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In January 2008, a 23-year-old mother of two, Laura Haworth, went missing.
Her sudden disappearance has left her family and friends in anguish since then.
Her case has remained unsolved for years, despite repeated efforts from both her family and the police to find her.
The Life Laura Left Behind
Laura Haworth was a bright, young woman with her whole life ahead of her.
She was born in 1984 and she grew up in Canberra, Australia.
However, she frequently visited her father's home in the Cowra area.
By all accounts, Laura was a loving mother who adored her two young children, aged just 6 and 9 at the time of her disappearance.
She was described as a kind, creative person who had close relationships with her family, including her mother, Beth Cassilles.
However, Laura struggled with bipolar disorder.
According to her mother, this condition led to episodes of paranoia and anti-social behavior.
While these episodes were painful for her loved ones to witness, Laura was typically well and stayed in regular contact with her family.
She spoke to her mother, Beth, every day—sometimes up to ten times a day when she was feeling unwell or upset.
For her to disappear without a trace was completely out of character.
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| Laura Haworth |
A Night Out That Ended in Silence
On the night of January 5, 2008, Laura left a friend’s house in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, saying she was going to work.
She drove off in her red Mazda 121, but she never arrived at her job.
Before she left, a friend overheard her discussing plans to meet someone socially.
However, nothing about the conversation appeared out of the ordinary.
Laura’s car was found two weeks later after she was last seen.
The car was abandoned at the Kanangra Court car park in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Inside the vehicle, police found some of her personal belongings, including paperwork and clothing, neatly arranged.
However, her handbag and mobile phone were missing.
Additionally, there were no indications of a struggle or foul play, leaving the police utterly baffled.
Laura had not used her keycards, accessed her bank accounts, or contacted anyone since that night.
No one had seen her since she drove away, and there were no obvious leads to follow.
To this day, the reason for her disappearance remains unknown.
The Investigation and Theories: Where Did Laura Go?
Despite extensive searches and investigations by police, very few clues have emerged in the search for Laura Haworth.
Authorities interviewed people who lived in the area where her car was found, but no one reported seeing her.
Friends living in the same apartment complex were also questioned, but there were no solid leads.
Laura’s mother, Beth, has clung to hope through the years.
She recalls receiving a phone call from an unknown number on Laura’s birthday, shortly after her disappearance.
The caller hung up without speaking, leaving Beth to wonder if it was her daughter reaching out.
"I hope that was her, but it could have been someone innocent, not knowing," Beth said.
As with any case of a missing person, several theories have emerged about what might have happened to Laura Haworth.
One chilling theory is that Laura may have disappeared of her own volition, perhaps during a mental health episode.
Her struggles with bipolar disorder could have led her to leave intentionally, starting a new life somewhere far away.
However, the police have no definitive evidence to support this theory.
Moreover, there was no indication that she had been involved in any criminal activity prior to her disappearance.
Another possibility is that foul play was involved.
The fact that Laura vanished without a trace, leaving behind her two young children, whom she adored, raised suspicions.
But no evidence of a crime has ever been found.
Despite the exhaustive investigations, police remain uncertain as to whether foul play was a factor.
The Family’s Endless Hope: Waiting for Laura
For Beth Cassilles, the pain of her daughter’s disappearance is compounded by the absence of any closure.
Even after more than a decade, Beth continues to search for answers.
She is driven by the hope that Laura may still be alive.
Laura’s disappearance occurred during a time when she was moving from one residence to another.
She had been in good spirits during their last phone conversation, which took place on the day of her disappearance.
Beth remembers Laura heading to the Cotter River for a swim with a friend earlier in the day, before returning to Queanbeyan that evening.
Beth has a message for her daughter, which she continues to repeat: “I’d like her to know that I’m waiting for her call. And I’ll wait forever.”
This undying hope is shared by Laura’s children, who have grown up wondering what happened to their mother.
The children, now teenagers, have reportedly developed their own theories as well.
Sometimes they think their mother is on a vacation, other times they fear she may no longer be alive.
Regardless of their theories, they too hold onto hope that one day, their mother will return to them.
Ongoing Efforts to Find Laura
Every year, Laura’s case receives renewed attention during National Missing Persons Week in Australia.
This national campaign focuses on long-term missing persons, providing families like Beth's a platform to seek new information that may help resolve these tragic cases.
Despite the passage of time, police continue to classify Laura’s case as an open investigation.
They urge anyone with information, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, to contact Crime Stoppers.
For Laura’s family, any clue could potentially bring them the closure they have long sought.
Beth’s life, however, has been a painful rollercoaster of hope and despair.
Every time a potential lead emerges, there is a flicker of hope.
But with each passing year, the pain of Laura’s absence grows deeper.
The case of Laura Haworth remains one of Canberra’s most heartbreaking mysteries.
Whether Laura disappeared of her own accord or met with foul play, her family deserves the closure they have been seeking for over a decade.
In the words of her mother, "I’ll wait forever,"
The hope remains that one day, Laura will return or that someone will come forward with the truth.
Until then, her family will continue to search, to hope, and to keep her memory alive.
If you have any information, no matter how small, please contact Crime Stoppers. For Beth, and for Laura’s children, any tip could mean the world.
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