Standing in the rain at dusk next to the Pacific Highway,Howell stood out with her black mohawk and distinctive clothes to passing motorists. She was never seen again.
Now,20 years later,her mother Malila is still hoping her daughter’s mohawk will be the key to finding out what happened after she was last seen near the Old Pacific Highway turn-off to Perry Hill and Repton on the Mid North Coast.
On Monday,NSW Police announced a $750,000 reward for any new information into Howell’s disappearance as Malila spoke of the “anguish” of never knowing what happened to her daughter.
Malila last saw Rose on April 11,2003,when she left their home at Bundagen,south of Coffs Harbour,to go to Bellingen and reported her missing two days later after she failed to return for an appointment.
In 2012,a coronial inquest came to the conclusion she had most likely died,but it was unclear how her death had occurred.
“There could be people 20 years later who could possibly know what happened to the girl with the mohawk,” she said on Monday at the announcement of the reward.
“People around here knew who she was,even if they didn’t know what her name was. She kind of stood out.”
Howell’s father died six years ago without knowing what happened to his daughter.
“It hurts still 20 years later,” Malila said.
“I see somebody I go,oh,that could be Rose. I still have this kind of feeling that she’s just going to walk around the corner one day and reappear. That’s a hope I have deep inside,it’s quite hard to accept that. All the time there’s this anguish in life.”
NSW Police detective superintendent Danny Doherty said he hoped the reward money would jog someone’s memory and believes someone in the small town would know what happened to Howell.
“Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money,however,it’s about doing the right thing,” he said.
“From 20 years ago,there are people around who would have information still.[It’s a] close-knit community,small community. People talk. People have that information,people will know something,and it’s time for them to come forward.”
Rose was described as being of Caucasian appearance,about 160 to 165 centimetres tall and having hazel eyes. She also had an olive complexion and short,dark hair which was worn in a mohawk.
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