Strike Force Bambil detectives are calling for two anonymous witnesses to come forward as the investigation into the disappearance and suspected murder of Gordana Kotevski continues.
Gordana Kotevski, aged 16, was last seen being forced into a vehicle on Powell Street, Charlestown, while walking from Charlestown Square Shopping Centre to her aunt’s home on the same road about 9pm on Thursday 24 November 1994.
Despite extensive investigations at the time, and over the years since, Gordana has not been located.
At a Coronial Inquest into Gordana’s disappearance in 2003, the State Coroner found that she was deceased, most likely as a result of foul play.
In early 2025, detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District, with the assistance of the NSW Crime Commission, established Strike Force Bambil to re-examine the circumstances surrounding Gordana’s suspected murder and disappearance.
Between April 2026 and May 2026, investigators searched several properties in Edgeworth and West Wallsend. Inquiries are ongoing.
Detectives are now seeking to speak with two people who provided anonymous information about Gordana’s disappearance in the mid-1990s:
- About 6.50pm on Monday 5 December 1994, a man phoned Newcastle Police Station and provided specific information about a person’s involvement in the matter.
- About 9.25pm on Wednesday 18 September 1996, a man contacted the radio station KOFM Newcastle and spoke with a presenter, providing specific information about a person’s involvement in the matter.
Both calls were anonymous, and detectives are urging the callers to come forward and speak with investigators about the information they hold.
In 2022, the NSW Government increased the reward for information into the suspected murder of Gordana Kotevski to $1 million.
The reward remains on offer for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of any person or persons responsible for her disappearance.
The men – or anyone else with information – can contact Belmont Detectives via email: [email protected] or phone: 02 4922 8774.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au Information is managed on a confidential basis. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
