Toni Maree CAVANAGH

 

 

 

  Composite image of missing Warilla girls Kay Docherty (left) and Toni Cavanagh. 

                                                                                                                                                    Above - Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh, missing together

                                                   Above -  Age-enhanced image of what Toni may look like today

 

Above - the letter Kay wrote to her parents postmarked Darlinghurst after the girls' disappearance

 

DOB: 1964 - 15 years when missing  
HAIR: Reddish Blond BUILD: Thin EYES: Blue
CIRCUMSTANCES:
Toni left her home at on 27 July 1979 in the company of Kay Docherty (also missing). Both girls were seen at a bus stop opposite Warilla Grove shopping centre in the early evening.

Letters were received by their parents post marked Darlinghurst on 1 August 1979.

Reported missing to: Warilla Police Station.

Reward of $100,000 offered to solve double disappearance and suspected murder

Minister for Police Michael Daley today announced that a $100,000 NSW Government reward would be offered to help Police solve the disappearance and presumed murders of Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh.

Mr Daley said Kay, 16, and Toni, 15, went missing from Warilla, a southern coastal suburb of Wollongong, three decades ago.

"On the 27th July 1979, Kay told her parents she was staying at Toni's house and Toni told her family they were going to the movies with Kay's Aunt and Uncle," he said.

"It's believed the girls were on their way to the Wollongong CBD to attend a disco, but it's not known whether they ever made it.

"Both girls were reported missing to the Lake Illawarra Local Area Command on Sunday 29th July.

"The following week, Toni and Kay's families received separate letters from the pair posted from the Kings Cross area, saying they were staying with friends and would be home soon.

"There have been no confirmed sightings of the girls since they were seen at the bus stop at dusk on the evening of Friday 27th, although there was an unconfirmed sighting in Queensland in 1984.

"Strike Force Mundawari has been formed to investigate the pair's disappearance and detectives are interested in any information which will lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Toni and Kay's disappearance and suspected murder.

"Their families have spent the last 30 years wondering what happened to their daughters, and they deserve closure.

"I hope that the lure of a cash reward may encourage those with information, who may have been reluctant to come forward at the time, to help Police bring those responsible to justice.

"It may not seem like much but if anybody has any piece of information, however small, it could prove to be the vital link police need to find out what happened," Mr Daley said.

Detective Chief Inspector Michael McLean said detectives have recently travelled to South Eastern Queensland and interviewed witnesses in the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas.

"It has become apparent through inquiries that a high percentage of those who lived in the Illawarra and knew of the girls at the time they disappeared, have relocated to that area," Mr McLean said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Kelly said Strike Force Mundawari detectives are grateful for the support of the NSW Government in progressing this case.

"This reward is a great opportunity to finally discover what happened to these young girls," he said.

Mr Daley said that any information will be treated as strictly confidential and may be given at any time of the day or night.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Click here for more information on Kay Docherty on the NSW Police Force Missing Persons Enquiry System.

Click here for more information on Toni Cavanagh on the NSW Police Force Missing Persons Enquiry System.


Do you have information that can help police with this case?

Any information you have about this is worth giving to police, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

You can provide information to police via any of the methods below:

Any information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Your help may give police the clue they need to close this case and provide some comfort for the families of victims.

How to claim your reward

  1. Contact Crime Stoppers or your local Police Station.
  2. Identify yourself and indicate you have information about a crime and that you wish to claim a reward.
  3. You will then be put in contact with a police officer involved in the investigation of that case.

 

 

The Heartache Of Just Not Knowing

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday August 4, 2007

MICHELLE HOCTOR reports

It's a stunning statistic - 10,000 people reported missing to NSW Police in the past year. While many are found within a fortnight, those that aren't leave behind families with broken hearts and unanswered questions, as MICHELLE HOCTOR reports.

POLICE across NSW are undertaking mass DNA testing in the hope of finding new leads to the state's long-term missing persons cases.

