Rachelle Childs was hard to miss. The bubbly blonde turned heads wherever she went.
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It’s one of the reasons police found it impossible to believe no-one saw her in the crucial hour after she parked her car at Bargo Hotel on the evening of June 7, 2001.
Rachelle's partially clothed, charred body was found in a shallow ditch in bushland at Gerroa, about eight hours later.
“Even if we found the person who did it, we would close just a little bit of it with the who and why.’’
"I feel there is a person out there who knows something," Detective Senior Constable Ivor Davies told the Mercury days after her death.
"What we do know is that Rachelle's car was out the back of the pub … someone must have seen what happened next. We can't say if she got straight out of the car and stepped into another one, whether she walked through the pub.
"A person out there knows something and I want them to know they can remain as anonymous as they like, we will meet them anywhere they like, it doesn't have to be at a police station, and we'll keep what they tell us in the strictest confidence."
Detectives were also eager to hear from anyone who may have seen Rachelle's black top or black pants, possibly dumped in bushland or by a roadside.
Her father Graham told the Mercury at the time that his fun-loving daughter must have known her killer because she would have "belt the crap out of" any stranger who tried to abduct her.
"Rachelle just wasn't the type to go off with someone she didn't know," Mr Childs said.
When the 23-year-old left her Bargo home, washing was in the machine and the lights and TV were on.
Her 1978 blue Holden Commodore sedan, registration GV 2000, was found locked at the hotel. Her keys, mobile phone and handbag were later found.
Despite exhaustive investigations and a coronial inquest, the case remains unsolved. Yet police have not given up hope.
This year they renewed their appeal for information on a Crime Stoppers NSW Facebook post.
Homicide Squad detectives reminded the public of the 2011 decision to double the reward to $200,000 to solve the case.
The $200,000 is payable for information that leads to the conviction of the person or people responsible for Ms Childs’ death.
Rachelle’s family have relocated, but not a day goes by they don’t wish for answers.
“It’s a terrible word [closure], we can never have closure. You learn to live with it,” Mr Childs said in 2014.
“Even if we found the person who did it, we would close just a little bit of it with the who and why.’’
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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