Title: Kotevski, Gordana 1994 NSW
Description: article from 2000
Description: article from 2000
Searcher - April 21, 2006 08:34 AM (GMT)
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1236dfnsw.html
On November 24, 1994, 16-year-old Gordana was kidnapped as she walked to her aunt`s house from a suburban Newcastle shopping centre.
It is believed Gordana was abducted from outside her aunt`s house at about 8.45pm. When she looked down her driveway she saw a white Toyota Hilux drive away towards the Pacific Highway. A short time later, when Gordana hadn`t arrived Mrs Simonovic looked outside and found her niece`s torn plastic shopping bag containing her purse, a new item of clothing and socks on the grass verge outside her home. Sonia Simonovic, Gordana`s aunt, said she heard screams outside her house, followed by more than one muffled male voice.
No trace was found of the attractive schoolgirl, despite a massive police search at the time. In 1998 the Strike Force Fenwick was set up to investigate the disappearance of up to 20 young people from the Newcastle area over a 20-year period. The disappearance of Gordana is the only remaining case still being actively investigated by Strike Force Fenwick.
In 1999, almost five years after the abduction, checks were again carried out on vehicles similar to that used in her kidnapping. Owners of around 300 white Toyota Hi-Lux 4WD`s were contacted by detectives, making inquiries and asking to inspect their vehicles. The white Toyota Hilux remains a major focus in the investigation.
On July 29, 2000 police forensic scientists cordoned off the street out Mrs Simonovic`s home. Detectives met with the parents of Gordana days before the reconstruction operation took place. According to a report in Sydney`s The Daily Telegraph, investigations in recent months had provided police with "some very good information."
It has also been revealed that six witnesses have recently undergone hypnosis in an attempt to help police with their investigations. One of the witness was able to able to provide a description of suspect seen seated in the rear of the white Hi-Lux as it sped away. Police have released an identikit of the suspect and have called the public to help identify him. In July 2000 New South Wales police intensified their investigation into abduction of Gordana Kotevski almost six years ago. Gordana would now be 21-22 years of age.
Rewards: A reward of up to $100,000 may be payable for information leading to an arrest in relation to Gordana`s disappearance.
On November 24, 1994, 16-year-old Gordana was kidnapped as she walked to her aunt`s house from a suburban Newcastle shopping centre.
It is believed Gordana was abducted from outside her aunt`s house at about 8.45pm. When she looked down her driveway she saw a white Toyota Hilux drive away towards the Pacific Highway. A short time later, when Gordana hadn`t arrived Mrs Simonovic looked outside and found her niece`s torn plastic shopping bag containing her purse, a new item of clothing and socks on the grass verge outside her home. Sonia Simonovic, Gordana`s aunt, said she heard screams outside her house, followed by more than one muffled male voice.
No trace was found of the attractive schoolgirl, despite a massive police search at the time. In 1998 the Strike Force Fenwick was set up to investigate the disappearance of up to 20 young people from the Newcastle area over a 20-year period. The disappearance of Gordana is the only remaining case still being actively investigated by Strike Force Fenwick.
In 1999, almost five years after the abduction, checks were again carried out on vehicles similar to that used in her kidnapping. Owners of around 300 white Toyota Hi-Lux 4WD`s were contacted by detectives, making inquiries and asking to inspect their vehicles. The white Toyota Hilux remains a major focus in the investigation.
On July 29, 2000 police forensic scientists cordoned off the street out Mrs Simonovic`s home. Detectives met with the parents of Gordana days before the reconstruction operation took place. According to a report in Sydney`s The Daily Telegraph, investigations in recent months had provided police with "some very good information."
It has also been revealed that six witnesses have recently undergone hypnosis in an attempt to help police with their investigations. One of the witness was able to able to provide a description of suspect seen seated in the rear of the white Hi-Lux as it sped away. Police have released an identikit of the suspect and have called the public to help identify him. In July 2000 New South Wales police intensified their investigation into abduction of Gordana Kotevski almost six years ago. Gordana would now be 21-22 years of age.
Rewards: A reward of up to $100,000 may be payable for information leading to an arrest in relation to Gordana`s disappearance.
monkalup - November 19, 2006 04:16 AM (GMT)
Contact phone numbers:
NMPU : 1800 000 634
More Missing Persons
http://www.missingpersons.gov.au/missing/kotevski.htm
Name: Kotevski, Gordana
Age at time of disappearance: 16 years
Build: Slim
Height: 160
Hair: Black
Eyes: Unknown
Distinguishing Features/Other:
Circumstances:
Gordana was last seen at Charlestown on 24 November 1994. There are concerns for Gordana's safety and welfare.