Since Kay Docherty's disappearance 28 years ago, her family have had to hang their hopes on the slimmest of leads in the hope she was still alive.

Now the Dochertys, of Warilla, and hundreds of families like them have been given new hope through mitochondrial DNA testing.

The testing is specifically designed to link families with the remains of people who have died, but it at least offers closure for those who have had their lives put on hold for as many as 60 years.

Since 2000 many relatives of 660 long-term missing persons in NSW have had mitochondrial DNA samples tested in the hope new leads can be found.

NSW Missing Persons Unit Constable Joanna Williams said under normal circumstances nuclear DNA samples were taken because they provided a definitive result.

"With nuclear DNA, you can get a 100 per cent match," she said.

This testing fell down, however, when identifying missing persons because nuclear DNA slowly disappears from human tissue during decomposition.

As an alternative, a mitochondrial DNA sample was taken, which provides a connection through the maternal line.

"It's not 100 per cent definitive, but mitochondrial DNA can be detected in bones after decomposition," Const Williams said.

She said these family samples were being compared against any missing bones that had been found over the years, and will be accessed as new bones are found.

So far, a "handful" of cases have been solved through the process, Const Williams said.

Mitochondrial DNA samples, taken from a swab of saliva, are sent to the United States for testing before being returned as a DNA profile, a process that takes about six weeks.

Const Williams said police had been working way their way through a list of families, reaching Kay Docherty's 42-year-old twin brother Kevin on May 1 this year.

As yet, there have been no matches, a result Mr Docherty regards with mixed emotions. Either way, the news would not be good.

If you have seen any of these people, call 1800 000 634

Brendan Crinis

Last seen: the 19-year-old was last seen in Tarrawanna on September 10, 2002.

Pauline Sowry

Last seen: Warrawong in 1993

Grant Rodgers

Last seen: Albion Park in 1989

Saverio Ganino

Last seen: Unanderra in 1990

Toni Cavanagh

Last seen: July 27, 1979. The then 15-year-old left her Warilla home with friend Kay Docherty in the early evening.

Kay Docherty

Last seen: July 27, 1979. The 15-year-old left Warilla with friend Toni Cavanagh. Believed to have hitchhiked to Wollongong.

Jaki-Lee Walsh

Last Seen: The 22-year-old was last seen on April 14, 1989 at Kiama. Police believe she met with foul play.

 

Detectives appeal for public assistance into two girls missing for 30 years - Strike Force Mundawari

2009-07-27 05:19:28


NSW Police from Lake Illawarra Local Area Command have formed a strike force and are appealing for public assistance to locate two girls missing from the Wollongong area on the 30th anniversary of their disappearance.
 
About 7pm on Friday 27 July 1979, Kay Docherty, aged 15, and Toni Cavanagh, aged 16, left the Cavanagh residence in Martin Street, Warilla. It is believed the pair intended to make their way to a disco in the Wollongong CBD. Kay and Toni have not been seen since.
 
Today marks the 30th year of their disappearance. Previous public appeals have outlined a hope that the girls had run away but detectives no longer believe this to be the case. It is suspected both girls had become victims of foul play.
 
Strike Force Mundawari has been formed to investigate the pair's disappearance and detectives are appealing to the public for their assistance.
 
Investigators are seeking any information concerning the disappearance of the girls or any incidents that may relate both prior to and after 27 July 1979.
 
Anyone with information into the whereabouts of Kay and Toni, or details surrounding their disappearance, is urged to contact Lake Illawarra Police on 4295 2699 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


 

TV revisits Warilla cold case

BY ALEX ARNOLD
22/06/2009 10:57:00 AM
The mysterious disappearance of two Warilla teenagers 30 years ago is due to feature on the TV program Missing Persons Unit tonight.

Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh went missing on July 27, 1979, after reportedly hitch-hiking to Wollongong.

The last-known sighting of the two girls was on Shellharbour Rd, outside Warilla Grove Shopping Centre.

