DESCRIPTION:
- 19 years of age at time of disappearance.
- Light brown skinned.
- 154cm (5 feet 1 inches) tall.
- Medium build.
- Light brown long hair.
- Brown eyes.
- Last seen wearing a cream coloured button-up top, long blue skirt, strap on sandals and carrying a small haversack.
QUICK CASE FACTS:
- Travelled by car, from Perth to Nanutarra with a family friend.
- Due to tropical cyclone Joan causing widespread flooding north of Nanutarra, the roads were closed.
- Camped over-night near the Nanutarra Roadhouse on the evening of Tuesday 10 December 1975, with plans to travel to Tom Price the following morning with a family who she had met at the Roadhouse.
- When the family woke at 5am the following morning, Miss McGowan was not at her camp site and her belongings were also gone.
- Reported missing on Friday 19 December 1975.
BACKGROUND:
Glenyce Rae McGowan was born in August 1956 and lived in Medina with her parents and brother. Miss McGowan was a popular and well liked girl. She had travelled extensively in Australia and around Western Australia, always keeping in contact with her family whilst she was away from home.
CASE DETAILS:
On 8 December 1975, Miss McGowan set off from Perth to travel to Tom Price to visit her best friend. She obtained a lift from a family friend stopping at various locations along the way.
They arrived in Carnarvon, with Miss McGowan withdrawing an amount of money from her bank account and making a few small purchases. Their trip continued north, arriving at the Nanutarra Roadhouse on North West Coastal Highway, around 5pm on Tuesday 9 December 1975. At that time tropical cyclone Joan had impacted on the area, causing a number of roads to be closed as a consequence of the road north of Nanutarra being washed out.
Miss McGowan’s travelling companion continued onto Port Hedland the following morning. Miss McGowan remained at Nanutarra with the intention to travel to Tom Price. She accepted a lift from a family who were also stranded, who intended to travel the following morning. Miss McGowan made a camp approximately 30 metres from this family. At about 5.00am on Thursday 11 December 1975 her travelling companions woke and walked over to where Miss McGowan had been camping, however there was no sign of her or her belongings.
Miss McGowan’s lift searched the area for around an hour, prior to setting off to Tom Price as planned. On arrival in Tom Price, this family known to the friend Miss McGowan was visiting realised she had not arrived. She was reported to police as a missing person on Friday 19 December 1975.
Miss McGowan’s bank account has not been used since 9 December 1975 and there have been no confirmed sightings of her.
The person or persons responsible for Miss McGowan’s disappearance have not yet been identified.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Glenyce Rae McGowan, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make an online report below. Please remember that you can remain anonymous if you wish and rewards are offered.
