In October 2012, 15-year-old Katrina Bohnenkamp vanished from her group home in Greenacre, Sydney.
Her disappearance, now classified as an unsolved cold case, has baffled investigators and devastated her family.
Despite extensive investigations and a coroner’s inquest, Katrina’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Also, authorities say they suspect foul play in Katrina’s mysterious disappearance which has sparked widespread concern.
Background of the Case
Katrina Anne Bohnenkamp was born on May 11, 1997, to Belinda McBride and Maiko Bohnenkamp.
Her life was reportedly marked by instability and hardship from the very beginning.
Her parents struggled with homelessness and substance abuse, which led to her being removed from their care at just two years old.
From that point forward, Katrina became a ward of the state, placed under the parental responsibility of the New South Wales Department of Family and Community Services (FACS).
Over the next 13 years, Katrina moved constantly, living in foster homes, care facilities, and occasionally staying with relatives.
By the time she turned 15, she had lived in at least 13 different placements, none of which provided her with lasting stability or a true sense of belonging.
Katrina didn’t have a close or consistent relationship with her biological family.
She had only met her mother, Belinda McBride, a handful of times and had no meaningful relationship with her.
Her father, Maiko Bohnenkamp, had an extensive criminal history, including convictions for assault, theft, and drug-related offenses.
Despite his troubled past, Katrina longed to reconnect with him.
In 2011, she met her father for the first time in years, facilitated by her half-sister, Jaide Simpson who she met on Facebook.
After their first meeting, which took place at a Hungry Jack’s in Central Station, Katrina showed a desire to live with her father permanently.
However, FACS deemed Maiko an unsuitable caregiver due to his criminal record and ongoing struggles with substance abuse.
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| Katrina Bohnenkamp |
Katrina Bohnenkamp's teenage years were marked by rebellion and a search for identity
She frequently absconded from her placements, often to stay with her father or other acquaintances.
Between October 2010 and November 2012, she was reported missing 33 times.
On many of these occasions, she was located by police within a few days.
However, her habit of running away showed how unhappy she was with the care system and how much she craved a real connection with her family.
Academically, Katrina faced significant challenges.
She had not attended school regularly since 2011 when she was enrolled at Delroy Campus in Dubbo while living with a maternal cousin.
Due to her non-attendance, she switched to distance education in early 2012.
Despite her struggles, Katrina harbored big dreams for the future.
She aspired to work with animals, expressing a desire to become an equine veterinarian or work at Taronga Zoo.
Her caregivers described her as a young girl with hopes and ambitions, even as she grappled with feelings of hopelessness and frustration.
Katrina’s health was another area of concern.
She suffered from asthma but had no known history of self-harm or suicide.
However, her lifestyle choices before her disappearance raised red flags.
She was known to use drugs, including cannabis and methamphetamine, and had experimented with “chroming” (inhaling aerosol sprays to achieve a high).
Also, she was sexually active at the young age of 14.
This information came to light after she requested a pregnancy test in August 2012, which returned negative.
In July 2012, Katrina was placed in a group home operated by Guardian Youth Care (GYC) in Chullora.
This facility, which housed several other young people, was meant to provide a stable environment for Katrina.
However, her desire to be with her father and her growing independence led to frequent absconding.
She often left the facility without informing staff, sometimes for days at a time, staying with friends or acquaintances in areas like Blacktown, Marayong, and Riverstone.
Katrina’s relationship with her father was reportedly complicated after a while.
Even though she wanted his love and approval, their time together was often filled with tension and unease.
Maiko Bohnenkamp’s lifestyle, which included drug use and association with questionable individuals, exposed Katrina to further risks.
Despite this, she continued to visit him, even as FACS and her caregivers expressed concerns about her safety.
The Disappearance
On the evening of October 25, 2012, Katrina was at her father’s boarding house located at 260 Homebush Road, Strathfield.
Earlier in the day, police had executed a search warrant at the property in connection with an unrelated incident involving her father, Maiko Bohnenkamp.
During the search, Katrina was present at the house, along with her father, his partner Karen Walters, her stepbrother Hendrik Olden, and two other individuals, Barry Fitzgerald and Kristina Moore.
The search was brief, and police recorded the scene on video, capturing Katrina alive and seemingly unharmed.