In 1996, detectives investigating Ivan Milat and the backpacker murders visited the Docherty's home.

Milat reportedly worked for a road gang in Kiama and was known to travel along Shellharbour Rd.

In 2006, one of the girls' friends from Lake Illawarra High School reported seeing Toni in Cairns.

Sergeant John Klepczarek of Lake Illawarra police said he hoped someone watching tonight's program may be able to provide leads.

"Anyone with information is asked to contact Lake Illawarra detectives," he said.

Missing Persons Unit screens tonight on WIN at 9.30pm

Strike force investigates Warilla cold case

27/07/2009 11:26:00 AM
Thirty years after the mysterious disappearance of Warilla teenagers Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh, police have formed a strike force to investigate the cold case.

It was on July 27, 1979 that the friends, aged 15 and 16, left the Cavanagh residence in Martin St at Warilla.

The girls were thought to be heading to a disco in Wollongong on the night they vanished, however they have not been seen since.

  • The last known sighting of the two girls was on Shellharbour Rd, outside Warilla Grove Shopping Centre.

    Detectives originally believed the girls may have run away, however police now suspect they were victims of foul play.

    In 1996, detectives investigating Ivan Milat and the backpacker murders visited the Docherty's home.

    Milat reportedly worked for a road gang in Kiama and was known to travel along Shellharbour Rd.

    In 2006, one of the girls' friends from Lake Illawarra High School reported seeing Toni in Cairns.

    Strike Force Mundawari has been formed and detectives have now launched a public appeal.

    Anyone with information into the whereabouts of Kay and Toni, or details surrounding their disappearance, has been urged to contact Lake Illawarra Police on 4295 2699 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

  • $100k reward over girls' cold murder case

    Posted Mon Nov 16, 2009 5:49pm AEDT - ABC
     

    A $100,000 reward is being offered for information about the suspected murder of two teenage girls in New South Wales 30 years ago.

    Kay Docherty, 16, and Toni Cavanagh, 15, went missing from Warilla, south of Wollongong, in July 1979.

    They were on their way to a disco in Wollongong.

    Detective Chief Inspector Michael McLean says the girls were initially treated as runaways, but police now suspect they were murdered.

    "These are good kids and the only mistake they made that night was to go out of their house with the intention of going to a disco in Wollongong," Chief Inspector McLean said.

    "We are unfortunately satisfied that these girls most probably met foul play."

    Chief Inspector McLean says he hopes the reward will encourage people to come forward with information.

    "We believe there has to be somebody in the community that has some knowledge, whether it be first or third-hand in relation to what happened to these girls," he said.

    "We really seek these people and ask them to come forward as any information, no matter how trivial or how small it may seem, may be critical.

    "Any information would be treated with the upmost confidence."

    Police seek new leads in missing teens cold case

    Posted Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:19am AEDT  - ABC

    Police have made a fresh appeal for information about the disappearance of two teenage girls in the Illawarra 30 years ago.

    Kay Docherty, 16, and Toni Cavanagh, 15, went missing at Warilla in July 1979.

    The New South Wales Government has announced a $100,000 reward for information about the case.

    Lake Illawarra Detective Chief Inspector Michael McLean says the girls were initially treated as runaways but police now suspect they were murdered.

    "These are good kids and the only mistake they made that night was to go out of their house with the intention of going to a disco in Wollongong, they've done nothing else wrong," he said.

    "We are unfortunately satisfied that these girls most probably met foul play, so once again we just ask people to come forward.

    "Any information would be treated with the upmost confidence."

