A house at Cardiff has been searched in relation to the suspicious disappearance of a woman almost 40 years ago.
The Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad have been investigating the disappearance of then 21-year-old Debra Campbell who vanished from her home in Windsor, Victoira in 1984 following a disagreement with her fiance.
Both Debra and her 26-year-old partner were members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the time she went missing.
Her disappearance was initially reported to and investigated by the RAAF after she failed to report for duty two days later on 27 February 1984. After Debra was unable to be located, her mother reported her missing to Victoria Police on 2 March 1984.
A coronial inquest in 1998 declared Debra was likely deceased but the circumstances were never determined.
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad reopened the case in 2022 following lines of inquiry in both Victoria and NSW, and as part of those investigations they executed a search warrant at a home on Leanda Place at Cardiff South on March 28 with the assistance of NSW Police.
A 65-year-old Cardiff South man was subsequently spoken to by police and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Missing Persons Squad detectives are appealing for anyone with information about Debra’s disappearance to come forward – they are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have seen her on the night she disappeared.
Police are still of the belief that Debra likely met with foul play.
Debra’s mum Jean said her daughter was a beautiful, vibrant girl who had her whole life ahead of her when she disappeared.
“It fills me with incredible sadness that she never got to do those things – I never got to see her get married or have children, or grow into the wonderful person I was sure she would become.
“Debra’s disappearance had immeasurable impact on our family and we continue to feel this to this day.
“The most awful part is not knowing where she is or what happened to her, and that the person responsible for taking my daughter away has not been held accountable.”
At the time she was last seen, Debra was believed to be wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink t-shirt with a ‘Madness’ rock group motif on the front in black, and a pair of blue Adidas runners. She may also have been carrying a green handbag with a gold stripe on it.
Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan, Missing Persons Squad said after re-examining Debra’s case last year, detectives were able to re-visit a number of lines of inquiry which led to the search warrant being executed in NSW.
“I want to assure people that no matter how much time has passed, we are committed to finding those responsible and holding them to account.
“Forty years is an incredibly long time for any parent to wait for answers, however we do strongly believe those answers are still out there.
“We believe we can solve this case – as we often say, we could only be one phone call away, it just needs to be the right call.”
Anyone with any information regarding Debra’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at