The Mysterious Disappearance of Janine Vaughan

2023-04-19 10:02:23 Written by Alex

Janine Vaughan went missing on a rainy night in December 2001 in Bathurst, NSW, and her family is still searching for answers nearly 22 years later. She was 31 years old and had been out with friends at a club before getting into a car outside the Metro Tavern in Bathurst just before 4 am. Despite extensive investigations, her disappearance remains unsolved.

The Australian has released a new podcast, The Night Driver, hosted by award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas, which explores the mysterious case. In an interview with Sky News, Thomas described it as a "puzzling mystery" with no clear suspect.

“There were originally more than 40 persons of interest, there was hardly any evidence left behind, no crime scene, nobody and nothing in the way of forensic material,” he said.

The Disappearance of Janine Vaughan

Janine Vaughan, who is listed on the Australian Missing Persons Register, was described as being 164cm tall, with green eyes and a slender build. On December 7, 2001, she went missing after being last seen around 4 am in Keppel Street, Bathurst, NSW. CCTV footage from the time showed her getting into the front passenger seat of a red medium-sized sedan, which resembled either a Mitsubishi Magna or a Toyota Camry. Sadly, Vaughan has not been seen or heard from since.

Janine Vaughan, originally from Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley, was the eldest of four siblings and worked as a menswear shop manager. She had a large circle of friends, according to her best friend Rebecca Medhurst, who spoke to The Sun Herald six months after Vaughan's disappearance. Medhurst stated that Vaughan was cautious and would not have willingly entered a car with a stranger.

“Everyone knew her through work or through her wide range of friends,” she told the outlet. “I know she wouldn’t have gotten into the car with a stranger, which means I probably know them as well, through her or a mutual friend, and that makes it so much worse, to think that it’s someone connected with me. I think that someone out there must know more than they’re letting on.”

After Janine Vaughan went missing, the local police began investigating her disappearance, but eventually, the case was handed over to the Homicide Squad of the State Crime Command. On June 1, 2002, a large search operation was conducted around Mount Panorama, covering an area of 30 hectares of the bush with the help of dog squads, divers, and 60 State Emergency Service workers.

Over 1,000 people were interviewed by the police during the investigation. However, by 2003, Vaughan was presumed dead. That same year, homicide detectives released a home video of Vaughan at a family christening two weeks before her disappearance in hopes of finding more information, but unfortunately, no one came forward.

In May 2007, a massive ground search was conducted in Bathurst with the help of a special task force called Strikeforce Mountbatten, which included cadaver-sniffer dogs trained to detect human remains. The search was prompted by new information provided to Crime Stoppers over a six-month period.

During the search, bones were discovered near the Macquarie River, but forensic analysis later revealed that they were likely from an animal. The search also led to a Police Integrity Commission Investigation in 2006, which looked into the possible involvement of a local policeman named Brad Hoseman.

Although he denied any involvement, he was forced to leave the force as a result of the investigation.
During the investigation, former detective Brad Hoseman initially told the police that he was at his mother's house near Newcastle when Janine Vaughan disappeared. However, he later admitted to being in Bathurst. He stated that he couldn't confirm if he was in Newcastle as his bank statement only placed him in Wyong on December 7.

In 2008, the NSW Police announced a reward of $100,000 for information regarding Vaughan's disappearance, which was later increased to $1,000,000.
In June 2009, the coroner retraced Vaughan's last known movements, with the street's lighting dimmed to recreate the scene. During the inquest, Vaughan's family and friends claimed that Hoseman used to walk past the shop where she worked and wave at her.

Detective Inspector Peter Houlihan stated that several witnesses had expressed concerns about Janine Vaughan's interactions with former officer Brad Hoseman. However, the inquest did not establish a link between her disappearance and Hoseman. During the inquest, security guard Barry Gale from Bathurst's Metro Tavern reported hearing a man talk about killing someone.

However, when questioned, Gale said he did not know the man. The inquest also heard from Lynette Borland, who was stalked by a man in a car similar to the one Vaughan got into. While she couldn't remember the make or model of the car, she was able to provide a brief description of the driver.
Phillip Evans, Vaughan's ex-partner whom she had been in a relationship

for five years until 2000, testified in court in September 2009, stating that someone had been stalking her. The stalker had been leaving notes, flowers, and lingerie on her car while she was working.

One of the notes read, "Don’t be scared of me. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to get to know you. I will be in touch," according to The Herald.
And then came a random “kill confession”

During the investigation, Coroner Mary Jerram heard from 12 witnesses, including an acquaintance of Denis Briggs, and Peter Barker, who was formally identified as a person of interest. Barker testified that Briggs had confessed to Vaughan’s murder, with his "eyes fixed" as if he were reliving the event.

However, Briggs later told Barker that he had been "making it up" and that he was "only joking." According to Briggs’ former partner, Julie Creave, who also testified, she knew he had not been taking his medication for bipolar disorder.

During the final week of the inquest, Adam Vaughan, Janine's brother, spoke to the media and said:

“I think it’s a little bit tougher this time,” he said. “We know that it’s going to be all over and we won’t be coming back so hopefully something may come out while we [are] here, but everybody seems to keep together and … this town holds a lot of secrets and we would hopefully like them to share them, but we don’t really know.”

The family took matters into their own hands and conducted their own investigation. They received information from a woman who found a bag in a drain near The Scots School, Bathurst, two years after Vaughan went missing. The bag contained documents related to Vaughan, but unfortunately, it disappeared without a trace.

In 2011, a skeleton was discovered in Bathurst, but it was confirmed through tests that it was not Vaughan's remains, as the bones belonged to a male.
In 2012, the unsolved homicide team conducted a comprehensive review of Vaughan's case. Despite this, she remains missing to this day.

A new task force called Strike Force Toko II is currently seeking any information related to her disappearance and is encouraging people to come forward by contacting Crimestoppers at 1800 333 000 or through their website. The $1 million reward is still available for anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Vaughan's death.