Janine Vaughan disappearance: Police tight-lipped on new development

After being questioned about allegations that a number of people reported a foul smell emanating from a property associated with one of the 47 persons of interest at the time of her disappearance, the State Crime Command provided a written statement to the Western Advocate.

"Investigations into the 2001 disappearance and suspected murder of Bathurst woman, Janine Vaughan, are continuing under the Homicide Squad's Strike Force Toko II," the statement read.

"Janine Vaughan, then aged 31, left a local nightclub and was last seen getting into a red car on Keppel Street, Bathurst, about 3.50am on Friday 7 December 2001.

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"Local police commenced an investigation into her disappearance before the case was referred to the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad.

"A coronial inquest conducted in 2009 found Ms Vaughan had died but her cause of death remained undetermined. Her body has not been located.

"In 2013, detectives from the Homicide Squad's Unsolved Homicide Unit established Strike Force Toko II to re-investigate Ms Vaughan's suspicious disappearance and suspected murder."

Police said a $1 million reward for "information which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible" for her disappearance still stands.

"The investigation remains open, and a team of investigators is continuing to explore lines of inquiry and persons of interest in an effort to find out what happened to Janine," the statement said.

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