NMPU : 1800 000 634
More Missing Persons
http://www.missingpersons.gov.au/missing/kotevski.htm
Name: Kotevski, Gordana
Age at time of disappearance: 16 years
Build: Slim
Height: 160
Hair: Black
Eyes: Unknown
Distinguishing Features/Other:
Circumstances:
Gordana was last seen at Charlestown on 24 November 1994. There are concerns for Gordana's safety and welfare.
monkalup - November 19, 2006 04:19 AM (GMT)
Gordana KOTEVSKI
DOB: 29/12/1977
HAIR: Black BUILD: Thin EYES:
CIRCUMSTANCES:
Gordana was last seen at Charlestown on 24 November, 1994. A white 4WD was seen in the area at the time. It is believed the man pictured in the insert photograph might be able to assist with further inquiries. There are concerns for Gordana's welfare.
Reported missing to: Missing Persons Unit
http://www.supernerd.com.au/~glittercot/NSWchildren.html
DOB: 29/12/1977
HAIR: Black BUILD: Thin EYES:
CIRCUMSTANCES:
Gordana was last seen at Charlestown on 24 November, 1994. A white 4WD was seen in the area at the time. It is believed the man pictured in the insert photograph might be able to assist with further inquiries. There are concerns for Gordana's welfare.
Reported missing to: Missing Persons Unit
http://www.supernerd.com.au/~glittercot/NSWchildren.html
monkalup - November 19, 2006 04:20 AM (GMT)
monkalup - May 12, 2008 04:08 AM (GMT)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/05/1036308311821.html
Witness hypnosis called for in lost girl case
By Greg Wendt
November 6 2002
Deep inside her subconscious, Audrey Barnard could hold a clue which could unravel one of the Hunter's most baffling crimes - the disappearance of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski.
Yesterday State Coroner John Abernethy and the missing schoolgirl's parents urged the 75-year-old widow, one of the last people to see her alive, to undergo forensic hypnosis to unlock her memory of that night.
Mr Abernethy told Mrs Barnard that her witness account of the last moments before Gordana disappeared without trace from a street in Charlestown almost eight years ago, was the most significant, reliable evidence he had.
"Your information is very important," he said. "Maybe there is something in your subconscious ... faces, a numberplate or markings on the vehicle, which could assist even further."
Mrs Barnard said she was apprehensive about having hypnosis because "I do not like giving my mind over to somebody". But Toronto Court heard that Mrs Barnard had very good recall of the night she saw "a pretty young girl with a spring in her step".
Mrs Barnard said, however, she did not realise at the time that what she saw on November 24, 1994 in the town was relevant.
She said she had driven past a white Toyota Hi Lux four-wheel-drive vehicle on 9pm and saw two athletic young men standing at the rear.
"I am certain of the make of vehicle, because my husband had only recently died and he had a Toyota Hi Lux which he used on our farm," Mrs Barnard said.
"I saw two figures standing at the rear. They were half turned towards each other and they were moving their arms about in an animated fashion."
Further up the street she saw a young girl walking on the footpath carrying a shopping bag.
"I was drawn to her because she was so attractive," Mrs Barnard said. "She had a shopping bag and she was walking with that spring in her step like the world was wonderful."
Mrs Barnard was not contacted by police at the time and she did not believe the information she had was sufficient to contact them. It was not until officers from Strike Force Fenwick contacted her in January 1998 that she gave her account. "I was aware a young lady had disappeared from the area, it was on the television and in the newspapers ... I really didn't think that my information was significant," Mrs Barnard said.
Gordana's sister, Karolina Jagurinoski, told the inquest of a phone call she received from Gordana about two weeks before she disappeared about a youth the family called "The Spook".
"Gordana said there was this fellow bothering her at work, hanging around and bugging her and she didn't like him," Mrs Jagurinoski said. She revealed that Gordana quit her part-time job at a delicatessen because of the youth's stalking. "She didn't know him. I think he just saw her at the deli once and got carried away with her," she said.
Mrs Jagurinoski said she believed in her heart that the person stalking her sister had something to do with her disappearance: "Gordana would never have gone with them willingly. She would have put up a fight."
The inquest continues today.
Witness hypnosis called for in lost girl case
By Greg Wendt
November 6 2002
Deep inside her subconscious, Audrey Barnard could hold a clue which could unravel one of the Hunter's most baffling crimes - the disappearance of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski.
Yesterday State Coroner John Abernethy and the missing schoolgirl's parents urged the 75-year-old widow, one of the last people to see her alive, to undergo forensic hypnosis to unlock her memory of that night.
Mr Abernethy told Mrs Barnard that her witness account of the last moments before Gordana disappeared without trace from a street in Charlestown almost eight years ago, was the most significant, reliable evidence he had.
"Your information is very important," he said. "Maybe there is something in your subconscious ... faces, a numberplate or markings on the vehicle, which could assist even further."
