Inquest into the disappearance and suspected death of Kellie Anne Levitski
Hearing dates:24
to 27 July 2018
Date of findings:27
July2018
Place of findings:Bega
Local Court
Findings of:Magistrate
Teresa O’Sullivan, Deputy State Coroner
Findings:
Identity of deceased:The
deceased person was
Kellie Anne Levitski
Date of death:On,or
after,30
March 2014
Place of death:Unable
to be determined
Manner of death:Unable
to be determined
Cause of death:Unable
to be determined
Introduction:
This inquest concerns the disappearance
and suspected death
of Kellie Anne
Levitski. Kellie was last seen on 30 March 2014when
she was staying in a caravan
on
her father’s
property on Mount Darragh Road, Mount Darragh,
near Bega NSW.
The
Inquest:
The first task facing a coroner in a case such as this is to determine whether
the
missing person is actually dead. If that can be established, the coroner must
continue to make further findings as to the date and place of death and in
relation to
the manner
and cause of death, in the usual way.1The
police brief was tendered at inquest. The investigating officers, Detective
Senior
Constable Sarah Lugsdin and Detective Sergeant Justin Marks, gave oral evidence
along with five other witnesses.
Section 81(1)
of the Coroners Act 2009 (NSW) requires that when an inquest is
held, the coroner must record in writing his or her findings. These are my
reasons
and findings in relation to the disappearance and suspected death of Kellie Anne
Levitski.
The Evidence:
Background:
Kellie-Anne
Levitski was born on 30 October 1975. Her father described her as a
“beautiful, big hearted, easy going person...”. As a teenager she had wanted to
be a
pilot and began having lessons. However, she was not able to finish them. In her
late
teens she
began experimenting with drugs, and developed mental health problems,
most notably schizoaffective disorder. Kellie had a long-term
relationship with
Donovan Ballard, and lived for a time with him in Canberra, and in a house
Kellie’s
father had given
to
her in Nimmitabel.
Kellie had had on-going
interaction with mental health services since about 1998.
Her last admission was at the Canberra Hospital Adult Mental Health Unit on
about
20 February 2014. The discharge summary dated, 7 March 2014, records a
diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder and summarises her interactions with
Canberra
Mental Health. Kellie first presented in 1998 with a suspected drug-induced
psychosis. She was admitted as an inpatient four times
between 2001 and 2012. On
each occasion
she stayed
between one and four weeks, and on each occasion, with
a suspected diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia.
Kellie also had interactions with the health system in NSW. Between 6 August
2007
and 28 September 2007,she
was an inpatient
at Chisolm Ross, the mental health
unit attached to Goulburn Base Hospital.
She was also admitted as an involuntary
patient by police between 18 October and 30 October 2008.
In his family statement, Kellie’s brother John described the heartbreak ofwitnessing
his sister’s deteriorating mental health and how difficult it was for their
mother. He
believed that Kellie tried so hard to find some treatment and relief for her
mental
illness and that her substance abuse was a form of self-medication.
He said
that not
knowing where
she ishas
been harrowing.
Kellie was clearly loved by her family and their pain and sadness was evident
during
the inquest.
The disappearance:
Kellie was admitted
into
the Canberra Hospital Adult Mental Health Unit by police on
or about 20 February 2014 following an incident at a group home. She was
discharged
from
the Hospital on 7 March 2014, to live with her former partner,
Donovan Ballard. She did so until about 12
March 2014.On
her discharge summary,
dated 7 March 2014, a treating psychiatrist notes that Kellie,
“requires on-going
intensive input from mental health services that include case
manager allocation to provide her regular practical and emotional support
in the
community, administering regular anti-psychotic
depot medication to keep her well in
the community on top of oral medication and medication for physical health.”The
psychiatrist also noted that, “If her mental health deteriorates, she would [be]
likely to refuse medication for physical health leading to
a
decline in physical health
precipitated by high and fluctuating blood pressure and high blood sugar that
would
end up in lethal consequences.”