    Reward Offered to Solve Double Disappearance and Suspected Murder
    Monday 16th November 2009


    Minister for Police Michael Daley today announced that a $100,000 NSW Government reward would be offered to help Police solve the disappearance and presumed murders of Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh.
    Mr Daley said Kay, 16, and Toni, 15, went missing from Warilla, a southern coastal suburb of Wollongong, three decades ago.
    “On the 27th July 1979, Kay told her parents she was staying at Toni’s house and Toni told her family they were going to the movies with Kay’s Aunt and Uncle,” he said.
    “It’s believed the girls were on their way to the Wollongong CBD to attend a disco, but it’s not known whether they ever made it.
    “Both girls were reported missing to the Lake Illawarra Local Area Command on Sunday 29th July.
    “The following week, Toni and Kay’s families received separate letters from the pair posted from the Kings Cross area, saying they were staying with friends and would be home soon.
    “There have been no confirmed sightings of the girls since they were seen at the bus stop at dusk on the evening of Friday 27th, although there was an unconfirmed sighting in Queensland in 1984.
    “Strike Force Mundawari has been formed to investigate the pair’s disappearance and detectives are interested in any information which will lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Toni and Kay’s disappearance and suspected murder.
    “Their families have spent the last 30 years wondering what happened to their daughters, and they deserve closure.
    “I hope that the lure of a cash reward may encourage those with information, who may have been reluctant to come forward at the time, to help Police bring those responsible to justice.
    “It may not seem like much but if anybody has any piece of information, however small, it could prove to be the vital link police need to find out what happened,” Mr Daley said.
    Detective Chief Inspector Michael McLean said detectives have recently travelled to South Eastern Queensland and interviewed witnesses in the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas.
    “It has become apparent through inquiries that a high percentage of those who lived in the Illawarra and knew of the girls at the time they disappeared, have relocated to that area,” Mr McLean said.
    Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Kelly said Strike Force Mundawari detectives are grateful for the support of the NSW Government in progressing this case.
    “This reward is a great opportunity to finally discover what happened to these young girls,” he said.
    Mr Daley said that any information will be treated as strictly confidential and may be given at any time of the day or night.
    Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    Inquest finds two Wollongong teenagers died in 1970s

    Posted 

    An inquest into the disappearance of two Wollongong teenagers in the late 1970s has concluded they are no longer alive.

    Magistrate Geraldine Beattie found that 16-year-old Kay Docherty and 15-year old Toni Cavanagh died a short time after their disappearance in July 1979.

    Their bodies have never been found.

    The teenagers were last seen at a bus stop heading to a disco in Wollongong.

    A letter from the pair arrived a week later saying they were in Sydney, but they were never seen or heard from again.

    The inquest heard evidence from investigating detectives that the girls may have been murdered by fugitive Wollongong killer Graham Potter or backpacker murder Ivan Milat, but no detailed evidence was provided to support the claims.

     

    Images released in search for Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh's killers

    For seven years Kevin Docherty has held tight two pictures that could unlock one of the Illawarra’s deepest and most harrowing mysteries.
     

    Or they could not.

    After 37 years without his missing and presumed murdered twin sister Kay, Mr Docherty takes care not to get his hopes up. 

     

    Kay and fellow Lake Illawarra High School student Toni Cavanagh vanished from near a bus stop outside Warilla Grove shopping centre on July 27, 1979. 
     

    Lake Illawarra police believe the girls were trying to make their way to a Wollongong disco when they met with foul play.

    Detectives invited renowned medium Debbie Malone to assist their investigation in 2009. Part of Ms Malone’s contribution was computer-generated pictures of two men she identified as having abducted and murdered the girls. 

    Police never released the images; Mr Docherty also opted not to share them, until now. 

    As the 37th anniversary of  the girls’ disappearance passed last month, he remembered the pledge he made to his mother Jean on her deathbed, to never relinquish his efforts to find Kay. 

    “It was a big promise, and I thought about it before i said it,” Mr Docherty told the Mercury.

    “There wasn’t a great deal of thought put into [sharing the pictures] – I’m just clutching at straws.”

    The pictures show two men aged 18-22, as they would have looked in 1979. They possibly came from Sydney, and drove an early 1960s-1970s Holden, according to Ms Malone.

    The value of the pictures remains to be seen. Mr Docherty said Ms Malone was one of four psychics who had contacted him with information about his sister’s disappearance.

