Could some of the Illawarra’s most haunting cold cases be linked to serial killer Ivan Milat?
A NSW parliamentary inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons is now underway, examining decades old cases, including the 1979 disappearance of Warilla teens Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh.
Families have told the inquiry missing evidence, lost opportunities and incomplete investigations may have hindered efforts to connect early cases to Milat.
Kay Docherty’s twin brother Kevin gave emotional evidence, saying his family was left in the dark for decades and ultimately forced to investigate the case themselves.
The probe has also heard from the brothers of Cheryl Grimmer, the three year old abducted from Fairy Meadow Beach in 1970, who say they too were failed by authorities.
The inquiry will also consider accounts from witnesses, including a man who claims he had a near encounter with Milat in the Illawarra in the 1970s, as families continue their long fight for answers.
