‘It never goes away’: Daughter of Marion Barter throws support behind Bronwyn Winfield investigation
Article by KRISTEN AMIET - Courtesy of The Australian
Listen to BRONWYN now at bronwynpodcast.com
The daughter of missing Queensland woman Marion Barter has thrown her support behind the search for Lennox Head mother Bronwyn Winfield.
“I do feel very close to Bronwyn’s story,” Sally Leydon told The Australian. “It seems to always have the same the same ring to it, if you like, where a family have gone to the police and said something’s not right, and it’s just been dismissed pretty quickly.
“[But] it never goes away, and [it’s] the stress and the ambiguity that you’re left to deal with.”
Bronwyn Winfield was 31 when she vanished from the Lennox Head home she shared with her husband, Jon Winfield, on Sunday, May 16, 1993. She left behind two small children: Chrystal and Lauren, who were aged 10 and five years old at the time.
The initial police investigation was severely lacking, with crucial forensic evidence and key witness accounts missed or overlooked by detectives at the time.
Bronwyn’s disappearance is the subject of an investigative podcast by The Australian’s national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas.
“To hear witnesses come out and actually tell their story … that’s been important for me, because you get to a point where you think it’s so long in the tooth that people aren’t going to remember.
“But I’ve always said, it doesn’t matter how big or small your piece of information might be, it could turn into something important,” Leydon said.
She spoke to The Australian almost 27 years to the day after her mother was last seen.
Marion Barter vanished in 1997 after quitting her job as a schoolteacher and selling her Gold Coast home. She also secretly changed her name to Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel and withdrew large sums of cash from her bank account before leaving the country on a flight bound for Britain on June 22 of that year.
Her disappearance wasn’t seriously investigated until 2019, when Strike Force Jurunga was established by the NSW Police Force’s Unsolved Homicide Unit.
A $250,000 reward for information leading to arrest was announced by Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty in 2021.
On February 29, NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan found Marion Barter died on or around October 15, 1997, and that the initial police investigation into her disappearance was inadequate.
When Sally Leydon first formally reported her mother missing to Byron Bay police in late 1997, she wasn’t declared a missing person – rather, it was deemed she’d left voluntarily.
Shortly before the coroner handed down her findings on February 29, Leydon encountered NSW Homicide Squad Detective Sergeant Nigel Warren outside the Lidcombe Coroner’s Court, where she inquired about the status of the investigation into her mother’s disappearance.
“And [he] said, ‘Well, the case is … open but inactive, and we won’t be doing anything unless new evidence comes forward … We have 800 cases and we need to prioritise’,” Leydon recalls.
“But when you haven’t actually been prioritised for 27 years … it’s very difficult.
“I’ve dealt a lot with the police and … I’ve had no apologies. I haven’t spoken to them since the inquest, so I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t know what the status of the case is. I’ve only got what Nigel said to me, which was that they need to prioritise.”
Now Leydon is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the way missing persons cases are handled by authorities in NSW.
A petition addressed to the legislative assembly currently has almost 3000 signatures.
“We need to sit down and actually have to have a conversation with people who are in charge … and with the families of missing persons and let them see the real harm that it does,” Leydon said.
Leydon believes missing persons investigations shouldn’t be in the remit of local police command, where time, resources, and expertise are routinely diverted into day-to-day law enforcement.
“Granted, it’s hard on the police …[but] we’re not getting listened to. They shut the door, and it’s left up to the families to go and do the investigation,” Leydon says. She launched her own podcast investigation into her mother’s disappearance in late 2018.
She’s proposed establishing a centralised and specialised missing persons investigative unit who could respond quickly and effectively to inquiries by concerned loved ones.
“We all need to work together, and I’m happy to help as much as I can in making [the system] better.”
You might actually hold the missing piece of the puzzle …
We owe a huge thanks to Sonya Driver of Eco Tan. Eco Tan are committed to creating a healthier, organic, cruelty free and environmentally friendly eco range of skin product. Eco Tan is a company that is founded on authenticity and transparency, with a strong philanthropic foundation.
Sonya has amazingly used her company's vast reach to help our Pursuit of Justice, to find answers that are out there concerning the disappearance of Marion. Sonya very kindly developed the downloadable postcard below and had these printed in a huge quantity, that enabled her to include one in each of 40,000 orders her company shipped over the last few weeks. THANK YOU, SONYA!
