The disappearance of 13-year-old Bung Siriboon from Melbourne is a chilling mystery that continues to surprise Australia to this day.
This year marks 13 years since she disappeared.
Bung would have turned 26 later this year, but the mystery of her disappearance is still as confusing as ever.
Over time, her story has faded from the media, and we hope this post brings some attention back to her case.
Bung Siriboon’s Background
Siriyakorn "Bung" Siriboon, known affectionately as Bung, was a happy teenager who lived with her family on Elsey Street in Melbourne, Australia
Bung was Born on December 30, 1997, in Thailand.
In 2008, she moved to Australia with her mother, Vanidda, and her older sister, Pang.
Vanidda met Fred Patterson, an Australian man, while on vacation in Melbourne, and they started a long-distance relationship.
Fred eventually moved to Thailand to be with Vanidda and her daughters.
They got married and later moved back to Australia together.
Bung and her sister Pang adjusted to their new life in Melbourne, learning English and settling into their new home.
The family lived in a cute house with a nice front garden, and Bung quickly got used to her new school, Boronia Heights College.
The Disappearance
On June 2, 2011, Bung's day started like any other.
She had breakfast, said goodbye to her mother, and walked to school.
That morning, Bung wore her blue and white school uniform, black shoes, and a blue raincoat.
A neighbor saw her walking down Elsey Street, heading towards Albert Avenue.
Bung usually walked with her friend, Diarmie, but on this rainy day, Diarmie’s mother drove her to school instead.
Diarmie and her mother looked for Bung to offer her a lift but didn’t find her.
Bong continued her route, crossing Albert Avenue onto Harcourt Road, and then reached Monco Street, which led to a dead end behind her school.
A witness later reported seeing Bung on Harcourt Road around 8:55 AM, about 130 meters from the school’s back entrance.
However, despite this sighting, Bung never made it to school and hasn't been seen since that day.
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The Investigation
The day went on without Bung’s return.
Her teachers assumed that she was sick and didn’t call her parents, even though she had a perfect attendance record and hadn’t been absent before.
This mistake wasted important time in the early hours of her being missing.
By 4:00 PM, Bung Siriboon's mother, Vanidda, became concerned when Bung did not come home.
When Diarmie called to say Bung hadn’t been at school, Fred and Vanidda quickly went to the school.
The principal confirmed Bung’s absence from school, so Fred and Vanidda went to Knox Police Station to report her as missing.
The search began with local police and the State Emergency Service (SES) combing through the area, including the nearby Dandenong Ranges.
Even with thorough searches and investigations, no clues or evidence were found.
Fred, who became the family’s spokesperson, took leave from work to focus on the search.
The case was eventually transferred to the homicide squad due to their additional resources, but no significant leads emerged.
Bung’s stepfather, Fred Pattison, shared the family's emotional strain.
“People just don’t disappear. Someone knows what happened. It’s time for someone to come forward,” Pattison said.
He expressed his hope that Bung is still alive and able to return home one day.
Theories and Leads
Several theories came up, including the idea that she was kidnapped, but none of them could be proven.
During the investigation, there were reports of similar attempted abductions in Melbourne, but these leads either proved false or were unrelated.
Notably, a man named Robert Keith Knight, a sexual offender with a past connection to the Mister Cruel case was investigated but later cleared.
In early 2013, a man confessed to accidentally hitting Bung with his car and disposing of her body.
This claim was looked into and later proven to be false.
In 2014, a $1,000,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, and the offer remains open today.
Authorities mentioned that police have investigated 30 suspects, with several still under consideration.
Ongoing Developments in the Disappearance of Bung Siriboon
As of now, Bung’s case remains unsolved.
The task force established to investigate her disappearance, known as Task Force PUMA, admitted early on that they had “a big bag of fresh air.”
On the fifth anniversary of Bung Siriboon’s disappearance, new details emerged about her case.
The police released images of a vehicle similar to one possibly linked to the case.
It’s a 1971-1973 Holden HQ Kingswood station wagon, like the one a man in his late 30s with neck and sleeve tattoos was said to be driving.
Witnesses reported seeing an Asian teenage girl, who looked a lot like Bung, sitting in the front passenger seat of this car that morning when she disappeared.
The vehicle was spotted on Napoleon Road, near Kelletts Road in Rowville, between 8:45 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
The driver was described as a Caucasian man who was either bald or had light blonde hair.
Detective Inspector Michael Hughes from the Homicide Squad asked the public to remember if anyone they know matches this description or had access to a similar vehicle.
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In 2014, another potential sighting was reported, where Bung might have been seen in the rear passenger seat of a white EA to EF model Ford Falcon station wagon on Boronia Road.
Despite numerous efforts, including searching through Bung’s social media and questioning numerous suspects, no new leads have emerged.
Bung Siriboon’s case continues to haunt those who remember her vibrant personality and the unsettling mystery of her disappearance.
A $1 million reward is still available for information leading to the resolution of Bung Siriboon’s case.
If you have any new information, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or visit [www.crimestoppers.com.au](http://www.crimestoppers.com.au).
You can also read about Daniel Sheppard, who mysteriously disappeared on New Year's Eve in 1994.
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