'I never, ever expected foul play': What happened to Belinda Peisley?

Updated

Nineteen-year-old single mum Belinda Peisley vanished from a hospital in the Blue Mountains in September 1998. Years later, an inquest uncovered a murky network of friends and locals around her in the last few months of her life. Her family hangs onto the hope that someone knows something and will come forward with new information.

About a week before she disappeared, Belinda Peisley drove for over an hour from Katoomba, west of Sydney, to visit her aunt, Sharon Versace.

Sharon told the inquest she remembered her niece turning up unexpectedly with a man she didn't recognise — both he and Belinda were very distressed.

"She was in quite a state saying she was fearful for her life," said Sharon.

"She was sure someone was trying to kill her."

Sharon told Belinda to go to the police, but Belinda said she felt they couldn't offer her enough protection.

Instead, it seemed, Belinda had made a plan.

"She said she had connections that could get her passports and fake identifications so she could start afresh."

Sharon said, for a long time, she believed Belinda had fled interstate.

"I thought that one of these days I'd get a call and she'd be like, 'Here I am!'"

But that phone call never came.

Belinda's frantic visit to her aunt's place that day would be the last time Sharon ever saw her.

Years later it would emerge that, in the months before Belinda disappeared, she had told a number of people, including Sharon, that she was scared and someone was trying to hurt her.

"I couldn't believe anyone would want to kill Belinda — I never, ever expected foul play.

Still too scared to speak

A coronial inquest was held into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death in 2012 and 2013.

Members of Belinda's family, the local police and her social circle in Katoomba all gave evidence. Among them were six people named by police as persons of interest.

Do you know more? Contact unraveltruecrime@abc.net.au

The third season of the ABC's Unravel podcast, Last Seen Katoomba, examines the evidence around these six persons of interest.

The coroner basically ruled out three of the six persons of interest: Jason and John (whose names have been changed for legal reasons), and Wanda Loynds.

Regarding the other persons of interest — Heidi Wailes, Jeremy Douglas and Luke (whose name has been changed for legal reasons) — the coroner found the available evidence was inconclusive, but did raise considerable suspicion as to the possibility of knowledge and/or involvement in Belinda's disappearance and/or subsequent death.

More than 20 years on, some people are still too scared to speak about Belinda and her case.

Could some of the people at the inquest know more about what happened to her?



The best friend

Heidi Wailes was one of the six persons of interest named at the inquest into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death.

Told the inquest about being part of a break and enter at Belinda's home that occurred in days before Belinda disappeared.

Also told the inquest she went to Belinda's house the morning after Belinda disappeared and found Belinda's bag stuffed down the back of the couch. She kept Belinda's wallet.

The inquest heard that during a police walkthrough at Belinda's Katoomba home in 2010, Heidi mentioned Jeremy saying police found Belinda's body in a shallow grave in the Megalong Valley in the Blue Mountains. There was also evidence that in 2013, Heidi gave a statement to police about the same story but with one crucial difference: that "… Jeremy was laughing and said he'd killed Belinda and buried her in a shallow grave in the Megalong Valley".

At the inquest, Heidi never went so far as to point the finger directly at anyone for Belinda's disappearance. Coroner Paul McMahon found Heidi to be "an evasive and generally unreliable witness" but went on to say "on the issue of Belinda's disappearance … her evidence is consistent with almost all the other evidence available."

The best friend's boyfriend

Jeremy Douglas was one of the six persons of interest named at the inquest into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death.

Belinda had told a number of people she was fearful of Jeremy.

Jeremy was Heidi Wailes's boyfriend at the time Belinda disappeared in 1998, and the inquest heard he had a volatile and violent reputation.

Heidi told the inquest that whenever she would mention Belinda after she went missing, Jeremy would talk about Belinda "like she was gone".

