Sydney Couple Who Vanished 40 Years Ago

In the late 1970s, a young couple from Sydney had dinner with their family on a Friday night, unaware that it would be their last meeting. The couple, Stephen Lapthorne, 21, and his girlfriend Michelle Pope, 18, visited Stephen's family at their residence in West Pymble.

After the meal, Stephen planned to take Michelle to her parent's home in Berowra, which was approximately a 20-minute drive away. Stephen was scheduled to leave for a snow trip with his friends after dropping off Michelle.

They jumped into his lime green 1977 Bedford CF van and hit the road. However, tragedy struck, Michelle never arrived at her parent's house, and Stephen never made it to his snow trip. From August 25, 1978, both Stephen and Michelle vanished without a trace. In 2005, an investigation determined that the couple had passed away, but the circumstances of their demise and the time of their passing remain a mystery to this day.

In January 2021, the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad took on the case and initiated a formal review. A comprehensive re-investigation was launched, which included a two-day search in the Ku-Ring-Gai National Park in June, prompted by a tip-off. During the search, vehicle parts were discovered, but they were not connected to the missing couple.

The NSW Police made an announcement in August 2021 that the reward for providing any information concerning the missing couple had been increased from $100,000 to a significant sum of $1 million.
According to Michelle's brother Jeff Pope, his sister was brimming with vitality and had numerous aspirations for her future when she vanished.

The incident was particularly hard for their mother to bear.
"Unfortunately, our mother, Veronica, passed away without ever knowing what happened to her beloved daughter Michelle," Mr. Pope said.
"Not a day goes by where we don't think about Michelle and the life she could have led.

"We hope this reward will encourage someone to come forward with information – no matter how small. It's possible that it could help detectives and finally allow Michelle to rest in peace."  
Kerrie Coy, Stephen's sister, stated that due to their bodies never being located, their family was unable to entirely come to terms with their loss and grieve properly.

"Forty-three years is almost a lifetime for some, and during that time many of our combined family members have grown old and parents have passed not knowing what happened to their son and daughter," she said.
"We are hoping there is someone out there that may be able to help police with their investigations, so we may finally have some answers about what happened that Friday afternoon." ( 9news.com)

David Elliott, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, has asserted that despite the significant amount of time that has elapsed since the couple's disappearance, the NSW Police Force is still resolute in their commitment to finding answers for the families of the missing individuals.

Mr. Elliott further added that Michelle and Stephen's abrupt disappearance had deprived their families of witnessing their growth, maturity, and the joys of having children - things that most of us take for granted. He expressed satisfaction that the NSW Government is providing a substantial reward of $1 million to encourage anyone with information to come forward and assist the Homicide Squad investigation. The authorities are making every effort to uncover the truth and provide closure to the families of the missing couple.

Stephen was described as having a medium build and standing between 175-180cm tall at the time of his disappearance. He had light brown shoulder-length hair, a mustache, and blue eyes, and was of Caucasian ethnicity.
The last outfit Stephen was seen wearing consisted of cream-colored trousers, brown shoes, and a yellow and white chequered shirt.

Michelle was described as having a medium build, standing between 175-180cm tall, and of Caucasian ethnicity at the time of her disappearance. She had brown hair, and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a bone-colored dress and red sandals.