Mrs Barnard said she was apprehensive about having hypnosis because "I do not like giving my mind over to somebody". But Toronto Court heard that Mrs Barnard had very good recall of the night she saw "a pretty young girl with a spring in her step".
Mrs Barnard said, however, she did not realise at the time that what she saw on November 24, 1994 in the town was relevant.
She said she had driven past a white Toyota Hi Lux four-wheel-drive vehicle on 9pm and saw two athletic young men standing at the rear.
"I am certain of the make of vehicle, because my husband had only recently died and he had a Toyota Hi Lux which he used on our farm," Mrs Barnard said.
"I saw two figures standing at the rear. They were half turned towards each other and they were moving their arms about in an animated fashion."
Further up the street she saw a young girl walking on the footpath carrying a shopping bag.
"I was drawn to her because she was so attractive," Mrs Barnard said. "She had a shopping bag and she was walking with that spring in her step like the world was wonderful."
Mrs Barnard was not contacted by police at the time and she did not believe the information she had was sufficient to contact them. It was not until officers from Strike Force Fenwick contacted her in January 1998 that she gave her account. "I was aware a young lady had disappeared from the area, it was on the television and in the newspapers ... I really didn't think that my information was significant," Mrs Barnard said.
Gordana's sister, Karolina Jagurinoski, told the inquest of a phone call she received from Gordana about two weeks before she disappeared about a youth the family called "The Spook".
"Gordana said there was this fellow bothering her at work, hanging around and bugging her and she didn't like him," Mrs Jagurinoski said. She revealed that Gordana quit her part-time job at a delicatessen because of the youth's stalking. "She didn't know him. I think he just saw her at the deli once and got carried away with her," she said.
Mrs Jagurinoski said she believed in her heart that the person stalking her sister had something to do with her disappearance: "Gordana would never have gone with them willingly. She would have put up a fight."
The inquest continues today.
monkalup - May 12, 2008 04:11 AM (GMT)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/08/1057430204829.html
On the scent without a clue
July 9 2003
Criminal profiling first hit big on the screen and now NSW Police have their own profiler. Les Kennedy reports.
At most crime scenes something is left behind by the perpetrator. It could be a hair strand, a fingerprint, sweat, fibre from their clothing, a shoe print or some form of DNA.
But where no clues are visible the offender still leaves hints: it may be the interaction with the victim, the setting, the time. Police have become expert at building on these clues to construct an imprint of the perpetrator's character in the manner in which he or she went about committing the crime.
For six years Detective Senior Constable Kristina Illingsworth has been exploring a new frontier in crime scene investigations in Australia - trying to extract the personalities of offenders from unsolved crimes to give investigating officers an insight into the type of person they are hunting.
Illingsworth is a criminal profiler, one of only three accredited to police in Australia and the only such expert in the NSW Police. Profiling complements the forensic hunt and the traditional footslog and doorknock interviews of witnesses and victims.
Her recent inclusion in the hunt for a serial sex offender at St Clair in Sydney's outer west in the past year has brought the art of criminal profiling to the public fore in Australia. In the US, police have used it since the '80s.
The 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs alerted the public to the role of the profiler in police work. A number of films rushed to copy the model of detectives tracing criminals with forensic psychology, including Slaughter of the Innocents, When the Bough Breaks, Se7en, Copycat, Kiss the Girls, Postmortem, The Bone Collector, Resurrection,and The Watcher, Murder by Numbers, and television series such as Prime Suspect, Cracker and Profiler .
But in the real world, profiling has been so successful that NSW Police are considering training detectives in criminal profiling for a full-time unit.
Illingsworth will not talk about the St Clair case, nor other specific cases she has been asked to profile, but admits some old-school detectives regard this now widely accepted policing tool as just good guesswork that stops short of giving them a name and address of an offender.
Profiling is an investigative tool used in unsolved crimes that appear to be random, opportunistic, motiveless, predatory and often violent or unusual.
In the past six years Illingsworth - an officer of 20 years, 15 as a detective - has been asked to examine more than 200 unsolved crimes of violence, sexual predation, stalking, extortion and abductions and threat assessment.
Among these was a profile in 2000 of a man who raped a 90-year-old woman at Wee Waa that was correct in 10 of 11 points on the attacker. She said police should talk to the gardener and the rapist turned out to be a man who mowed the woman's lawn.
In March she became the first police profiler to give open evidence in an Australian coronial inquiry on the type of person who abducted Gordana Kotevski, 16, from Newcastle in 1994. But in ordering her to take the stand, the State Coroner, John Abernethy, suppressed the release of the methods the detective used in her deductions on two young men seen dragging Gordana, whose body has never been found, into a four-wheel-drive.
Among her conclusions: the attack was born more out of sexual gratification than the need to kill; one of the attackers was more dominant than his co-offender; they probably knew Gordana and had been stalking or following her; most likely a first offence, they will offend again.
