Victoria's homicide squad will take over the case of 13-year-old Siriyakorn 'Bung' Siriboon, following two years of investigation by the specialised Puma taskforce, the ABC can reveal.

Police have now shut down the taskforce set up to investigate the high-profile disappearance of the Melbourne schoolgirl more than two years ago.

In a statement, Detective Superintendent Tess Walsh stressed to the ABC that the dismantling of the squad did not mean police had scaled back the investigation or given up hope of finding whoever is responsible for Bung's disappearance.

"We've met with Bung's family and explained to them that the investigation is still very much active and we remain committed to providing them with some answers," she said.

"If new information is received or the investigation gets to the stage where we need to draw on additional resources, we have the ability upscale our response if needed.

"The taskforce detectives have worked tirelessly on this investigation and I am confident that the Homicide Squad will continue that and we will find out what happened to Bung."

Timeline and key facts Take a look at the events surrounding the disappearance of Siriyakorn 'Bung' Siriboon and the investigation that followed.

Taskforce detectives interviewed more than 250 registered sex offenders, canvassed more than 1,000 Boronia homes and investigated more than 1,100 pieces of information and information reports generated from calls to Crime Stoppers.

The disappearance of the eastern suburbs schoolgirl has lingered like a spectre over Victoria since June 2, 2011.

Wearing her blue and white Boronia Heights College uniform, Bung walked out the gate of her modest Elsie St home and turned towards her school. The walk should have taken 10 minutes.

As the school day finished, Bung's mother, Vanidda, waited for her daughter to come home.

At 4:00pm, a friend of Bung's rang to ask her what she should wear to football training the next day.

As Bung's parents later told Herald Sun journalist Andrew Rule, Bung's stepfather, Fred Pattison, who answered the phone, was confused.

He had no idea Bung wanted to play football, and asked the girl why she did not discuss it with Bung at school.

The friend replied that Bung had not been at school that day, and with that, the sickening, downward spiral began.

Retracing Bung's last steps as search in full swing

Bung's mother and stepfather went first to the school, where staff confirmed that she had been absent that day.

Then they hurried to Knox police station.

Although police were sympathetic, they urged the Pattisons to first canvass all family and friends.

The Pattisons searched all night, talking to as many of their daughter's friends as possible, but by next morning they were back at the police station, where detectives quickly took over the case.

In the days after her disappearance, her mother, stepfather and sister Siriporn walked the nearby streets, knocking on doors and handing out flyers bearing Bung's image.

Mr Pattison told reporters that the family's strong Buddhist faith was being tested, but they could not give up hope.

"When you lose them [your beliefs], you're no good to anyone," Mr Pattison said.

Family maintains hope, despite police fearing the worst

By the end of June, the homicide squad had taken control of the case, with the head of the squad, Detective Inspector John Potter, canvassing for the first time the possibility that Bung was dead.

He also said Bung's family were not suspects in her disappearance.

"The family are grieving for their daughter," Detective Inspector Potter said.

"They are desperately in need of information. They are confident she will be OK and she will come home."

Then, three weeks after Bung's disappearance, a twist. A local schoolgirl came forward and claimed a man had tried to abduct her as she walked along the street.

Police cautiously said they would examine possible links between the incident and Bung's disappearance.

But a week later, the 11-year-old admitted to frustrated detectives that she made the abduction attempt up.

"We have no description of an offender. It is not connected to any other abduction attempt; we have no vehicle description and we have no sightings since the day she went missing," Detective Inspector Potter said, as the false lead disappeared.

"It's as though she vanished into thin air."

And still Bung's parents refused to accept that she had been abducted, begging her through the media to come home, telling her that they loved her.

As the months crept by, police kept working the case, interviewing sex offenders, sifting through hundreds of calls from the public and viewing footage from CCTV cameras at nearby train stations, shopping centres, petrol stations and shops.

Intensive search fails to find Bung

Media reports about Bung having had several Facebook pages, and fears they could be linked to her disappearance, were hosed down by police.

Detectives even checked eastern suburbs brothels after a tip-off that a young Asian girl had been seen in one.

A year on from Bung's disappearance, Mr Pattison told journalists that his family still believed Bung was alive, and urged her to come home.

Shortly after the first anniversary of her disappearance, Detective Inspector Potter revealed a breakthrough in the case - albeit a small one.

A witness had come forward to say they had seen Bung about 130 metres from her school on the morning she went missing.

The sighting was significant, because it suggests that the 13-year-old intended going to school that day, rather than going somewhere else, Detective Inspector Potter said.

He also said police believed a local person was responsible for her disappearance.

Then in August this year, police spent three days searching a large reserve in Boronia, but found no link to Bung.

Now, it seems they must play the waiting game.

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