Australia - Michelle Bright, 17, found deceased, Gulgong, NSW, 27 Feb 1999 *arrest in 2020*

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Her family and friends deserve answers, this took place in a town of some 2,500 people, someone must have answers.

The below is an extract taken from my new newsletter unsolvednews.co where I investigate an unsolved murder from around the globe to help bring fresh eyes to the case and make sure they are not forgotten!

What We Know
  • 5.30 pm, Friday 26 Feb, 1999: Michelle is dropped off by her mother Loraine to go to a party. Michelle told her mum she planned to stay at her best friend, Lauren’s house. Loraine goes to work at the local RSL (a community pub).
  • Evening, Friday 26 Feb, 1999: Michelle attends the 15th birthday party of a local friend. According to reports by a counsel assisting the coroner, Peter Hamill SC - many of those who were with and saw Michelle in her final hours at the party had been drinking & smoking cannabis. Little has been publicly stated about events at the party and no known altercations have been revealed by investigators.
  • Around 12:45 am, Saturday 27 Feb, 1999: Michelle is reportedly dropped off by a couple in front of the Commercial Hotel, a pub, on the corner of Mayne and Herbert Streets in Gulgong, this is the last sighting of her alive. Whether she chose not to stay at her friend’s house for a particular reason is not known or has never been revealed. It’s assumed that after being dropped off she went to Lauren’s around the corner and found no one home/answering. She begins to walk, apparently in the direction of home.
  • Lunchtime, Saturday 27 Feb, 1999: Michelle has not returned home, Loraine begins to worry and starts to ring around friends. The family spends the drizzly summer night searching & waiting for Michelle.
  • Sunday, 28 Feb, 1999: The police are notified. Immediately, they treat the case as a potential runaway despite the family explaining this was very unlikely.
  • Around 3.30 pm, Tuesday 2nd March, 1999: Michelle’s body is found by a man walking his dog around 1 km from her home. She had been dumped face down in long grass off Barney’s Reef Rd (a main road) between the road and the railway line. Her handbag is found nearby. She was half-naked and her bra had been both cut and torn from her body, she had been sexually assaulted.
  • 2000: A reward of $100,000 AUD is offered to encourage people to come forward with evidence that leads to a conviction.
  • April, 2001: Loraine appeals to police commissioner Peter Ryan to conduct DNA tests of every male in Gulgong.
  • Sep, 2002: Police from Strike Force Mitcham, investigating the murder, travel to the U.K. Detective Sergeant Cameron Whiteside of Mudgee Police, took "samples"with him to be tested using the most advanced techniques possible.
  • 6 March, 2009: Dozens of family & friends wearing gold ribbons in memoriam attend a coronial inquest, five men, including a former boyfriend, are named as persons of interest. Some evidence is publicly revealed for the first time. The reward is increased, at the recommendation of the coroner, to $500,000.
This info is taken from the newsletter unsolvednewsco .
 
Barely any movement on this case! 20 years to the day since she was murdered. I spent a good bit of time pulling together all the disparate information, hoping we can reinvigorate something here. I found it really hard to find the facts, I had to dig into old library archives, none of the articles had much solid information - which is part of why I have pulled all solid info together in the newsletter. My feeling is the police are keeping a lot of things back because it took place in such a small community. BUT its been 20 years, surely people would have moved away and if it were small town code of silence holding them back - A LOT changes in 20 years. That's part of the reason I think they may have ruled the stranger theory out too quickly but they may have other reasons to believe it was a local they're not saying. I just want that poor family to have answers. Her mother still struggles.

The below is an extract taken from my new newsletter unsolvednews.co where I investigate an unsolved murder from around the globe to help bring fresh eyes to the case and make sure they are not forgotten!

What We Know
  • 5.30 pm, Friday 26 Feb, 1999: Michelle is dropped off by her mother Loraine to go to a party. Michelle told her mum she planned to stay at her best friend, Lauren’s house. Loraine goes to work at the local RSL (a community pub).
  • Evening, Friday 26 Feb, 1999: Michelle attends the 15th birthday party of a local friend. According to reports by a counsel assisting the coroner, Peter Hamill SC - many of those who were with and saw Michelle in her final hours at the party had been drinking & smoking cannabis. Little has been publicly stated about events at the party and no known altercations have been revealed by investigators.
  • Around 12:45 am, Saturday 27 Feb, 1999: Michelle is reportedly dropped off by a couple in front of the Commercial Hotel, a pub, on the corner of Mayne and Herbert Streets in Gulgong, this is the last sighting of her alive. Whether she chose not to stay at her friend’s house for a particular reason is not known or has never been revealed. It’s assumed that after being dropped off she went to Lauren’s around the corner and found no one home/answering. She begins to walk, apparently in the direction of home.
  • Lunchtime, Saturday 27 Feb, 1999: Michelle has not returned home, Loraine begins to worry and starts to ring around friends. The family spends the drizzly summer night searching & waiting for Michelle.
  • Sunday, 28 Feb, 1999: The police are notified. Immediately, they treat the case as a potential runaway despite the family explaining this was very unlikely.
  • Around 3.30 pm, Tuesday 2nd March, 1999: Michelle’s body is found by a man walking his dog around 1 km from her home. She had been dumped face down in long grass off Barney’s Reef Rd (a main road) between the road and the railway line. Her handbag is found nearby. She was half-naked and her bra had been both cut and torn from her body, she had been sexually assaulted.
  • 2000: A reward of $100,000 AUD is offered to encourage people to come forward with evidence that leads to a conviction.
  • April, 2001: Loraine appeals to police commissioner Peter Ryan to conduct DNA tests of every male in Gulgong.
  • Sep, 2002: Police from Strike Force Mitcham, investigating the murder, travel to the U.K. Detective Sergeant Cameron Whiteside of Mudgee Police, took "samples"with him to be tested using the most advanced techniques possible.
  • 6 March, 2009: Dozens of family & friends wearing gold ribbons in memoriam attend a coronial inquest, five men, including a former boyfriend, are named as persons of interest. Some evidence is publicly revealed for the first time. The reward is increased, at the recommendation of the coroner, to $500,000.
This info is taken from the newsletter unsolvednewsco .
 