Donovan
Ballard
participated in an electronically
recorded interview with police. He
told police that everything was good for the first couple days but then Kellie,
“decided
not to sleep for three days”, was “chain-smoking”,
and had spread everything she
owned across the lounge room floor. Donovan says
he, “basically snapped”, and told
her to leave.
Kellie’s brother, John Levitski Jnr, also participated in an electronically
recorded interview. He told police that he received a call from Kellie on
13March
2014. She said that she had had some sort of fight
with Donovan. She caught a taxi
to Gilmore, where her brother lived with their grandmother. John Levitski Jnr
called
their father and explained the situation.
John Levitski Snr agreed that Kellie could stay with him.
He
lives on a property on
Mount Darragh
Road,
Mount Darragh.
It
is set on
about 140
acres of dense bushlandamong
very difficult terrain.
When he was told Kellie was coming to stay he bought
a
caravan from a neighbour
which
he put a short distance from the main residence and
set
it
up as
a room for Kellie.
He stated in evidence that the reason Kellie was in the
caravan and not the main residence was because Kellie had threatened him with a
knife on two separate occasions and he, “had a wife to think about.” I add that
when
Kellie had threatened
her father she did so because she was suffering from severe
mental health issues. It was not her nature to be dangerous or
aggressive
when in
good health.
Kellie arrived in Mt Darragh on or about 13 March 2014. During her stay John
Levitski Snr states
that she took her medication. He focused on trying to improve her
health. He insisted that she try and get more sleep, as she would often stay up
well
past midnight. He went on a number walks with her to help her lose weight. He
also
wanted her to cut
back on the number of cigarettes she smoked and would bring her
ten per day.However,
Sue Levitski, a former smoker, said that she would give Kellie
a few extra cigarettes if she ran out.
John described his time looking after Kellie as,
“a good two weeks...a
memorable two weeks.”
On the evening of Sunday 30 March, John Levitski Snr told Kellie that he wanted
a
peaceful night to watch a television program. She said, “no worries, I will just
read
me book or listen to music.” The following morning,
John
wokeup
at about 8.00am
and did some work around the property. At about 9.30am he knocked on the door of
Kellie’s caravan to bring
Kellie her medicationand
cigarettes. There was no answer.
He opened the door and could not find Kellie. Kellie’s disappearance was
reported to
police that same day.
The police investigation:
Police conducted an extensive investigation including a number of searches,
responding to possible sightings, and conductedinterviews
with Kellie’s family.On
31 March 2014 general duties police
from the Far South Coast Local Area
Command attended the Levitski property. They searched the caravan Kellie had
been staying in and found her
phone,
medication, wallet, bank cards, and cigarettes.
They issued a state-wide
message on the police email system to keep a lookout for
Kellie. They contacted the local hospitals and the Woden Mental Health Unit to
determine if Kellie had presented.
On Wednesday
2 April 2014 police from the Bega Criminal Investigation Unit
contacted Premier Coaches requesting information on any person named Kellie
Anne Levitski who may have boarded services in the Bega valley or Mount Darragh
area. There was no record of any person
by that name using the service.
On 7 April 2014, Detective Senior Constable Sarah Lugsdin and Detective Sergeant
Justin Marks attended 4555 Mount Darragh Road. They were met by John Levitski
Snr and conducted another search of the caravan
in
which Kellie
had been staying.John
Levitski Snr also provided police with a notebook that had belonged to Kellie.On
Monday 21 April 2014, Detective Senior Constable Lugsdin noticed several
phone numbers in the notebook
that
John Levitski Snr had provided. She
called the
numbers and found they were mostly government agencies, including
ACT Mental
Health,
Canberra Hospital and ASIO.On
28 April 2014, police contacted the Bega Women’s refuge, and were informed
that Kellie was not there.
On Tuesday 6 May 2014 police
spoke to a local resident at 3000 Mount Darragh
Road who said that their dog,
a whippet, was behaving in the same way it had
behaved once before. That was
when a deceased motor cycle rider was found near
the property;
the
dog was looking straight over
a cliff and sniffing. Police marked the
indicated area and returned the following day. They conducted a thorough search
of
the area but did not locate anything relevant.
