Mum’s desperate plea to find ‘quirky’ teen

The mother of a “quirky” teen who vanished 20 years ago has made a desperate plea for answers as police offer a hefty reward for information.

Rose Howell, 18, was last seen walking east on Perrys Rd in Repton, south of Coffs Harbour, shortly after 6pm on April 11, 2003.

Police believe Ms Howell was at the time walking in the direction of her home in Bundagen, a small town 25km south of Coffs Harbour.

Ms Howell’s mother, Malila Howell, told police she believed her daughter had intended to meet with friends in Bellingen.

She said it was not unusual for her daughter to spend the night at a friend's home but raised alarm bells only two days later.

Ms Howell was reported missing to police on April 13 when she failed to return home and meet her mother for an appointment.

At the time, Ms Howell was only days away from her 19th birthday, with celebrations planned with friends and family.

Police revealed on Monday a $750,000 reward has been offered for information about the disappearance.

Ms Howell’s mother Malila hoped the reward might “jog people’s memories” 20 years after her daughter went missing.

“Somebody must know something – someone from where we live has got some idea what happened to her,” she said.

“(Rose’s) father died without knowing what happened, and she has got three brothers who don’t know either.

“It still hurts 20 years later.”

Malila Howell described her daughter, who lived with Asperger’s, as “eccentric” and “quirky”.

She said the 18-year-old would “march around the world” and her good humour was well known locally.

“I still have this kind of feeling that maybe she‘s just gonna walk around the corner one day and reappear,” she said.

“It’s quite hard to accept that she might be dead or she’s probably dead because while she’s not around I don’t have to believe that.”

Malila said having answers would put an end to the “always wondering”.

“We may never know exactly what happened,” she said.

“But, if it was discovered that she is in fact dead … I don’t really know what it’s going feel like it or what it means.

“I’m not there. I’m here in this situation where I don’t know.”

NSW Police homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said police were working hard to find answers.

“We’re trying to put the jigsaw puzzle together to try and provide some answers,” he said.

“I think there‘s people out there in the community who may have held on to a bit of information or dark secret.

“They may have information that really could put that to light and give us something.”

Superintendent Doherty said people might have not been in a position previously to provide information to police.

For others, he said there might be information that at the time – and in a tight-knit community – was overlooked or forgotten about.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley said she hoped the reward announcement would encourage anyone with information to come forward.

“Police haven’t given up on finding answers for Rose’s loved ones,” Ms Catley said.

“We hope that a $750,000 reward will encourage people to cast their minds back to 2003 to (remember) anything suspicious or untoward they might have heard or seen at the time.”

The plea comes more than 10 years after a coronial inquest ruled Ms Howell had likely died in the Bellingen or Coffs Harbour area.

The 2012 coronial inquest found Ms Howell had been hitchhiking that day, but fell short of ruling how or where she died.

Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon determined it was unlikely Ms Howell would have left to start a new life elsewhere.

“I am satisfied that had she been alive, (Ms Howell) would have been in contact and would certainly have attended her birthday party,” he said.

“It is therefore more probably than not that she died at or about the time of her disappearance, and that her death occurred in the vicinity of where she was last seen.”