Jeremy did not give evidence at the inquest into Belinda's disappearance because he exercised his right to object to answering questions. The counsel assisting the coroner at Belinda's inquest, Phil Strickland, said in 2018 that the coroner granted the request because if new evidence was discovered which led to Jeremy being charged and later prosecuted, for murder or manslaughter, then by compelling him to give evidence at inquest would have potential to contaminate a criminal trial.

The associate

Luke was one of the six persons of interest named at the inquest into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death.

Luke was described at the inquest by the coroner as "an associate" of Jeremy Douglas and Heidi Wailes who had a reputation for being violent.

In the lead investigator's statement prepared for Belinda's inquest, Luke is said to be "highly volatile, extremely violent towards women" and "described by many as more than capable of murder".

Several witnesses at the inquest said they were fearful of Luke.

One witness at the inquest, Joe Ravesi, gave evidence of a text message conversation he believes he had with Belinda around the time she disappeared, where Belinda said "I've got to go, someone's at the door … Those people are back … Jeremy and Luke at the door". However, the time this text conversation took place isn't clear. Joe said this was the last time he spoke with Belinda.

At the inquest, Luke denied dealing drugs in Katoomba, standing over Belinda, or any involvement in her disappearance.

An acquaintance

Wanda Loynds was one of the six persons of interest named at the inquest into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death.

Belinda had been at a party with a few people earlier on the day she disappeared. Wanda told the inquest it was at this event she assaulted Belinda.

The coroner described Wanda as a "most unreliable witness" who was known to be a compulsive liar, and found that while the evidence established Wanda did assault Belinda the day Belinda disappeared, there was is no evidence Wanda harboured any pre-existing or continuing resentment or animosity towards Belinda.

The coroner was satisfied it was unlikely Wanda was involved in Belinda's disappearance and subsequent death.

The boyfriend

Belinda's boyfriend at the time, Jason, was one of the six persons of interest named at the inquest into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death.

Jason is one of the last people to have seen Belinda alive.

Jason used Belinda's ATM card over a five-week period after she disappeared, withdrawing a total of almost $1,800. He initially lied to police about the nature and extent of the withdrawals.

Jason said he used Belinda's ATM card because she owed him $700 for drugs and other things.

Jason and his mother had a telephone conversation that was tapped by police during an investigation into Belinda's disappearance a year before the inquest.

The coroner ruled Jason out as a person of interest, saying there was no known motive for him to have killed her and he had no history of violence towards women.

The boyfriend's father

Belinda's boyfriend's father, John, was one of the six persons of interest named at the inquest into Belinda Peisley's disappearance and suspected death.

John was disapproving of the relationship between his son, Jason, and Belinda.

A possible scenario involving Jason and John was put forward by the lead police investigator in a statement to the inquest which was included in the brief of evidence.

Detective Erhardt writes: "A very possible scenario was on the night of the 26th September 1998, Belinda told Jason she was pregnant and he wasn't happy about this. Jason has gone to speak with John a short time after this. John, who is already quite upset about the relationship with Belinda and sees her as someone significantly contributing to his downfall and drug addictions, decides to 'take care of the situation' … A short time after this, informs Jason that the problem has been taken care of. This explains Jason's extremely unusual actions after her disappearance, including spending her money".

This was put forward by Detective Erhardt as one of many possible scenarios that she wrote about in the statement to the inquest. Detective Erhardt also had theories about the other persons of interest.

The coroner ruled out John as a person of interest in Belinda's disappearance and suspected death. He found no evidence John had the opportunity or intent to do any harm to Belinda, or that he had any knowledge of the fact that Belinda believed she was pregnant with Jason's child.

An acquaintance

Karla Priestly said she grew up with Heidi Wailes and was friends with Belinda's then-boyfriend, Jason.

Karla Priestly was not a person of interest in the disappearance of Belinda Peisley but gave evidence at the inquest.

Karla said Heidi Wailes had shown up to her apartment in Katoomba not long after Belinda had disappeared. Karla is unclear on exactly when this was.