Federal police have also sought Illingsworth's opinion in several cases.
She gained her first insight into criminal profiling while working as a young detective in the 1989-90 North Shore murders of five elderly women by John Glover, and was an investigator and crime analyst in the backpacker serial murders committed by Ivan Milat.
She says her work, during which she has trained with profilers in the FBI, Canada's Mounties, and police in Ontario, Florida and California, is an extension of "what good detectives do" from observing a crime scene first-hand. She stresses she does not take over an investigation, but examines the clues and statements collected by detectives and forensic police photographs and, where possible, visits the scene of a crime.
"We actually look at the behaviour in a crime scene and basically draw out the personality of the offender based on an analysis or interpretation," Illingsworth says. "It's a technique for identifying a major personality and behavioural characteristics of an individual, based upon an analysis of the crime that he or she has committed. And every crime scene contains behaviour of the offender and victim and it is the interpretation of this behaviour that helps to identify the offender's personality and behavioural traits.
"Things like overkill, where more force than necessary is exerted, or how they verbally interacted, the type of approach used by the offender to the victim, body disposal methods, victim risk level and the risk by the offender of being identified or caught.
"We look at their verbal, physical and sexual behaviour, and concepts such as control and how well the offender obtains control and maintains it.
"We look at the interaction between the victim and the offender and what [are] the offender's reactions to the victim's insistence on not letting them harm them. Also how they cope. We look at the planning and preparation, or was it an impulsive crime.
"It can also be used as a tool to help provide focus and direction in an investigation by highlighting persons of interest and generate fresh lines of inquiry and confirm current lines of inquiry by investigators. It also increases the investigators' understanding of the type of crime they are investigating and the type of person responsible."
Illingsworth does not try to get into the mind of the perpetrator, although there is always the attempt to view a crime from the offender's perspective.
"It's an art in how you apply your skills, knowledge and experience as a detective, but based on your own ability to apply the theory . . . and your experience and knowledge and skills with profiling techniques. It is based also on empirical research into criminal behaviours.
"It's both an art and science."
On the scent without a clue
July 9 2003
Criminal profiling first hit big on the screen and now NSW Police have their own profiler. Les Kennedy reports.
At most crime scenes something is left behind by the perpetrator. It could be a hair strand, a fingerprint, sweat, fibre from their clothing, a shoe print or some form of DNA.
But where no clues are visible the offender still leaves hints: it may be the interaction with the victim, the setting, the time. Police have become expert at building on these clues to construct an imprint of the perpetrator's character in the manner in which he or she went about committing the crime.
For six years Detective Senior Constable Kristina Illingsworth has been exploring a new frontier in crime scene investigations in Australia - trying to extract the personalities of offenders from unsolved crimes to give investigating officers an insight into the type of person they are hunting.
Illingsworth is a criminal profiler, one of only three accredited to police in Australia and the only such expert in the NSW Police. Profiling complements the forensic hunt and the traditional footslog and doorknock interviews of witnesses and victims.
Her recent inclusion in the hunt for a serial sex offender at St Clair in Sydney's outer west in the past year has brought the art of criminal profiling to the public fore in Australia. In the US, police have used it since the '80s.
The 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs alerted the public to the role of the profiler in police work. A number of films rushed to copy the model of detectives tracing criminals with forensic psychology, including Slaughter of the Innocents, When the Bough Breaks, Se7en, Copycat, Kiss the Girls, Postmortem, The Bone Collector, Resurrection,and The Watcher, Murder by Numbers, and television series such as Prime Suspect, Cracker and Profiler .
But in the real world, profiling has been so successful that NSW Police are considering training detectives in criminal profiling for a full-time unit.
Illingsworth will not talk about the St Clair case, nor other specific cases she has been asked to profile, but admits some old-school detectives regard this now widely accepted policing tool as just good guesswork that stops short of giving them a name and address of an offender.
Profiling is an investigative tool used in unsolved crimes that appear to be random, opportunistic, motiveless, predatory and often violent or unusual.
In the past six years Illingsworth - an officer of 20 years, 15 as a detective - has been asked to examine more than 200 unsolved crimes of violence, sexual predation, stalking, extortion and abductions and threat assessment.
Among these was a profile in 2000 of a man who raped a 90-year-old woman at Wee Waa that was correct in 10 of 11 points on the attacker. She said police should talk to the gardener and the rapist turned out to be a man who mowed the woman's lawn.
In March she became the first police profiler to give open evidence in an Australian coronial inquiry on the type of person who abducted Gordana Kotevski, 16, from Newcastle in 1994. But in ordering her to take the stand, the State Coroner, John Abernethy, suppressed the release of the methods the detective used in her deductions on two young men seen dragging Gordana, whose body has never been found, into a four-wheel-drive.
