Face of Nation : A man has been arrested over the suspicious disappearance of “kind, caring and loving” NSW mother Roxlyn Bowie almost 40 years ago. Ms Bowie was 31 years old when she was last seen at her Walgett home, in the state’s north, on June 5, 1982.
A coroner in 2014 found she had died, but the cause of her death was undetermined and her body has never been found. On Friday, detectives investigating her disappearance arrested a 69-year-old man at a correctional facility on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
NSW Police were granted his extradition and he is expected to be escorted into Sydney on Saturday. Ms Bowie’s daughter, Brenda Boyd, said it was “a very bittersweet moment for our family”.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about mum and how kind, caring and loving she was,” she said in a statement. “There are many things I miss about her, including her shy and sweet smile.
“She was a devoted mother – my brother and I never doubted how loved we were. She, too, was so loved by those who were lucky to meet her.” The arrest comes after the NSW government in 2018 announced a $1 million reward for anyone who could help find Ms Bowie.
Police also examined an industrial estate and excavated a dam on the edge of Walgett. Earlier this year, they wrapped up a forensic dig at Ms Bowie’s former home. Detective superintendent Danny Doherty on Friday praised the work of detectives.
“The resolve of our investigators proves that we will continue to search for the truth – no matter how many years may pass,” he said in a statement.