Karla told the inquest that Heidi said she, Jeremy Douglas, and Luke had gone to Belinda's house to "stand over" her, they had gotten Belinda in the back of a car, and Heidi was in the front when "things started getting ugly in the car". Karla wasn't sure what Heidi had meant by "ugly".

According to Karla, Heidi then said she jumped out of the car at a stop sign and ran, and hadn't seen Belinda since.

At the inquest, Heidi denied she told this story.

The ex-boyfriend

Andrew Moffatt was not considered a person of interest in the disappearance of Belinda Peisley. He is the father of Belinda Peisley's youngest son, Billy.

Andrew Moffatt went out with Belinda in 1997 and they have a child together, Billy.

They split up but kept in touch. He visited Belinda in Katoomba with Billy but mostly kept in touch over the phone.

Andrew gave evidence he'd received a call from Belinda in mid-1998 and remembers her being very upset. She wanted him to know she loved him and Billy. Then she said she'd "dug a hole for herself and she was going to get herself out". Andrew told the inquest Belinda said she was in trouble but wouldn't say what was going on or go to the police. He said Belinda mentioned a name during one of those conversations: Jeremy Douglas.

Last known sighting of Belinda

Belinda Peisley was last seen leaving a hospital in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains around 8:50pm on September 26, 1998.

Police had brought her to the emergency department at about 8:30pm from her nearby home.

At the hospital, a nurse triaged Belinda noting she seemed agitated, had a laceration on her right hand and wouldn't remove her jacket.

Before a doctor could see her, Belinda walked out of the emergency department.

Despite several police investigations stretching across two decades, Belinda has never been found.

Belinda's life in Katoomba

A year before she vanished, Belinda Peisley had inherited $150,000 from a distant relative. She used a large portion of the money to buy a house in Katoomba.

Belinda's aunt, Sharon Versace, said she helped Belinda buy the house and was proud Belinda had used her money wisely.

"She did the right thing and went out and bought a little cottage," said Sharon.

At the time Belinda was born, Sharon lived with her sister Lesley Peisley, Belinda's mother, for a few years, so Sharon helped to raise Belinda and had a close relationship with her.

"Belinda was a real little sweetie; always wanting to do things to help Lesley," said Sharon. "Even from a very young age, making her cups of tea and helping out with things around the house — she was really good like that".

Belinda's father, Mark Wearne, was absent from Belinda's childhood, and Sharon says Lesley had mental health issues so things weren't easy for Belinda.

When Belinda hit her teens, she became what Sharon describes as "wilder and less controlled": Belinda dyed her hair dark, was listening to heavy metal, and started hanging with the "wrong crowd".

Belinda was going out at night, partying, taking drugs, and Sharon felt there wasn't a lot of stability.

Belinda ran away from home a number of times, stayed in women's refuges, and lived with Sharon for a while.

By the time Belinda was 15, she was pregnant with her first son, Cody, and soon after she had another son, Billy.

Belinda and her family had known for a few years that Belinda was due to receive the inheritance when she turned 18.

When the time came, Sharon said she persuaded Belinda to buy a house.

"It just would've been devastating to waste that money," said Sharon. "She was lucky to have that opportunity, so basically we made it known that this was setting her up for life — she could start afresh and it was good for her sons".

Belinda moved into the house with her then three-year-old son, Cody. Her younger son, Billy, lived with his father in Sydney.

Within six months of buying the house, Belinda disappeared.

The last time Belinda was reported being seen alive was at the hospital in Katoomba on September 26, 1998. However, the last known contact Belinda made was a phone call to her mother, Lesley Peisley, at around 10:30pm that night.

Lesley had been looking after Belinda's son, Cody, and Belinda asked Lesley to bring Cody up to her Katoomba home. Lesley lived locally but told Belinda it was too late in the evening, so they would come in the morning instead.

In the days afterward, Lesley did go to Belinda's home with Sharon Versace, but Belinda wasn't home. They saw that Belinda's house had been trashed: windows and mirrors were smashed and there was blood on the floor of the bathroom.