Among her conclusions: the attack was born more out of sexual gratification than the need to kill; one of the attackers was more dominant than his co-offender; they probably knew Gordana and had been stalking or following her; most likely a first offence, they will offend again.
Federal police have also sought Illingsworth's opinion in several cases.
She gained her first insight into criminal profiling while working as a young detective in the 1989-90 North Shore murders of five elderly women by John Glover, and was an investigator and crime analyst in the backpacker serial murders committed by Ivan Milat.
She says her work, during which she has trained with profilers in the FBI, Canada's Mounties, and police in Ontario, Florida and California, is an extension of "what good detectives do" from observing a crime scene first-hand. She stresses she does not take over an investigation, but examines the clues and statements collected by detectives and forensic police photographs and, where possible, visits the scene of a crime.
"We actually look at the behaviour in a crime scene and basically draw out the personality of the offender based on an analysis or interpretation," Illingsworth says. "It's a technique for identifying a major personality and behavioural characteristics of an individual, based upon an analysis of the crime that he or she has committed. And every crime scene contains behaviour of the offender and victim and it is the interpretation of this behaviour that helps to identify the offender's personality and behavioural traits.
"Things like overkill, where more force than necessary is exerted, or how they verbally interacted, the type of approach used by the offender to the victim, body disposal methods, victim risk level and the risk by the offender of being identified or caught.
"We look at their verbal, physical and sexual behaviour, and concepts such as control and how well the offender obtains control and maintains it.
"We look at the interaction between the victim and the offender and what [are] the offender's reactions to the victim's insistence on not letting them harm them. Also how they cope. We look at the planning and preparation, or was it an impulsive crime.
"It can also be used as a tool to help provide focus and direction in an investigation by highlighting persons of interest and generate fresh lines of inquiry and confirm current lines of inquiry by investigators. It also increases the investigators' understanding of the type of crime they are investigating and the type of person responsible."
Illingsworth does not try to get into the mind of the perpetrator, although there is always the attempt to view a crime from the offender's perspective.
"It's an art in how you apply your skills, knowledge and experience as a detective, but based on your own ability to apply the theory . . . and your experience and knowledge and skills with profiling techniques. It is based also on empirical research into criminal behaviours.
"It's both an art and science."
monkalup - May 12, 2008 04:13 AM (GMT)
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/Parl...15?OpenDocument
About this Item
Speakers - Mills Mr John
Business - Private Members Statements
DISAPPEARANCE OF GORDANA KOTEVSKI
Mr MILLS (Wallsend) [6.23]: Nothing in my six years as a member of Parliament has saddened or upset me more than the tragic disappearance last Thursday night at about 8.45 p.m. of 16 year old Gordana Kotevski of Cardiff as she walked the few hundred metres from Charlestown Square shopping centre to her aunt's house nearby. As at 5 o'clock this afternoon, almost six days later, Gordana has not been found. Gordana has medium long black hair, is a beautiful, very petite young woman - a slip of a girl at about 45 kilograms and 1.65 metres tall. She is described as being of Mediterranean appearance. She was last seen wearing a cream coloured T-shirt, jeans and cream coloured joggers when she left Charlestown Square at 8.30 p.m. on 24 November.
Her aunt heard what sounded like a scream outside the house at about 8.45 p.m., but when she looked outside she saw only a four-wheel drive vehicle going off down the street. By about 9.30 p.m. when Gordana had not turned up, relatives found on the footpath outside her aunt's house a torn shopping bag that she had been carrying and her wallet. Witnesses have revealed that the vehicle was a white Hi-Lux four-wheel drive but of unknown registration. The driver was not seen. Since dawn last Friday huge police resources, including helicopters, as reported in the media, have been thrown into the search. The immediate family has exhausted itself searching for Gordana. Hundreds of people from Newcastle's Macedonian community and from the wider community have been searching the lower Hunter, the coalfields and the upper Hunter regions, especially bushland, all to no avail.
Parents Peg and Branko Kotevski are distraught. They are good people. I have met them several times. They have given their children a fine and righteous upbringing as responsible young Australians. I say to Peggy and Branko, "Please don't blame yourselves. Reserve your blame for the evil people who have abducted your innocent young daughter". I commend the community and the police effort - 16 detectives are on the case, plus the major crime squad and any number of uniform police. About 15 witnesses have been interviewed and about 50 items of information are being followed up. Gordana's description has been circulated around New South Wales and interstate. I hope that by now immigration checks are being or have been undertaken.
