
Annette Shirley Briffa
Missing since January 10, 1980 from Asquith, New South Wales, Australia
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Disappearance
Briffa was last seen hitching on the Pacific Highway from Mt Colah to Asquith, Australia on January 10, 1980.
She may have been seen entering an orange Mazda sedan or similar vehicle heading toward Hornsby. It is unknown what happened to Briffa; she has never been heard from again.
She was reported missing to the Hornsby Police Station.
In January of 2005, the NSW Deputy State Coroner found that Briffa had most likely been abducted and murdered. An inquest on her disappearance found that one of the last people to see her, a man with whom she had been out drinking, has since been jailed for murdering his de facto wife.
Briffa's brother told the court that his uncle owned an orange Ford Escort. The vehicle matched the description of the car his sister was seen getting into as she hitchhiked on the Pacific Highway at Mount Colah about 03.00 on the day she vanished. Not long after Briffa disappeared, the uncle dumped his car in bushland at Lake Munmorah on the Central Coast.
According to a police statement the uncle had been convicted of a sexual-related matter.
Foul play is suspected.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New South Wales Police Service
02-9265-4455
Source Information:
New South Wales Police
The Sydney Morning Herald 1/27/05