On 17 June 2014, a number of police from Bega Police Station attended 4555 Mount
Darragh
and conducted a thorough search of the buildings and surrounds. During
the search police located “two or three”2blister
packs of medication belonging to
Kellie. Police noted that packs had dates on them indicating when the medication
should be takenand
that the packs for marked 25 to 31 March still contained tablets
in the breakfast and dinner pouches. Police suggested to John Levitski Snr that
this
indicated Kellie had not taken her medication between 25 and 30 March. He said
that she had, but they
had given her packets marked with another date, and thrown
those packs out after she had taken them. He said that Kellie had six or seven
packs
with her when she arrived.
On
17 June 2014 police attended Clarke St. Nimmitabel and searched
the
property
owned
by Kellie.
On 19 June 2014,Kellie’s
mother,Airi
Beckett, participated in an electronically
recorded interview and provided a DNA sample which was sent to the Missing
Person’s Unit. John Levitski Jnr also participated in an electronically recorded
interview
on this day.On
20 June 2014
Donovan Ballard
participated in an electronically recorded
interview.Donovan
first met Kellie in 2002. They had been in a relationship for much
of the time between then and 2014. He told police that Kellie did, “what she
wanted
do whenever she wanted to do it.” He said that it was not uncommon that during
their
relationship,
that
she
would
go away sometimes for three or four weeks and he
wouldn’t see her. He would ring Nimmitabel Police Station, which was next to her
place and ask them to check on her.
Donovan stated that,
when she was getting monthly injections
from City
Mental
Health,
in the
few days leading up to her injection, he was
“praying
for that time to
go”,
because you could tell when the drugs had started to wear off. Towards the end
of the month her behaviour would become aggressive, erratic, and emotional. Then
she’d have the injection, which she complained about every month, but
that
there
was a
noticeable
difference
in her behaviour.
On 25 June 2014, John Levitski Snr drew police attention to two sheds about 3km
from 4555 Mount Darragh Road, towards Wyndham,
suggesting that Kellie may
have used them at some stage. Police searched the sheds and discovered they
were locked from the outside. They detected no sign that Kellie had been nearby.On
2 July 2014, police attended 4555 Mount Darragh Road and commenced
a walk
on Mount Darragh, covering both sides of the road. Police searched 1 km towards
Bombala and 15 km towards Wyndham.
On Tuesday 8 July 2014 police became aware of an intelligence report from
an
anonymous source
regarding a person living in the
area.Investigators
made a
thorough investigation of the individual and his movements at the relevant time.
Ultimately,there
was no evidence to suggest that
any known individual
was involved
in Kellie’s disappearance or
hadany
information about it.
On18
July 2014, Police spoke to
the Levitski’s neighbour across the road,
Thomas
Knowles. He told police that around the time that Kellie went missing he
heard
a
loud
argumentcoming
from the Levitski property. During an interview on 23 July 2015 he
added that
he identified a male voice and a female voice.
He
saidthatthe
female
voicewas
not Sue Levitski, and that he thought he heard
the female
say, “I can’t put
up with this.”He
could make
no comment on the male voice, nor could he remember
any other words
used.
In August 2014, a media release was issued during National Missing Person’s
Week.
On 20 August 2014, Police received Kellie’s medical records which indicated she
had not made a claim between 30 March 2014 and 25 June 2014. No claims had
beenmade
under the Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme either.
On Friday 29 August 2014 police were contacted by Airi Beckett. Ms Beckett said
that her mother, Kellie’s grandmother, spoke to Kellie on the phone on 28 March
2014. Kellie
made the call and
was able
to hold a conversation and did not appear to
have any problems. However, Kellie told her that she was bored and it was quiet
where she was staying.
On 21 April 2015, police conducted a search of a gully which runs between the
boundaries of 4479, 4555 and
4562 Mount Darragh Road, utilisinga
cadaver dog.
Police trail bike riders also search 4562 and 4555 Mount Darragh Road. Nothing
was
found. The dog provided an indication in a vehicle found on a vehicle at 4562
and
registered to Thomas Knowles.
The vehicle
was searched, with Mr Knowles’consent,
and three items that the dog
had interest in were seized and submitted for forensic analysis. Nothing was
identified linking the items to Kellie.