Gordana is still missing. Hunter Television and print media, especially the Newcastle Herald, are following the case, but apart from last Saturday, the Sydney media have lost interest in Gordana's abduction. I spoke at length to Mrs Kotevski last night and we agreed that I would issue an appeal. Before doing so, I request electronic and print media in metropolitan and country areas around Australia to help enlist community assistance because the probability is high that she has been taken a long way from the Hunter region. On behalf of the family we appeal for immediate help from all property owners in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland to find Gordana Kotevski who has been feared abducted.
Page 6031
We ask all owners of unoccupied property that they or their agents check their houses and outlying buildings for unauthorised occupation or signs of occupation, especially property on the outskirts of towns and in the country. We also ask all residents to check sheds and outlying buildings, especially if the sheds are far enough away from the house to allow abductors to hide. Anything suspicious should be reported to Charlestown police station by telephoning 049 42-9955. Police have committed huge resources to the search but they now need urgent help from the public in an effort to find Gordana as soon as possible. It is the family's desperate hope that Gordana is still alive. Please pray for her safe return.
About this Item
Speakers - Mills Mr John
Business - Private Members Statements
DISAPPEARANCE OF GORDANA KOTEVSKI
Mr MILLS (Wallsend) [6.23]: Nothing in my six years as a member of Parliament has saddened or upset me more than the tragic disappearance last Thursday night at about 8.45 p.m. of 16 year old Gordana Kotevski of Cardiff as she walked the few hundred metres from Charlestown Square shopping centre to her aunt's house nearby. As at 5 o'clock this afternoon, almost six days later, Gordana has not been found. Gordana has medium long black hair, is a beautiful, very petite young woman - a slip of a girl at about 45 kilograms and 1.65 metres tall. She is described as being of Mediterranean appearance. She was last seen wearing a cream coloured T-shirt, jeans and cream coloured joggers when she left Charlestown Square at 8.30 p.m. on 24 November.
Her aunt heard what sounded like a scream outside the house at about 8.45 p.m., but when she looked outside she saw only a four-wheel drive vehicle going off down the street. By about 9.30 p.m. when Gordana had not turned up, relatives found on the footpath outside her aunt's house a torn shopping bag that she had been carrying and her wallet. Witnesses have revealed that the vehicle was a white Hi-Lux four-wheel drive but of unknown registration. The driver was not seen. Since dawn last Friday huge police resources, including helicopters, as reported in the media, have been thrown into the search. The immediate family has exhausted itself searching for Gordana. Hundreds of people from Newcastle's Macedonian community and from the wider community have been searching the lower Hunter, the coalfields and the upper Hunter regions, especially bushland, all to no avail.
Parents Peg and Branko Kotevski are distraught. They are good people. I have met them several times. They have given their children a fine and righteous upbringing as responsible young Australians. I say to Peggy and Branko, "Please don't blame yourselves. Reserve your blame for the evil people who have abducted your innocent young daughter". I commend the community and the police effort - 16 detectives are on the case, plus the major crime squad and any number of uniform police. About 15 witnesses have been interviewed and about 50 items of information are being followed up. Gordana's description has been circulated around New South Wales and interstate. I hope that by now immigration checks are being or have been undertaken.
Gordana is still missing. Hunter Television and print media, especially the Newcastle Herald, are following the case, but apart from last Saturday, the Sydney media have lost interest in Gordana's abduction. I spoke at length to Mrs Kotevski last night and we agreed that I would issue an appeal. Before doing so, I request electronic and print media in metropolitan and country areas around Australia to help enlist community assistance because the probability is high that she has been taken a long way from the Hunter region. On behalf of the family we appeal for immediate help from all property owners in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland to find Gordana Kotevski who has been feared abducted.
Page 6031
We ask all owners of unoccupied property that they or their agents check their houses and outlying buildings for unauthorised occupation or signs of occupation, especially property on the outskirts of towns and in the country. We also ask all residents to check sheds and outlying buildings, especially if the sheds are far enough away from the house to allow abductors to hide. Anything suspicious should be reported to Charlestown police station by telephoning 049 42-9955. Police have committed huge resources to the search but they now need urgent help from the public in an effort to find Gordana as soon as possible. It is the family's desperate hope that Gordana is still alive. Please pray for her safe return.
monkalup - May 12, 2008 04:15 AM (GMT)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200303/s799283.htm
Thursday, March 6, 2003. Posted: 08:40:15 (AEDT)
Police search for man named at Kotevski inquest
Police are trying to locate a man named as a person of interest during the inquest into the abduction and presumed murder of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski at Charlestown, near Newcastle, in 1994.
The inquest at Toronto Court has heard this week the initial police investigation failed to pick up discrepancies in Corey Lovett's alibi.
Craig Pont claimed Mr Lovett was with him at his property at Kippax west of Taree when Gordana disappeared in November 1994, yet Mr Lovett allegedly told Taree police he was in Newcastle.
Charlestown detectives also took a statement from two people who claimed Mr Lovett was with them in Newcastle, but he did not go to Charlestown where Gordana was abducted.
