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NSW police is set to announce a $1 million reward for information that leads to a conviction in relation to the suspected abduction of a teenage girl from Charlestown in 1994.
Lake Macquarie detectives will hold a press conference at 10am on Wednesday, hoping the reward will help their investigation into the disappearance of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski on November 24, 1994.
The new reward coincides with International Missing Children’s Day.
Her aunt Julie Tavelski told NBN News the family hoped this development would finally provide some answers.
“To be selected by the AFP for their campaign is quite extraordinary, really. I think this is probably the best exposure we’ve had ever in the last 27-odd years,” she said.
Earlier this month, NBN News revealed Gordana had been selected to feature in the Australian Federal Police’s campaign for International Missing Children’s Day.
Gordana’s mum, Peggy, and sister, Carolina, travelled with Tavelski to Canberra to film the campaign, set to shine a global spotlight on the baffling case.
They hope someone will finally come forward.
“This whole experience will help the family heal in a way, knowing people are out there, still interested in Gordana’s story and still wanting an outcome like we do,” Tavelski said.
The 16-year-old had been shopping at Charlestown Square before walking to her aunt’s house, less than 800 metres away.
She vanished, believed to have been abducted by two men in Powell Street, where a light-coloured Hilux was seen at the time.
Lake Macquarie detectives reopened the case in 2019, as part of Strike Force Arapaima, which is investigating the disappearances of three Lake Macquarie girls.
Recently New South Wales Police Minister Paul Toole said “sometimes a reward can mean the difference between solving the case and not.”
“Rewards are now being used more than ever, but they will always be done in conjunction with other operational strategies,” he said.
The AFP’s video campaign will also roll out today.