On 20 July 2015 police conducted a cellebrite download of Kellie’s
mobile phone. A
video recording was discovered in which Kellie said she was recording her “last
will
and testament”, she says the date is 1 October 2013. Nothing else was discovered
that was considered relevant to her disappearance.
On 8 August 2015,
a media release was again made, as part of National Missing
person week.
In March 2016 an appeal for information was made through the media. Three crime
stoppers reports were obtained as a result. The first was that a homeless woman
in
Gosford matched Kellie’s description. Police found the woman described, and she
was not Kellie.
The second
and third
reportsrelated
to two individuals who maybe
of interest.
Police investigated and discounted the possibility that
eitherperson
was involved.In
the weeks before the inquest, police repeated what are commonly referred to as
the“signs
of life checks”. These are checks made with government
organisations,
such as Medicare
and all state police services, as well as private organisations such
as utilities and banks, to determine if there has been any activity recorded in
the
missing
person’s name. No activity had been recorded any Kellie Anne Levitski’s
name.
The evidence of John
Levitski Snr
John Levitski Snr agreed that Kellie could stay at his property on Mount Darragh
Road. He had a caravan which he put a short distance from themain
residence and
setup as a room Kellie. Kellie arrived in Mt Darragh on or about 13 March 2014.
During her stay John Levitski Snr stated that she took her medication. He
focused on
trying to improve her health. He insisted that she try and get more sleep,
as she
would often stay up well past midnight. He went on a number walks with her to
help
her lose weight. He wanted her to cut back on the number of cigarettes she
smoked
and would bring her ten per day. John described his time looking after Kellie as,
“a
good two weeks...a memorable two weeks.”
On Sunday 30 March in the evening, John Levitski Snr told Kellie that he wanted
a
peaceful night to watch a television program. She said, “no worries, I will just
read
me book or listen to music.” The following
morning, he got up at about 8.00am and
did some work around the property. At about 9.30am he knocked on the door of
Kellie’s caravan to bring her her medication, and cigarettes. There was no
answer.
He opened the door and could not find Kellie. Kellie’sdisappearance
was reported to
police that same day.Mr
Levitski said that he was aware Kellie was due for a depot injection on the
Wednesday after she disappeared. He was asked whether he had noticed her
mental health deteriorate in the way that Donovan
Ballard had observed it would
when she was due for an injection. Mr Levitski said that he had only had a
couple
weeks to observe Kellie and couldn’t say whether
her mental health was
deteriorating.He
was questioned about Kellie’s house in Nimmitabel. This
was a house that had
belonged to John which he had given to Kellie some years before. He said that he
haddecidedto
sell the house and explained this to Kellie while she was staying with
him.He
said that she made no reply, and
he assumed this was dueto
hermental
state at the time.
When questioned about whether he was involved in an argument with Kellie on the
night of 30 March 2014, he stated that he was not and that he didn’t hear
anything
that night.
Possible sightings
The Wyndham store owner, Ainsley McCone, told police that she saw a female that
matched Kellie’s description. Ms McCone said that when John Levitski Snr
attended
the store shortly after Kellie went missing and showed her a photo, she
recognised
the photo as
someone she had seen in the store at about 11am on 31 March 2014.
She described the female she saw as Caucasian, solid build, nice skin with olive
complexion, with blonde hair tied back in a knot or bun, and wearing a long
black
dress with shoe string straps
and a dark jumper tied around her waist. The woman
did not buy anything from the store.
Ms McCone said that the female was in the company of a male. She described that
male as Caucasian, the same height as the female, short fine mousy brown hair,
about
25 or 26 years old but possibly younger, wearing long denim shorts and v-neck
t-shirt.
This information was investigated by Merimbula Police when it was reported.
Merimbula Police reviewed the CCTV footage from the store on 31 March 2014 but
did not
see anyone matching Kellie’s description. Detective Senior Constable
Lugsdin also reviewed the footage. She noted that it only covered the middle
aisle of
the store and that no-one
matching the description of Kellie, or the descriptions given
by Ms McCone
of the female and male in the store, was seen on the footage.This
possible sighting of Kellie does have some veracity and the details provided by
Ms
McCone do match what was known of Kellie’s appearance at that time.Unfortunately,
police were unable to take
this possible sighting any further due to the
lack of information, including CCTV footage showing the pair or a car
description or
registration plate number.
