WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the names and images of people who have died.
After grieving for more than three decades, an Indigenous family is demanding police "stop appealing and just go out" as homicide detectives return to northern NSW in a bid to find the body of murdered teenager Colleen Walker-Craig.
The 16-year-old was last seen at Bowraville, north of Coffs Harbour, on September 13, 1990.
Her mother, Muriel Craig, has renewed her pleas for police to solve the 36-year-old cold case.
"I know that there's people who live in the Bowraville community who know what happened to Colleen," she said.
"Sometimes I think the police don't believe me.
The teenager’s weighted-down clothes were discovered in the Nambucca River months after her disappearance, but her body has never been found.
In an inquest, a state coroner declared her dead and most likely murdered.
A $1 million reward has been offered for information leading to the recovery of her remains.
Today, detectives arrived in Macksville, just south-east of Bowraville, for a week of community engagement, appealing for new information.
Four-year-old Evelyn Greenup and 16-year-old Clinton Speedy-Duroux, who were also First Nations children, disappeared in the area about the same time.
Their remains were discovered in 1991, but no-one has ever been convicted of their murders.
Separate $1 million rewards have also been offered for information that leads to police solving their cases as well.
Asking for answers
Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi did not directly respond when asked about the family's concerns but said this week's community engagement could help the investigation.
He said officers would be stationed at Macksville's Phillip Hughes Pavillion to speak with locals until Friday afternoon, after a similar operation in Bowraville in 2024.
"It's not just an exercise to keep people happy," Detective Superintendent Doueihi said.
"In 2024, a lot of valuable information was obtained through that.
Detective Superintendent Doueihi said loyalties could change over the course of 36 years.
"We believe that people in this community didn't present in 2024, and we're giving them that opportunity now," he said.
Colleen Walker-Craig's brother Lucas Craig urged those with information to contact police.
"Think about the families, how long we've been suffering with this," he said.
"This was three quarters of my life that I've had to deal with this.
"Going to work and coming home to your family and seeing your parents upset every day because there's nothing they can do."
Mr Craig said the family's relationship with police was "not as strong as we'd like it to be".
Elijah Duroux, the nephew of Clinton Speedy-Duroux, said his family felt like the investigation had stagnated.
He said they were not informed police would be in Macksville until this morning and were not informed when police divers led new searches of the Nambucca River late last year.
"Don't you think my grandfather and grandmother deserve to know when there's stuff going on in regards to their son's murder?" Mr Duroux said.
Evelyn Greenup's mother, Rebecca Stadhams, released a statement through NSW Police, calling on people to come forward.
"Maybe you have carried this information for years. Maybe you were afraid to speak. Maybe you think what you know is too small or doesn't matter," she said.
"But it might matter. It might be the piece of information that finally helps us find the truth about what happened to Evelyn."
