following day and later sentenced to seven years after pleading guilty to abduction, robbery, assault, and rape. Phillips was also linked to a string of other unsolved sexual assaults in Canberra from the early 1980s, though he was never charged in connection with those cases or with Megan's disappearance.
The 2011 Inquest
A coronial inquest, held in 2011, found it "extremely likely" that Megan had been murdered by a person or persons unknown, and identified Phillips as a person of interest based on circumstantial evidence tied to the timing and location of her disappearance. Phillips testified at the inquest and denied any involvement, telling investigators, according to reporting at the time, that admitting to it would require him to have actually done it. He died in April 2018.
DNA Reviews and a Reopened Case
Over the years, evidence collected from Phillips's home and vehicle at the time of Megan's disappearance has been kept in storage and periodically re-examined using improved DNA technology as forensic science has advanced. Later in 2018, following Phillips's death, ACT Policing formally reopened the investigation after receiving new information from several individuals, though the department has said publicly that no major new developments have emerged from that renewed effort in the years since.
Still Searching, Decades Later
Megan's case has continued to be featured in Australian Federal Police missing-persons campaigns, including National Missing Persons Week in 2025 and International Missing Children's Day campaigns in recent years. On the case's 40th anniversary in 2024, Dorothy Mulquiney said the milestone "knocked the socks off" her, reflecting on how much of her life had passed while still waiting for answers. As of that anniversary, ACT Policing confirmed the investigation remained open, even without new developments to report.
Anyone with information is asked to contact ACT Policing or Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Megan Mulquiney's body ever been found?
No. Despite extensive searches at the time and periodic renewed efforts since, she has never been located.
Was Paul Vincent Phillips ever charged in her disappearance?
No. He was identified as a person of interest at the 2011 inquest but was never charged, and he denied any involvement before his death in 2018.
Is the case still being investigated?
Yes. It was formally reopened in 2018 and remains listed as an active case by ACT Policing as of the most recent reporting.
Was anyone else considered a suspect?
Yes, briefly — a classmate who had arranged to meet Megan after her shift was investigated, but the coroner found no evidence connecting him to her disappearance.