New Search for WA Missing Persons

0:00It's April 21st. This is Sydney News today, driven by AI. In southwest Western Australia, a thick forest near Northcliffe might finally crack one of Australia's oldest missing persons mysteries from 2007. Four people vanish from the small town of Nanop, Shantel McDougall, her five-year-old daughter Lila, Simon Cadwill, and Tony Poppick. Now, police have admitted their past searches hit the wrong spot thanks to a retired detective uncle digging into Overla Clues. Back then, rumors swirled about a cult suicide pack linked to Cadwill's online group, with plans to trek into the bush and take drugs. Bus tickets traced to the group led to Northcliffe, and prisoners clearing tracks they are found close in a smell of death. Cops checked it out, but relied on fuzzy memories for coordinates, missing the real side by a wide margin. Shantel's family, especially Uncle Barry McIntosh, has bounced between hope and heartbreak for 17 years. Her mom checked the post office daily for letters that never came, and a coronal inquest

1:01couldn't even say if they were alive or dead. Barry, a former cop, grabbed the casepile during the pandemic, and spotted big gaps right away. This July, Barry teamed up with another retired officer for a 2024 search, using drones and cadaver dogs. They hit on human remains since near an erosion channel, pinpointing a likely burial spot. He wrote to police asking for a burn and fresh dig, but after confirming the old mistake, they said no new search for now. Families like the McDougals keep pushing with private hunts, just like recent fines of other missing folks in the bush. Barry's fundraising $10,000 for a 2026 effort, determined to chase that last lead before calling a quits holding onto. The slim shot at real answers.