Remains of Missing Student, Kellie Ann Carmichael, Discovered 23 Years After Her Disappearance from Hostel

In Katoomba, New South Wales, police have confirmed that the human remains recently found, are those of a young woman who disappeared without a trace 23 years ago. 

Kellie Ann Carmichael vanished in April 2001 after checking out of a backpackers' hostel in the Blue Mountains. 

She had told the hostel staff that she was going for a walk and would return to collect her belongings, but she never came back. 

At the time of her disappearance, she was 24 years old.

On Sunday night, The Daily Telegraph reported that police had discovered her bones. 

According to NSW Police, "During an unrelated police operation on Tuesday, 30 April 2024, officers from the Blue Mountains Police Area Command found human remains in the bushland near Katoomba. 

Following inquiries, police revisited the location on Monday, 27 May 2024, and found additional remains. The remains initially found have now been formally identified as those of missing person Kellie Ann Carmichael, and her family has been notified."

The investigation is now in the hands of the Unsolved Homicide Team, and a report is being prepared for the coroner. 

The initial discovery was made during an unrelated search in Katoomba, as police were abseiling down a cliff face.

This long-awaited development aims to finally uncover the circumstances surrounding Ms. Carmichael’s death, which her family has always believed to be a murder.

Kellie was reported missing in 2001 by her parents, John and Margaret, who became alarmed after not hearing from her for nearly a week. 

They contacted the youth hostel on May 5, days after she had checked out on April 29, only to find her personal ID, wallet, phone, camera, toiletries, and cards still there, untouched. 

They then filed a missing person’s report.

Her disappearance spurred extensive media coverage and speculation, with theories suggesting she might have been the victim of a serial killer. 

Although police initially suspected that Kellie, who suffered from schizophrenia, might have taken her own life, her family firmly believed she had been murdered. 

Kellie's parents

The Homicide Squad eventually took over the investigation, searching various areas in the Blue Mountains, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

In 2009, an inquest led by deputy coroner Carl Milovanovich concluded that Kellie had died, but it could not determine when, where, or how. 

Following the inquest’s recommendations, the state government offered a $200,000 reward for information on the cold case and formed a special strike force.

Michael Daley, the police minister at the time, urged the public to come forward with information, emphasizing the need for the family to find closure. 

"Please give her family the closure that they deserve. Please come forward with information. And understand that if you have been responsible for doing harm to Kellie Ann, the police will never close this file. They will hunt you until the day you die," he stated.

Margaret Carmichael expressed her deep sorrow and longing for justice, saying, "I feel like we’ve been robbed of having our daughter, grandchildren. We’ve never had the chance to have our daughter. Anything at all, you know, we will be thankful because our life is never going to be the same."

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