    “They all think they know what happened – but I never get my hopes up,” he said. 
     

    “I’m just trying to piece together everything they say and see if anyone’s got anything in common.”

    In 1996, police investigating Ivan Milat and the backpacker murders visited the Docherty home. Milat reportedly worked for a road gang in Kiama in the late 1970s and was known to travel along Shellharbour Road.

    Mr Docherty notes that Milat’s name “keeps coming up” in connection with the girls. 
     

    He favours another scenario – that Toni – the more outgoing of the girls – arranged to get a lift with a male or males she knew, and that Kay joined her in the car.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Kelly admits to having developed a personal interest in the case after years of absorbing himself in its finer details. 

    He says Ms Malone’s images were not released in 2009 as they had the potential to mislead witnesses. He said Mr Docherty’s decision to share the images now, after two inquests that resulted in open findings, could generate new information. 

    “We’ve come to a part of the investigation where there are no further fresh leads for us. I’m always encouraging more people to come forward who might have critical information relating to the disappearance of the girls.”

    Police medium ‘saw’ faces of girls’ killers

    Debbie Malone was convinced of it; she was looking at the faces of two killers. The difficult part, at Lake Illawarra Police Station in 2009, was converting what she saw into something detectives could use. The station had no computer program to compose the faces Ms Malone, a renowned Sutherland Shire-based medium, claimed to see.

    Brought in to aid the investigation into the July, 1979 disappearance of Warilla schoolgirls Kay Docherty and Toni Malone, Ms Malone and police produced the pictures the old fashioned way. 

    “It was just a book,” Ms Malone told the Mercury. “There was a page of mouths, a page of noses, a page of eyes … “I think it took four weeks for it to come back [as a complete picture]. That’s when I saw the faces completely. I didn’t get to tweak it. That was the hardest part.” 

    Despite the method, Ms Malone said she was satisfied with the final ‘identikit’ images. Held privately for seven years, Miss Docherty’s twin brother Kevin recently made the pictures public, reigniting interest in the 37-year-old case. 

    Ms Malone handled items from Kay’s jewelery box the day she visited the police station. As detectives looked on, she took a delicate silver chain and other items in her hands and experienced a series of visions. 

    “I saw the girls’ faces – a fair blonde-headed girl and a red-headed girl. I said, ‘it’s Toni Cavanagh and Kay Docherty’. I just knew who they were,” she said. “Kay came across as shy. Toni … was a bit of a wild child and a bit more streetwise than Kay.”.
     

    Ms Malone accompanied police to a section of Seven Mile Beach she had identified as the girls’ likely location. Police twice searched the area with cadaver dogs, but found nothing. 

    “I still feel they’re there,” Ms Malone said. “It’s just we weren’t right on the spot.” 

    Psychic ‘saw’ Warilla's Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh's violent end

    'Did you do it?': Warilla's Kevin Docherty wants to lay his missing sister Kay to rest

    Missing Persons Week, from August 2 to 8, is particularly tough for the Warilla resident but he knows if he wants to keep Kay's case alive then he needs to talk about the pain of her disappearance, and likely murder.

    Despite being only 16-years-old at the time, Mr Docherty has a very clear memory of the events of that fateful day and the lasting impact it had on his heartbroken parents.
    It follows him where ever he goes.
     
    He sometimes looks at people and thinks, 'was it you?', 'did you do it?'.
     
    But he tries not to dwell on his loss, rather preferring to lead as normal life as possible.
     
    Mr Docherty tries to be thankful for every day as he knows how easy it is for everything to change.
    Kay Docherty, then aged 16, and Toni Cavanagh, then aged 15, were last seen on July 27, 1979 around 7.30pm.
     
    There was a sighting of the schoolgirls at Bulli Tops, shortly afterwards and no confirmed sightings since.
     