The inquest also heard that Mr Lovett allegedly boasted about knowing where Gordana's body was buried and said "she went through a lot before they finished her off".
If police locate Mr Lovett, who is believed to be somewhere in the Northern Territory, they expect to bring him to Newcastle to appear at the inquest tomorrow.
State coroner John Abernethy is due to hand down his findings into the case tomorrow.
Thursday, March 6, 2003. Posted: 08:40:15 (AEDT)
Police search for man named at Kotevski inquest
Police are trying to locate a man named as a person of interest during the inquest into the abduction and presumed murder of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski at Charlestown, near Newcastle, in 1994.
The inquest at Toronto Court has heard this week the initial police investigation failed to pick up discrepancies in Corey Lovett's alibi.
Craig Pont claimed Mr Lovett was with him at his property at Kippax west of Taree when Gordana disappeared in November 1994, yet Mr Lovett allegedly told Taree police he was in Newcastle.
Charlestown detectives also took a statement from two people who claimed Mr Lovett was with them in Newcastle, but he did not go to Charlestown where Gordana was abducted.
The inquest also heard that Mr Lovett allegedly boasted about knowing where Gordana's body was buried and said "she went through a lot before they finished her off".
If police locate Mr Lovett, who is believed to be somewhere in the Northern Territory, they expect to bring him to Newcastle to appear at the inquest tomorrow.
State coroner John Abernethy is due to hand down his findings into the case tomorrow.
monkalup - May 12, 2008 04:18 AM (GMT)
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/stor...5006009,00.html
Valentines attacker at largeArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Submit comment: Submit comment By Steve Gee
February 16, 2007 01:29pm
A SCHOOLGIRL was abducted and forced to fight off a rapist in a Valentine's Day attack, just a suburbs from where a 16-year-old was kidnapped 12 years ago.
The 17-year-old girl stopped to help a man loading a utility after noticing him drop a lunchbox when she was snatched at North Belmont near Newcastle.
The HSC student told police she was forced into the man's ute and driven to bushland at nearby Redhead where the attacker tried to assault her in the back seat.
She eventually managed to break free and fled to a home, where she raised the alarm.
The attack comes more than 12-years after Charlestown schoolgirl Gordana Kotevski vanished after being dragged into a white Hilux utility near her home.
The teenager has not been seen since she disappeared on November 24, 1994.
Police said it was too early to draw any comparisons between the kidnappings, which occured about 15km apart.
Detectives from Lake Macquarie Local Area Command today released a computer image of the attacker and appealed for witnesses who may have been in the area when the girl was grabbed in Wommara Ave about 6pm.
Senior Constable Jason Freney said the teenager was following a regular afternoon walking route when she was abducted.
The attacker appeared to be struggling to put boxes inside his ute and the girl offered to help.
"She said 'are you right' and he said 'yeah can you give us a hand with these boxes' and the next thing he has grabbed her and forced her into the car," Detective Freney said.
"It's pretty scary actually."
The kidnapping appeared to be random.
"I would lean at this point to it being opportunistic, but I can't say either way," he said.
The girl was lucky to escape.
"I don't think there's any doubt what his intention was," Detective Freney said.
"He tried to remove her clothing but it hasn't actually progressed to that.
"She has used her fists and her legs to get released and got away."
Detective Freney said the kidnap site was well used by cars and surrounded by homes.
There was also constistent traffic in the Rainbow Sands mining area, near Kalaroo Road, Redhead, where the girl was assaulted in bushland, between 6pm and 7pm on Wednesday.
The man was about 40-50-years-old, of white/European appearance and had short brown hair. He was wearing a green polo shirt, denim jeans, two-tone joggers, black sunglasses on his head and driving a four-door white utility with a canopy on the near.
Investigators would also like to speak to anyone who was in the
Anyone with information is urged to call Charlestown Detectives on (02) 4942 9999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Valentines attacker at largeArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Submit comment: Submit comment By Steve Gee
February 16, 2007 01:29pm
A SCHOOLGIRL was abducted and forced to fight off a rapist in a Valentine's Day attack, just a suburbs from where a 16-year-old was kidnapped 12 years ago.
The 17-year-old girl stopped to help a man loading a utility after noticing him drop a lunchbox when she was snatched at North Belmont near Newcastle.
The HSC student told police she was forced into the man's ute and driven to bushland at nearby Redhead where the attacker tried to assault her in the back seat.
She eventually managed to break free and fled to a home, where she raised the alarm.
The attack comes more than 12-years after Charlestown schoolgirl Gordana Kotevski vanished after being dragged into a white Hilux utility near her home.
The teenager has not been seen since she disappeared on November 24, 1994.
Police said it was too early to draw any comparisons between the kidnappings, which occured about 15km apart.