Evidence of another possible sighting of Kellie came
from Melanie Schmidt.
Ms
Schmidt provided
an account of a woman she saw being followed by a
Toyota Hilux
uteabout
3.1km from the Levitski property, walking in the direction of the property,
around 11am between 29 March and 4 April 2014. The ute was described as a tray
back andwith
a pig cage on
the back. Ms
Schmidt believed there was a front
passenger as the woman appeared to be engaged with
a person in that position. Ms
Schmidt also believed there was a person in the back seat of the ute.
The physical
description of the woman Ms
Schmidt provided
was similar to Kellie;
she said the woman was chubby but not huge, was wearing a long black dress and a
jacket, and had hair that was dark with blonde
streaks running through it. Ms
Schmidt said she had seen the woman twice before,walking
by herself
around the
same area. She was confident it had been the same woman, and said those
occasions had been in the “few months” before. She then changed that to “six
weeks”, and ultimately agreed all sightings could have been within 2 weeks.
However, evenif
it
were within two weeks, Ms
Schmidt said that the woman was
alone each time. Kellie had been walking in the area, but was
always
accompanied
by her father. It is therefore unlikely that the woman was Kellie. Even if I
accept
that
the
woman was Kellie, there
is no evidence of what happened to the woman
after
she was spotted by Ms
Schmidt, though
the inference I draw from Ms
Schmidt’s
evidence is that
shethought
the woman was in danger of being abducted.I
also note that the sighting was not reported to police until 18 months after
Kellie’s
disappearance and police were not able
to verify any of the details.
An
uncorroborated sighting, reported 18 months after it occurred is insufficient to
find
that it was
Kellie.
On 20 August 2014, police spoke to a man who believed he had seen Kellie in the
Canberra Hospital between 10 and 14 June 2014. Police made enquiries with the
Canberra Hospital and found that no one had been admitted under Kellie’s name
between
8 and 17 June 2014, and that no one who had refused to provide their
details had been admitted. Police provided a photo of Kellie to the Public
Relations
office of the Hospital and it was distributed throughout the Hospital to see if
any staff
recognised her.
No information was provided as a result.
Is Kellie deceased?
In order to make the finding that a missing person is deceased,
the court must have
before it, cogent,
clear and exact evidence
to that effect.
The most compelling evidence is perhaps thatof
an absence of evidence rather than
anything else.
Most compelling of all is that
Kellie has not been seen by friends or family since 30March
2014.
The checks described by police as “signsof
life checks”indicate
that Kellie has
not
accessed her
bank accounts, Medicare,
or any other government services. Nor hasshe
come to the attention
of police here in NSW,
or any other statesince
her
disappearance.
These factors are particularly significant in Kellie’s case.
Prior to her going missing,
Kelliehad
frequent admissions to hospitals and was on a number of medicationsdue
to her
serious
physical and mental ill health.
She had relied heavily on the support of
her friends and family to function in the community. Without this support, it is
very
unlikely
that Kellie would have been able to survive for more than days or perhaps
weeks.Kellie’s
mental health condition made her, in the words of Donovan Ballard, “stick out
like a sore thumb”. If she were in the community alone, it is very unlikely that
she
would go unnoticed.
Two possibilities that must be considered when determining if a missing person
is
deceased, is whether they have simply chosen to abandon their family and friends
and are living in secret elsewhere, or whether they may have been abducted
by a
third party and are still living somewhereaway
from family and friends.
Kellie’s
unique medical needs make these
scenarios highly unlikely.Sadly,
I
find
that Kellie is deceased.