Aug 10 2020
No cookies | NT News
Michelle Bright: Police offer $1 million reward for information into 1999 murder of NSW teen
''A $1 million reward is on offer for information surrounding the murder of country teenager Michelle Bright 21 years ago.

Michelle was just 17 when she was last seen alive on February 27, 1999, after a friend dropped her off at Herbert St, Gulgong – in the central west of New South Wales – following a birthday party.''

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''Two decades on and police are still struggling to determine what happened to the teenager but they believe someone in the small country community knows how and why she was killed.

Investigations continue under Strike Force Mitcham II.

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NSW Police and Michelle’s family will address the media later today.

More to come''
 
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Investigators are also looking into the movements of a red XF Falcon wagon similar to the above car.Source:NCA NewsWire

Aug 10 2020 rbbm.
Police offer $1 million reward for information into 1999 murder of NSW teen
''All evidence collected over the last 21 years, including DNA samples from several men in the region, will be subject to a full forensic review.

Supt Doherty acknowledged while it might “take time”, he was confident it would provide the family with some much-needed answers.''

“We hope that we can (build) enough evidence to have a case against someone, but at the moment that’s why this appeal is incredibly important,” he said.

Cold-case detectives are interviewing people who may have been at the party or known Michelle.

Supt Doherty said Strike Force Mitcham II investigators were also looking into the movements of a red XF Falcon wagon in addition to other “vehicles of interest”.

“We believe this vehicle can be linked to the Gulgong area, and we believe it may be linked to the murder of Michelle,” he said.''

“In my heart I believe she may have known him (the killer). If he is watching, or if anyone knows he has done this, please come forward. I’m not getting any younger and I want answers.”

Supt Doherty said Gulgong was a “small town and people do talk and people do know things”.

“Today is the day to come forward,” he said.''
 
Michelle Bright knew her killer, heartbroken mum believes

Lorraine Bright believes her teenage daughter Michelle knew the person who sexually assaulted and murdered her, 21 years ago.
Distraught and in tears, Ms Bright today recalled how she had waited in vain on her driveway back in 1999 as rain fell, praying her 17-year-old daughter would return home.
But Michelle never did, and three days later her semi-naked body was found near a road in long grass, in the Gulgong in the NSW Central Tablelands.


Michelle Bright knew her killer, heartbroken mum believes
 
Morrisa said:
Former abattoir worker charged over murder of NSW teenager Michelle Bright

Last night detectives arrested Craig Henry Rumsby, 53, in Mudgee, following a lengthy reinvestigation by detectives attached to Strike Force Mitcham II.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the update, wow, did not expect an arrest at this point, wondering if the million dollar reward helped.

  • NOW
    Breakthrough in Michelle Bright cold case
  • ''Last night detectives arrested Craig Henry Rumsby, 53, in Mudgee, following a lengthy reinvestigation by detectives attached to Strike Force Mitcham II.
    When he was asked by Nine News whether he murdered Michelle, Rumsby replied "no".
    As he was led away in handcuffs he also claimed he had known Michelle's mother Loraine "for years".

  • ''At the time of Michelle's death, police took DNA from 14 men – including Rumsby – and revealed they had investigated five suspects during a coronial inquest.''
 
$1 million reward offered Monday and arrest on Tuesday!

When he was asked by Nine News whether he murdered Michelle, Rumsby replied "no".
As he was led away in handcuffs he also claimed he had known Michelle's mother Loraine "for years".
He was charged with murder in the early hours of this morning and is expected to face Mudgee Local Court later today.
In recent years Rumsby has been living in Sydney near Windsor but lists the suburb of Kings Langley as his fixed address.
Rumsby's arrest comes after NSW Police offered a $1 million reward for information on Monday, with Michelle's mother begging the public for help.
 
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