After the search, police took Maiko Bohnenkamp into custody and returned Katrina to her group home operated by Guardian Youth Care (GYC) in Chullora.
She arrived back at the facility around 7:00 PM
Staff noted that she appeared well and settled, showing no immediate signs of distress.
At approximately 8:45 PM, Katrina left the GYC premises with a male resident, telling staff they were going to a nearby petrol station.
Despite staff reminding them of the curfew and requesting they stay, the pair left.
The male resident returned to the facility around 9:00 PM, but Katrina did not.
He told staff that she had left him at the petrol station and he did not know where she had gone.
Later, he informed police that he had walked Katrina to a bus stop near the petrol station, where she boarded a bus headed toward Strathfield.
She was carrying a backpack with some of her belongings but left other items behind at the group home.
This was the last time anyone at GYC saw Katrina.
Staff followed protocol and reported her missing to the police at 8:30 PM and to the FACS helpline at 8:55 PM.
At the time, authorities did not express grave concerns, as Katrina had a history of absconding and typically returned within a few days.
Later that night, around 11:35 PM, police received a separate report of a suspected break-in at the granny flat behind 260 Homebush Road, Strathfield.
Officers Sabongi and Polley responded to the call and arrived at the property shortly after midnight on October 26.
According to Granny who reported the break-in, she suspected Maiko Bohnenkamp because he had threatened her in the past.
During preliminary investigations, the officers sighted Katrina inside the main house with Karen Walters and Hendrik Olden.
Katrina expressed concerns about returning to the GYC facility, telling police she felt safer at her father’s house.
After assessing the situation, the officers decided to leave Katrina in the care of Karen and Hendrik, despite her status as a ward of the state.
They instructed Hendrik to return her to GYC the following day, a task he agreed to but never fulfilled.
Before leaving, Officer Sabongi filed a Child at Risk report with FACS, expressing concerns about Katrina’s frequent absconding and the level of care she received at GYC.
This sighting at 260 Homebush Road around 12:35 AM on October 26, 2012, is the last independent confirmation of Katrina’s whereabouts.
After that night, she vanished without a trace.
She did not return to GYC, and her family, friends, and caregivers never heard from her again.
Her social media accounts, which she had been an active user of, went silent, and her bank accounts remained untouched.
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| Katrina Bohnenkampand her father |
Search and Investigation
The search for Katrina Bohnenkamp began in earnest on November 2, 2012, though she had last been seen on October 25.
Staff at Guardian Youth Care (GYC), where Katrina had been living, provided inaccurate information about her last known whereabouts, leading police to believe she had returned to the facility after October 25.
This misinformation caused a critical delay in recognizing the urgency of her disappearance.
Once authorities realized Katrina had been missing for over a week, the investigation intensified.
Police began by retracing her steps from the night of October 25.
They focused on her last confirmed sighting at her father’s boarding house on Homebush Road, Strathfield, where she had been seen by officers.
Investigators interviewed everyone present at the house that night, including her father, Maiko Bohnenkamp, his partner Karen Walters, and her stepbrother Hendrik Olden.
However, their accounts were reportedly inconsistent, and no clear leads emerged.
Police records show that Katrina’s father was released from custody at 12:10 AM on October 26, following his arrest the night before, meaning he was at the house that night.
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| Katrina Bohnenkamp |
Forensic teams were brought in to examine the boarding house, but no physical evidence linking Katrina to foul play was found.
The property was later demolished, further complicating efforts to gather evidence.
Police also searched areas where Katrina was known to frequent, including Blacktown, Marayong, and Riverstone, but these efforts yielded no significant breakthroughs.
In the months following her disappearance, investigators reviewed Katrina’s extensive history of absconding from care.
Despite her frequent disappearances in the past, this time was different.
Katrina had left behind her belongings, stopped using her bank accounts, and cut off all contact with her family and friends.
In 2013, police issued a public appeal for information, releasing details about Katrina’s disappearance and distributing her photograph.
However, the appeal came eight months after she went missing, a delay that drew criticism from her family and advocates.
They believed that the slow response at the start of the investigation created major delays and hindered progress.
The case was eventually referred to the NSW Coroner’s Court, and an inquest was held between 2019 and 2020.