You too can continue this effort by downloading the card below, printing out a few and leaving them at your local coffee shop or wherever else you see fit.
Have any women mysteriously disappeared from your life? Maybe they also said they were starting a new life and were then never seen again? Maybe it was your aunt, grandmother, sister, friend or a neighbour? Maybe you heard something on the local grapevine and it never sat right? Perhaps you knew of a woman who had special items taken from them by a new love interest in their life in the 80s, 90s or 2000s? Jewellery, antiques, rare collections or even their life savings? Maybe this happened to you?
Remember, someone, somewhere knows something.
Petitions for Change
Old ways won't open new doors.
We are dedicated to helping organisations in promoting change in government and government agency procedures and approach to the long-term missing. Families of missing persons endure immense emotional and financial strain while searching for their loved ones, often without adequate support from authorities. There's a pressing need for comprehensive reform in how missing persons cases are handled, including improved coordination, resource allocation, and adherence to recommendations. For these reasons and many more, we urge you to throw your support behind these organisations that are fighting for change.
Search Dogs Sydney Inc. - Parlimentary Inquiry Request
Search Dogs Sydney Inc is a distinguished team equipped with expertly trained canines adept at locating both living and deceased individuals. Our specialised services extend to various scenarios, including wilderness search operations, natural or man-made disasters, as well as single or mass casualty events. Comprised of qualified Search Technicians partnered with highly skilled canines, our team operates around the clock, ensuring readiness for any mission.
Instructions can be found below with PDF available for download.
Search Dogs Sydney's Chris D'Arcy says:
" On Friday I attended the funeral for a 33 year old man that should not be deceased if it wasn't for the sheer incompetence of the NSW Police and Emergency services in general. Firstly the police didn't take his report seriously by the parents, then after 3 days missing he phoned 000 asking for a helicopter and described his location whilst being asked stupid questions by the operator for 20 minutes. The family continued to search for 3.5 months in the bushland, not locating their son but locating another missing man on Valentines Day 2024. This man was just 500m from his vehicle and emergency services supposedly searched these areas multiple times.
I've spent many a long hour attempting to garner support from a member of the NSW MLC to support an ePetition, however in an email they have advised that they're too scared to take on the NSW Police. Subsequently, we are going old school with a paper petition.
Thankfully, this only requires 10,000 signatures.
I am reaching out to you and your amazing team of supporters to assist us in gathering the signatures required. We are attempting to garner the required numbers by 12 May 2024."
Parliamentary Inquiry Request - Summary
The document outlines several critical issues regarding missing persons cases in New South Wales, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by families and the shortcomings of law enforcement agencies. Here's a summarised breakdown:
1. Families' Struggle: Families of missing persons endure immense emotional and financial strain while searching for their loved ones, often without adequate support from authorities.
2. Scope of the Problem: There are over 2500 long-term missing persons cases reported in Australia, with insufficient resources allocated for searches and investigations.
3. Call for Parliamentary Inquiry: There's a strong plea for a Parliamentary Inquiry to investigate police actions regarding missing persons and address the lack of oversight in long-term missing persons cases.
4. Law Enforcement Challenges: Law enforcement faces significant challenges in managing missing persons cases, including inadequate resources, training, and support.
5. National Responsibility: Missing persons cases have risen dramatically, reaching approximately 55,000 reports in 2022, with varying responses from law enforcement agencies across the country. We need to start here in New South Wales.
6. Search Efforts: Private organisations, such as Search Dogs Sydney Inc, offer support in search operations, but face challenges in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
7. Failures in Collaboration: Despite efforts by volunteer organisations, collaboration with law enforcement is hindered by bureaucratic obstacles and lack of support.
8. Inadequate Standards: There's a lack of national accreditation standards for canine search teams, leading to inconsistencies in search operations and effectiveness.
9. Coronial Investigations: Recommendations from coronial investigations are not consistently followed by law enforcement agencies, highlighting systemic issues in addressing missing persons cases.
10. Need for Reform: There's a pressing need for comprehensive reform in how missing persons cases are handled, including improved coordination, resource allocation, and adherence to recommendations.
11. Public Engagement: Law enforcement agencies need to engage the public effectively in missing persons cases, utilising available technologies and community resources.
12. Call to Action: The document calls for urgent action, including the establishment of an independent oversight organization and a thorough inquiry into missing persons cases statewide.
Overall, the document underscores the urgency of addressing systemic issues and improving responses to missing persons cases in New South Wales.
