Family of Niamh Maye launch podcast with award winning true crime podcast producers Casefile Presents
24 September 2024: The family and friends of Niamh Maye hope a new podcast delving into her story will lead to answers in their search for their daughter, sister, aunt and friend.
Missing Niamh – available to stream in full on
24 September 2024 on all podcast platforms
Eighteen-year-old Niamh Maye disappeared near Jingellic, New South Wales on Easter Saturday, 30 March 2002. Twenty two years on, her family remains hopeful of finding answers.
In their search the family connected with the host of award-winning podcast Casefile, leading to a 12 episode in-depth series.
Researching what was intended to be a single episode, the Casefile host found so many intriguing elements, he took four years to write and create this new series. He connected with Niamh’s story on a personal level too.
“I felt drawn to tell Niamh’s story, mainly because I wanted to help her family find answers to the many questions they’ve had over the years, not only about her disappearance but also the aftermath and investigation and helping them understand the many twists and turns that took place. But I also felt drawn to Niamh, maybe because we were a similar age and had similar taste in music,” the host* commented.
“Niamh was just a young person, setting out on an adventure with friends and testing the waters of life, like so many 18-year-olds do. But unlike the rest of us, she didn’t make it home and I want to help her family find her.”
Niamh’s sister, Fionnuala Hagerty thanked the Casefile team on the family’s behalf, stating, “We can’t thank the Casefile team enough for the painstaking research they conducted to bring Niamh’s story to life - and with such incredible care and compassion throughout. The respect they have shown in telling Niamh’s story is just so appreciated.
“The ongoing pain of having a missing loved one is indescribable. The lack of answers or information, the inability to change the situation and the lack of power over or understanding of police or coronial procedures can be really traumatising over time. Casefile revealed missed opportunities at critical points, which is difficult, but overall it has helped us understand and come to terms with what occurred, and has renewed hope we may still find answers that will lead us to Niamh.
“We miss our beautiful Niamh every day and are still hopeful that we might just find the missing piece of information we need to bring her home and give her a proper resting place.”
Niamh’s brother, Kieron Maye said, “It’s really hard going back over such awful memories but it’s important to share Niamh’s story. We want to thank everyone who revisited such difficult memories to help us find answers. A huge thanks to the Casefile team, the dedicated police who have worked hard to bring Niamh home over many years, locals who continue to help search and to advocates like The Missed Foundation who have been an incredible support to our family.”
Loren O’Keeffe of The Missed Foundation, an Australian charity that creates awareness for missing persons and provides practical and emotional support to their families and friends, commented, “What most people don’t realise is that – different to a standard loss – ambiguous loss typically gets harder to cope with over time. The unending not-knowing is torment, and the impact it has on families, friends and communities is profound. When we’re denied the traditional, expected rituals of loss, such as having a funeral, burial or grave to visit, we are unable to process the grief, which leads to a continual state of complicated grief. Many experts liken it to PTSD.”
A 2012 coronial inquest found that Niamh died on or around 30 March 2002, somewhere in the vicinity of Tumut, New South Wales. Despite extensive ongoing police efforts, several police-led searches and many unofficial searches conducted by her family and friends, her remains or belongings have never been found. She was last seen carrying a blue backpack, a tent, sleeping bag and her belongings included an SLR camera, discman and CDs.
An intelligent and talented student, Niamh Maye had been fruit picking in Batlow during a gap year before starting university. After camping at Jingellic with other fruit pickers on Good Friday, 29 March 2002, Niamh intended to camp in Batlow on Easter Saturday before catching the Countrylink bus from Batlow to her sister’s house in Sydney. Niamh never arrived.
She was last seen leaving the Jingellic campground in an old black hearse driven by another fruit picker on Easter Saturday, 30 March 2002.
On what would have been Niamh’s 40th birthday in June 2023, NSW Police announced a $250,000 reward for information that leads to the discovery of Niamh’s remains, or for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
If you have any information you think may help, please contact Tumut Police on (02) 6947 7199 or use the contact form on missingniamh.com.
ENDS
Imagery of Niamh Maye is available at the below link:
https://senateshj.digitalpigeon.com/shr/QYFfwHk1Ee-oWwKE1cQs4Q/34H_NcYE5lNxdgrzkeM0Ww
*Casefile is an award-winning podcast produced and narrated by an anonymous host.
Contact details:
Tia Orfanidis, SenateSHJ, 0411 293 583 | [email protected]
Lauren Garnet, SenateSHJ, 0468 950 006 | [email protected]