Fearing for her life

In the lead-up to her going missing, Belinda Peisley told multiple family members, including Sharon Versace, she was fearing for her life.

Since moving to Katoomba, Belinda had become involved in the local drug community, and her home had become like a "drop-in centre", as one witness described at the inquest.

People in the community would visit her home anytime, day or night, and sometimes would stay for periods of time, with or without Belinda's permission. It appeared to one witness at the time that Belinda had lost control of her home and she was sick of people coming to her house and using drugs.

Belinda's ex-boyfriend, Andrew Moffett, the father of her son Billy, told the inquest he noticed things started to change after Belinda moved to Katoomba. After the move, they used to keep in touch by talking on the phone, and Andrew said one particular phone call sticks out in his mind where he says Belinda told him she'd got herself into trouble.

"She said she'd dug a hole for herself and she was getting herself out," said Andrew.

Andrew said Belinda was stressing to him that she loved both he and Billy, and she wanted them to remember that.

I didn't realise she was in as much trouble as she was actually in.

Evidence from Sharon and from Belinda's boyfriend at the time she disappeared, Jason, shows that in the weeks leading up to her vanishing, Belinda had shown a desire to leave Katoomba.

In the days before she disappeared, some of the people Belinda had considered friends had broken into her home.

At the inquest in 2013 into her disappearance and suspected death, the coroner found that the evidence Belinda was alive after September 26, 1998, is marginal, and is satisfied that it is more probable than not that Belinda is dead and that she died on or about September 26, 1998.

A moment of hope

In December last year, there was a moment of hope for Belinda Peisley's family. New South Wales Police found three items of women's clothing during a forensic dig under Belinda's former home in Katoomba.

In March 2019, police released photos of the items exclusively to Unravel. The commander of the NSW Homicide Squad, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook, told Unravel the clothes had been subjected to numerous forensic examinations that provided investigators with further lines of inquiry.

"As detectives continue to explore these lines of inquiry, we are appealing to the community for information that may assist us in our pursuit of justice for Belinda and her loved ones," Detective Superintendent Cook said.

What has become clear in the years since she disappeared is that wherever Belinda ended up after leaving the hospital that night, she probably wasn't alone.

'We just want to know the truth'

In the end, the coroner found it is more likely than not that Belinda Peisley's death was the consequence of the action of a third party, and that the matter was to be referred to the unsolved homicide unit of the NSW Police Homicide Squad for further investigation.

Belinda's father, Mark Wearne, who had reconnected with Belinda a year before she went missing and attended the inquest to give evidence, said the inquest brought Belinda's case into the public limelight and onto public record.

"Whereas, prior to the inquest it was just a closed personal tragedy," said Mark.

"No parent should ever bury their own child, and what makes it even more difficult is we don't even have a body to bury.

"We just want to know the truth; we just want to know what's happened," said Mark.

"At the end of the day that's the hardest thing: not knowing if she's alive or if she's not," said Belinda's aunt, Sharon Versace.

"The 'not-knowing' is the worst thing".

Belinda's mother, Lesley Peisley, said for a long time she held on to hope that Belinda was alive.

"I thought she would come back or they'd find her," said Lesley. "But once I got the report from the coroner saying a 'homicide' giving the date of her death, I had to accept she was gone."

Lesley said she has never found a way to cope with the loss of her daughter.

"I just felt the void. Basically it's a continual loss."

The disappearance of Belinda Peisley is the focus of season three of the Unravel True Crime podcast, Last Seen Katoomba. Subscribe on the ABC listen app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Reporting: Gina McKeon

Gina McKeon Podcast Producer and Researcher: Emma Lancaster

Emma Lancaster Digital Producer: Angela McCormack

Angela McCormack Thanks: Georgia Waters

Topics: people, missing-person, law-crime-and-justice, katoomba-2780, wentworth-falls-2782, leura-2780, australia

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