Detectives from Lake Macquarie Local Area Command today released a computer image of the attacker and appealed for witnesses who may have been in the area when the girl was grabbed in Wommara Ave about 6pm.
Senior Constable Jason Freney said the teenager was following a regular afternoon walking route when she was abducted.
The attacker appeared to be struggling to put boxes inside his ute and the girl offered to help.
"She said 'are you right' and he said 'yeah can you give us a hand with these boxes' and the next thing he has grabbed her and forced her into the car," Detective Freney said.
"It's pretty scary actually."
The kidnapping appeared to be random.
"I would lean at this point to it being opportunistic, but I can't say either way," he said.
The girl was lucky to escape.
"I don't think there's any doubt what his intention was," Detective Freney said.
"He tried to remove her clothing but it hasn't actually progressed to that.
"She has used her fists and her legs to get released and got away."
Detective Freney said the kidnap site was well used by cars and surrounded by homes.
There was also constistent traffic in the Rainbow Sands mining area, near Kalaroo Road, Redhead, where the girl was assaulted in bushland, between 6pm and 7pm on Wednesday.
The man was about 40-50-years-old, of white/European appearance and had short brown hair. He was wearing a green polo shirt, denim jeans, two-tone joggers, black sunglasses on his head and driving a four-door white utility with a canopy on the near.
Investigators would also like to speak to anyone who was in the
Anyone with information is urged to call Charlestown Detectives on (02) 4942 9999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
monkalup - May 12, 2008 04:22 AM (GMT)
https://www.ebiz.police.nsw.gov.au/missingp...hotoRefNum=3926
Name: KOTEVSKI Gordana Sex: Female
Date of Birth: 29 Dec 1977 Age Now: 30
At Time of Disappearance
Age: 17 Height (cm): 160.0 Build: Thin
Hair Colour: Black Eye Colour: Complexion:
Nationality: Racial Appearance: Mediterranean
Circumstances
Gordana was last seen at Charlestown on 24 November 1994.
If you have any information that may assist with locating this person
please contact the Missing Persons Unit or call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000
Name: KOTEVSKI Gordana Sex: Female
Date of Birth: 29 Dec 1977 Age Now: 30
At Time of Disappearance
Age: 17 Height (cm): 160.0 Build: Thin
Hair Colour: Black Eye Colour: Complexion:
Nationality: Racial Appearance: Mediterranean
Circumstances
Gordana was last seen at Charlestown on 24 November 1994.
If you have any information that may assist with locating this person
please contact the Missing Persons Unit or call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000
monkalup - December 2, 2008 02:27 AM (GMT)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12...?section=justin
NSW family wants cold case re-opened
Posted Mon Dec 1, 2008 8:22am AEDT
Map: Charlestown 2290
The sister of a missing Newcastle woman is calling on the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Unit to examine the case of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski.
Ms Kotevski vanished while walking to her aunt's house at Charlestown, in the state's Hunter region, in November 1994.
Her aunt said she heard a scream and saw a white Toyota Hilux speeding from the scene.
That information is still the only lead for police from Strikeforce Fenwick who worked on the case at the time.
A $100,000 reward was posted but the case remains one of the Hunter Valley's most baffling missing persons cases.
Ms Kotevski's sister Karol Jag is now calling for the Unsolved Homicide Unit to get involved.
She says the case might need a fresh look from another perspective.
"As a family you want to have tried everything," she said.
"The years go by and when things like this are available you want the best to have had a chance to give you some answers and closure."
But Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Humphrey says his team cannot intervene without new evidence or a directive from the State Crime Command.
"All active avenues of investigation have been followed so now it's up to the public," he said.
Anyone with new information is being urged to contact police.
NSW family wants cold case re-opened
Posted Mon Dec 1, 2008 8:22am AEDT
Map: Charlestown 2290
The sister of a missing Newcastle woman is calling on the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Unit to examine the case of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski.
Ms Kotevski vanished while walking to her aunt's house at Charlestown, in the state's Hunter region, in November 1994.
Her aunt said she heard a scream and saw a white Toyota Hilux speeding from the scene.
That information is still the only lead for police from Strikeforce Fenwick who worked on the case at the time.
A $100,000 reward was posted but the case remains one of the Hunter Valley's most baffling missing persons cases.
Ms Kotevski's sister Karol Jag is now calling for the Unsolved Homicide Unit to get involved.
She says the case might need a fresh look from another perspective.
"As a family you want to have tried everything," she said.
"The years go by and when things like this are available you want the best to have had a chance to give you some answers and closure."
But Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Humphrey says his team cannot intervene without new evidence or a directive from the State Crime Command.
"All active avenues of investigation have been followed so now it's up to the public," he said.
Anyone with new information is being urged to contact police.