On a December night in 2005, Lily Parmenter exchanged gifts with her mother, Katie O’Shea, at her grandmother’s home in Melbourne. Little did Lily know that this would be the last time she saw her mother alive. Days later, Katie boarded a plane to far north Queensland, carrying baby items in her luggage, thinking she was about to become a grandmother. Instead, she disappeared and has been missing for almost 18 years, with her killer still on the loose.
Katie’s eldest son, Alan O’Shea, was the last person to see her before she vanished. He reported dropping her off in Atherton, saying that she wanted to finish her beer and walk into town. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance, Alan took a long time to report her missing. Lily has always doubted the theory that Katie was hitchhiking when she disappeared, believing her mother would never get into a car with a stranger.
Detective Brett Devine, who has been investigating the case since 2006, believes that Katie’s murder was unplanned and a crime of opportunity. While there have been several tip-offs and leads, none have led to any significant breakthroughs in the case. Alan O’Shea and another man, Frank Wark, a convicted killer who was in the area at the time, are the main persons of interest in the case. Wark, who was recently sentenced for other crimes, is also suspected of being involved in Katie’s disappearance.
The 2014 inquest into Katie O’Shea’s disappearance did not determine a cause of death. Coroner Jane Bentley concluded that Katie most likely met her killer at the Atherton Hotel or shortly after she left it. The inquest also heard testimony from Alan’s housemate, who claimed Alan had confessed to killing his mother. Alan has remained uncooperative with police and has always been viewed as a person of interest in the case.
As the years pass, Lily and her family continue to hold out hope for answers in Katie’s disappearance. Christmas each year serves as a painful reminder of the life that was taken from Katie and the void left in their family. Lily cherishes the photos she has of her mother, hoping that one day she will be able to find closure and justice for Katie. Despite the passage of time, Lily still struggles with the pain of not knowing what happened to her mother, wishing for the day when the truth will finally come to light.