    "We came home from Lake Illawarra High School and Kay asked Mum if she could stay with a friend Toni, who was more of an associate, that night to help her babysit," Mr Docherty said.
    "Mum said no. We weren't allowed to stay out anywhere.
    "My sister went into her room and started crying.
    "Mum told Kay she could go for only two or three hours while I was at band practice. I was to take her and pick her up on my pushbike.
    "It was the first time she was allowed out on her own. She was scared of the dark."
    Mr Docherty said he finished band practice about 8.30pm and rode to Toni's place where, to his surprise, her stepmother told him the girls had gone to the movies.
    "I only found out last year that Toni had spoken to her friends at school and asked them to go out that night but none of the girls were allowed," he said.
    "She had asked Kay to help babysit, that was all she knew because if it was anything else there was no way would my sister would have gone. She wouldn't have gone to Wollongong or a disco."
    Police believe the girls were on their way to the Wollongong CBD to attend a dance, but it's not known whether they ever made it.
    "We had a good home life and she didn't run away," Mr Docherty said.
    He stayed in the area looking for Kay, hoping she would appear but that never happened.
    "I kept thinking, 'how am I going to tell Mum?'," Mr Docherty said.
    The teen broke the news to his Mum, Jean, when he arrived home and she immediately panicked.
     
    She started calling the mothers of Kay's friends before they walked to the police station a few hours later, where they were told to come back in 24 and 48 hours.
    "Mum didn't sleep that night. She left the outside light on. That stayed on for years," Mr Docherty said.
    "We were sitting around waiting. It was eerie in the house.
    "I struggled to sleep for weeks after she disappeared. I had nightmares that something bad had happened to Kay.
    "At no stage did I think she was safe."

    "Until we get a resolution or answers I will continue to ask 'why?'"

    Kevin Docherty
    Mr Docherty believes his sister was likely murdered, which is what a Coroner ruled during a 2013 Coronal inquest.
     
    The days and weeks that followed were incredibly hard for the Docherty family, who searched for around the Wollongong area, called every community organisation, charities and friends before Mr Docherty's father went to Sydney to put up posters.
     
    Then a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a handwritten note sent from Darlinghurst that said Kay was staying with friends in Sydney, would be "home soon" and that she loved her family.
    However, after studying the letter, the family knew it wasn't written by Kay as the handwriting was different and there were spelling errors.
    "Kay was regarded as a runaway. Nothing happened with the police for years. That was terrible," Mr Docherty said.
    "That was the way times were. Now looking back, they could have done more if they acted earlier.
     
    "Who knows, she could be alive today.
    "Until we get a resolution or answers I will continue to ask 'why?'"
    The family tried to return to as normal life as possible but it was never the same. They would always hope she would come home one day.
    "There was nowhere we could go where people weren't talking her disappearance," Mr Docherty said.
     
    "Still to this day, especially during Missing Persons Week, people stop me in the street."
    "We always tried to remain positive. My job at 16 was to console my Mum.
     
    "For years after, I didn't want to leave Mum alone. For many years I didn't leave the house."
    Mr Docherty promised his mother while on her death bed that he would always hold out hope Kay, who would now be 57-years-old, would return and he would always "keep looking".
    He wishes he has a resolution so he can finally move on and lay his sister to rest.
     
    "If she had been murdered and there was evidence and a body then we could have accepted it but that was never to be, especially never for my Mum and Dad," he said.
    "For a parent to lose a child and not have any answers is the hardest thing a parent could ever go through."
    Mr Docherty said he still gets contacted up to six times a year from people who may have information or believe they have seen Kay, but no report has been credible.
    The South Coast Martial Arts Centre owner said he was glad a new Missing Persons Registry had been created last year. The investigative team have been digitising old case files.
    He was told his sister's case would be the number one priority however that was four months ago and he has not heard from the team since.
     
    "Missing Persons Week is always hard to get through," Mr Docherty said. "I don't dwell on it. I know it is always coming but it is hard to prepare for.
    "There is never day I don't think about her but I don't dwell on it because otherwise I would be in an early grave like my Mum and Dad."