During the inquest, witnesses testified about Katrina’s life and the events leading up to her disappearance.
Key figures, including her father, stepbrother, and caregivers, were questioned, but no conclusive evidence emerged.
The coroner’s findings, delivered in October 2020, confirmed that Katrina had died under suspicious circumstances but could not determine the exact cause, place, or manner of her death.
Despite the extensive efforts of law enforcement officials, Katrina’s disappearance remains one of Sydney’s most perplexing unsolved mysteries.
Possible Theories
Katrina Bohnenkamp’s disappearance has sparked numerous theories over the years, each attempting to explain what might have happened to the 15-year-old after she was last seen.
While no theory has been proven, several possibilities have been explored by investigators, family members, and the public.
1. Foul Play Involving Family or Acquaintances
One of the most prominent theories suggests that Katrina met with foul play at the hands of someone she knew.
Her father, Maiko Bohnenkamp, and her stepbrother, Hendrik Olden, have been subjects of scrutiny because they were with her the night she went missing.
During the coroner’s inquest, a witness testified that Katrina had been “knocked out” by her father after he discovered she was in a sexual relationship with Hendrik, her stepbrother, as reported by Sydney Herald
While both Maiko and Hendrik denied these allegations, the inconsistent accounts from those present at the boarding house that night have fueled suspicions.
Additionally, the boarding house at 260 Homebush Road, Strathfield, where Katrina was last seen, was a chaotic and unpredictable place, with people constantly coming and going.
Some have speculated that someone at the property may have harmed Katrina, either intentionally or accidentally, and concealed her disappearance.
2. Exploitation or Trafficking
Another theory suggests that Katrina may have fallen victim to exploitation or human trafficking.
In the months leading up to her disappearance, she had been associating with older individuals and spending time in areas like Blacktown and Riverstone, where she was exposed to risky environments.
Her history of running away and her vulnerability as a young person in state care made her an easy target for predators.
Some believe she may have been lured into a dangerous situation by someone she trusted, leading to her disappearance.
3. Accidental Harm or Overdose
Given Katrina’s known drug use and her association with individuals involved in substance abuse, there is speculation that she may have accidentally overdosed or suffered harm while under the influence.
According to the Coroner Inquest, Katrina once told a witness that she had used methamphetamine and smoked cannabis whenever she could get her hands on it.
She also told the same witness that her father, Mr. Bohnenkamp, was a heroin addict, and she had seen him "shoot up" drugs and even used drugs with him multiple times.
If such an incident occurred, those present may have panicked and disposed of her body to avoid legal consequences.
4. Voluntary Disappearance
While less likely, some have theorized that Katrina may have chosen to disappear voluntarily, possibly to start a new life away from the instability and trauma of her past.
However, this theory is largely dismissed due to the complete lack of activity on her social media accounts, bank records, and other personal traces.
Katrina’s close relationship with her half-sister, Jaide Simpson, also makes it unlikely that she would cut off all contact without explanation.
5. Foul Play By Unknown Individuals
Another possibility is that Katrina encountered someone outside her immediate circle who posed a threat.
Her habit of staying with acquaintances and sleeping in unsafe locations, such as train stations or the homes of people she barely knew, put her at risk of encountering dangerous individuals.
This theory suggests that she may have been abducted or harmed by someone she met during one of her absences from the GYC facility.
Despite the many theories, no conclusive evidence has emerged to confirm what happened to Katrina.
The case remains open, and investigators continue to explore all possibilities in the hope of uncovering the truth.
Ongoing Efforts
Katrina’s case remains open, with the NSW Police Unsolved Homicide Unit actively pursuing leads.
A $500,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction, according to NSW Police.
Her family, particularly her half-sister Jaide Simpson, continues to advocate for justice.
The tragedy of Katrina Bohnenkamp’s disappearance highlights the vulnerabilities of children in state care and the urgent need for systemic reforms.
As Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes noted during the inquest, “Katrina’s disappearance and apparent death is a tragedy... I hope that in the future some evidence can be uncovered to provide more information about what happened to Katrina.”
If you have any information about Katrina’s disappearance, please contact NSW Police. Together, we can help bring closure to this heartbreaking unsolved cold case.
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