Conclusion:
Taking into account all of
evidence,I
conclude,
on the balance of probabilities, that
Kellie is deceased.Regrettably,
the available evidence does not allow me to make
any finding, even on the balance of probabilities, as to precisely when Kellie
died, or
what the cause and manner of her death was. Too
little is knownto
enable any such
findings to be made.I
would like to thank the investigating officers,
Detective Senior Constable Sarah
Lugsdin and Detective Sergeant Justin Marks,
for their extremely thorough
investigation.I
thank
the advocate assisting
me,
Sergeant Alex Creagh for his excellent assistance
before and during this inquest.Finally,
I offer my heartfelt condolences to Kellie’s family who have sat through every
day of this inquest.
The uncertainty associated with the circumstances in which
Kellie
went missing has no doubt caused
them
a great deal of sorrow and anguish.I
hope
that in the future,some
evidence can be gathered to provide
them with some
information
regarding what happened to her.
Findings required by s81(1)
As a result of
considering all of the documentary evidence
and the oral evidence
heard
at the inquest, I am able to confirm that the death occurred and make the
following findings in relation to it.
The identity of the deceased
The deceased person was
Kellie Anne Levitski
Date of death
On,or
after,30
March 2014
Place of death
Unable to be determined
Cause of death
Unable to be determined
Manner of death
Unable to be determined
I
close this inquest.
Magistrate
Teresa O’Sullivan
Deputy State Coroner
27 July 2018
Bega, NSW
Missing woman
may be headed for Canberra
Date
- Canberra Times
Police are appealing for help to find a 38-year-old
missing woman from Mount Darragh, NSW, who is believed to be heading towards
Canberra.
Kellie-Anne Levitski hasn't been
seen since 8.30pm Sunday when she left her parents' home in Mount Darragh.
They couldn't find their daughter when they went to
look for her the next day, and reported her missing.
Ms Levitski has been described as caucasian, 178cm
tall, with a heavy build and long dyed-blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing a grey polar fleece top and a
long black dress.
The missing woman has an ongoing medical condition that
requires treatment and police said they were concerned for her welfare.
Police have asked anyone with any information to
contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be provided
Missing Mt Darragh woman
appeal
Police are re-appealing for
public assistance to locate a woman who went missing from Mount Darragh last
month.
Kellie-Anne Levitski, aged 38,
was last seen about 8.30pm on March 30 at her parents’ home on Mount Darragh
Rd.
The rural property is located
between the townships of Merimbula and Bombala.
Kellie-Anne’s parents reported
her missing to police the following day when they failed to locate her.
Police canvassed the immediate
area both on foot, in vehicles, and via the Westpac Helicopter, and made a
number of other inquiries, however all attempts to locate Kellie-Anne have
been unsuccessful.
It is believed Kellie-Anne left
the property on foot, either on the Sunday evening, or early the following
morning, and has not been seen or heard from since.
Kellie-Anne left behind her
wallet, bankcards and mobile phone, and has not accessed her bank accounts
since her disappearance.
Serious concerns are held for
her welfare, as not only is her disappearance out of character; she also has
a serious medical condition that requires treatment.
Police are of the belief that
the woman might have travelled to Canberra, however she does not have access
to a car and may have hitch-hiked.
Kellie-Anne is described as
being of Caucasian appearance, 178cm tall, with a solid build (about 115kg)
and dyed long blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing a grey
polar fleece top and a long black dress.
Police from Far South Coast
Local Area Command are appealing for anyone who has information either about
Kellie-Anne’s current whereabouts, or her disappearance, to come forward.
Police are urging anyone with
information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or
use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page, www1.police.nsw.gov.au.
Information you provide will be
treated in the strictest of confidence.
NSW Missing Persons Week 2014
Sunday 3 August – Saturday 9 August
Missing Person Kellie-Anne LEVITSKI
Far South Coast Police are appealing for assistance from
the community to locate 38-year-old Kellie Anne Levitski, missing from the Mount
Darragh area since 30 March 2014.
National Missing Persons Week is being held from Sunday 3
August to Saturday 9 August 2014.
This year,
the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre has partnered with
Alzheimer's Australia for the theme ‘Dementia and Missing Persons... Learn
how to prevent these words appearing in the same sentence’.
About 8.30pm on Sunday 30 March 2014, 38-year-old
Kellie Anne Levitski was last seen at 4555 Mount Darragh Road in Mount
Darragh.
