THE mystery of missing teenager Jessica Small is solvable, according to the homicide detective who has spent the past three years investigating her abduction.
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Detective Sergeant Peter Smith told journalists police can solve the mystery of Jessica’s abduction, which has intrigued Bathurst for almost 14 years.
A massive police operation is underway in Oberon this week, with more than 20 specialist homicide detectives door knocking the homes of men who worked at the Oberon timber mills in October 1997, the time Jessica was abducted in Bathurst.
Up to 500 men will be interviewed as part of the operation, which is the result of new information provided to police by a witness who was at the Amuse Me amusement centre the same night Jessica disappeared.
Detective Sergeant Smith said the witness told police the man they are looking for made enquiries about Jessica during the evening as she played pool at Amuse Me.
Jessica was with her friend Vanessa Conlon, and the pair were socialising at the amusement centre, moving between Machattie Park and Russell Street a number of times during the evening.
“This male person was making enquiries about Jessica, which we believe is significant because it was only a matter of hours before she was abducted. We believe this man could hold information which is significant, and we urge him
to come forward” Detective Sergeant Smith told a media call yesterday.
The witness told police during the same conversation with the man he indicated he worked at the Oberon timber mills.
Detective Sergeant Smith said officers attached to Strike Force Carica II had spent the past few months locating all male employees aged between 18 and 30 who were employed at the Oberon mills in October 1997 – no easy task given 13 years have passed since Jessica’s abduction, and statutory requirements mean employers are only required to keep records for seven years.
Still, detectives have managed to track down every male, the majority of whom still reside in the Bathurst and Oberon areas. They will be interviewed by detectives this week.
A small number of men who have moved interstate will also be interviewed by homicide officers this week.
Anyone with information on Jessica Small should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
