(out of print) In 2005 Scott Bainbridge’s Without Trace was released. All of the cases covered in this book were reasonably well known to most New Zealanders. Bainbridge was told the book made ‘certain people feel uncomfortable’. He makes no apologies for this. His much anticipated follow-up, Still Missing is in part due to correspondence that Bainbridge received after the release of Without Trace. Members of the public drew to his attention to cases that in some instances were ‘simply a brief paragraph or footnote in the various district police history books’.
The remaining 16 people might well have been forgotten, from a public point of view, had their stories not been readdressed in this book. All of the cases covered in Still Missing are considered to be ‘active files’ as neither the individuals nor their remains have ever been found.
Presenting exclusive interviews and factual accounts for each missing person, Scott reinvestigates the searches, the suspicions, the police theories – providing a voice for those who either can’t or won’t speak out.
In 1925, Nellie Mouat disappeared from her Christchurch home, and after a series of high profile trials, her husband was eventually convicted of her manslaughter, even though her body had not been found.
Was Fred Mouat a cold calculating killer, or a victim of a scheming wife who was allegedly seen establishing a new life for herself miles away, while her husband languished in prison?
Will the mystery of Mona Blades’ disappearance while hitchhiking ever be solved? This chapter examines new potential theories.
In 1938, did Hindu shop keeper Dalu Desai choose to run away from a pregnant girlfriend or was he the victim of foul play?