Kellie Anne Levitski went to bed and the following
morning was found missing by family members. Kellie Anne Levitski left with
only the clothes she was wearing.
She was reported missing to police by family members.
It has been reported Kellie Anne Levitski, who would
now be aged 38, has not been seen since she went missing.
Kellie Anne Levitski is described as being of Caucasian
appearance, 178cm tall, large build (113 kilograms), with dyed blonde hair
with black streaks on top and brown eyes.
Her disappearance is being investigated by Bega
Detectives.
Anyone who knows of Kellie Anne Levitski’s whereabouts
or who has information that may assist investigators is urged to contact
Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
NSW Police Force would like to thank the Outdoor Media
Association (OMA) for their assistance with Missing Persons Week 2014,
donating more than $220,000 worth of advertising sites across NSW.
Missing Persons Week: Coroner sets date for Kellie-Anne Levitski inquest
An inquest into the 2014 disappearance of Kellie-Anne Levitski from Mt
Darragh will be held in Bega in April next year.
Far South Coast local area command Detective Sergeant Justin Marks said
NSW Coroner Michael Barnes had allowed five days for the inquest.
Ms Levitski, 38, vanished from her family's rural property on Mount
Darragh Rd. She went to bed about 8.30pm on Sunday, March 30, 2014, and
has not been seen since.
Police believe Ms Levitski left the property on foot on the Sunday night
or early Monday morning. She did not have access to a car, left behind
her mobile phone and wallet and has not accessed her bank accounts.
Despite an extensive search which included police helicopter and land
searches, cadaver dogs and the SES in the dense bushland surrounding the
family property, no trace of Ms Levitski has been found. Bus company
records and CCTV footage have also failed to shed light on her
whereabouts.
Det Sgt Marks announced details of the inquest ahead of National Missing
Persons Week in the Bega Valley, the official launch of which will be
held at the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre on Monday, July 31,
at 10.30am.
He said Ms Levitski was one of two people still missing from the LAC
– the other is Ray Speechley, 77, from Dalmeny.
South Coast crime writer Melissa Pouliot – whose 17-year-old cousin
Ursula Barwick disappeared almost 30 years ago and has never been found
– Det Sgt Marks and shire deputy mayor Liz Seckold will be at the
launch.
‘Still waiting for you to come home’ is this year’s theme, which aims to
raise awareness of the high number of people aged between 13 and 17
reported missing to police each year.
Police urge anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800
333 000 or use the online reporting page, www1.police.nsw.gov.au.
Information is treated confidentially.
Missing Persons Week: '50/50' chance Kellie-Anne Levitski is still alive
says father
Mr Levitski has travelled thousands of kilometres and
spent thousands of dollars searching for Kellie-Anne,
38, who disappeared without a trace from a caravan 40
metres from his house in Mt Darragh, sometime between
8.30pm on March 30 and 9am the next day, 2014.
“I’ve travelled to Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Byron
Bay searching the streets for her, but then you
realise that you could have missed her by five minutes
… that’s if she was there at all,” Mr Levistki said.
Since Kellie-Anne’s disappearance, Mr Levitski said his
140-acre property had been "turned upside down" and,
being the last known person to see her alive, he
had been extensively questioned by police.
Despite the publicity that her mysterious disappearance
generated, only two people came forward with what they
claimed to be sightings of Kellie-Anne.
The first person was an Eden woman who claimed that she
saw Kellie-Anne on Mount Darragh talking to men in a
pig-shooting ute.
In the second instance, a Bibbenluke man left a note in
Mr Levitski's mailbox claiming he had seen Kellie-Anne
with a man at Canberra Hospital. Both people were
interviewed by police, but there was no evidence to
support their claims.
Mr Levitski said he had “seven or eight” of his own
theories: “She could have been the victim of a hit and
run driver who then panicked and dumped her body; some
psycho could be keeping her captive somewhere; perhaps
she suffered a seizure, died, and her remains were taken
by wild pigs or foxes.”
Kellie-Anne’s medical conditions included epilepsy and
schizophrenia; drug use had made her both vulnerable and
cunning.