DETECTIVES are almost certain Krystal Fraser met with foul play in the Pyramid Hill area, but they have no body, no witnesses and no crime scene.
Thirteen years after she was last seen, detectives from the Missing Persons Squad are again appealing for information as part of their investigation into the disappearance of the heavily pregnant local.
Ms Fraser, who was only days away from giving birth at the time of her disappearance, was last seen on June 20, 2009, in Pyramid Hill.
Detectives have established that Ms Fraser travelled on a V/Line train from Bendigo to Pyramid Hill on the day of her disappearance, getting off the train at Pyramid Hill Railway Station about 8.40pm.
Investigations have also revealed Ms Fraser was last seen alive leaving an address in Albert Street, Pyramid Hill about 9.30pm after visiting an acquaintance.
On the night of her disappearance, Ms Fraser received a 40-second phone call on her mobile phone which was from a public phone booth outside the Leitchville Post Office in Findlay Avenue at 11.59pm on June 20.
Police said they were confident they now know who made this call to Krystal, however they are continuing to appeal for anyone with information or who witnessed someone at the phone box on the night to come forward.
Ms Fraser’s phone last showed activity on a Leitchville phone tower at 2.49am, nearly three hours after she received the call from the phone box, indicating that the phone was in the Leitchville or surrounding area.
Leitchville is 27km from Pyramid Hill and about 10 minutes from the towns of Gunbower and Cohuna.
Detectives said the proximity to these towns was important – Ms Fraser discharged herself from hospital against medical advice on the night of her disappearance saying she was attending a “party at Cohuna”.
Investigators have made extensive inquiries in the local area that indicate that neither this or any party took place in Cohuna on that night that was attended by Ms Fraser.
Detectives are also aware that Ms Fraser was associated with persons from both the Cohuna and Gunbower areas.
She was last seen wearing an orange top, black track suit pants and a camouflaged-patterned baseball cap, and her mobile phone has never been located.
Detectives believe Krystal was murdered and despite extensive investigations, are still searching for answers.
In 2019, a $1 million reward for information about Ms Fraser’s disappearance was announced and this reward remains on offer.
Detective Acting Inspector Tony Combridge of the Missing Persons Squad said police know who was calling Krystal from that Leitchville phone booth, and they need only a little more information from a local to tip the odds further in their favour.
“For the past 13 years, police have not given up finding answers as to what happened to Krystal and who is responsible,” he said.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation and we know there are still people, particularly around Pyramid Hill, who have information that could lead to us solving this case.
“It’s a small community and Krystal’s disappearance has had a big impact on everyone in the area, not just her family.
“While a significant period of time has passed, there is every chance this will work in our favour and now will be the right time for the right person to come forward to investigators and tell us what they know.
“All it takes is one call, if it’s the right call, and there is a still a million dollars on offer to someone who is willing to talk. This is undoubtedly a life changing amount of money for anyone, let alone someone in a small country town.”
Former Homicide Squad investigator Wayne Woltsche said cases like Ms Fraser’s stayed with you.
“I’m as invested today in getting answers as I was 13 years ago when I was working on the case while at the Homicide Squad,” he said.
“Krystal was one of the most vulnerable members of our community and her disappearance is nothing short of a tragedy.
“Like the current investigators, I’m hopeful that the time is right for someone to come forward and tell us what they know about what happened to Krystal.
“Thirteen years is an incredibly long wait for answers for any family, however I know police will keep doing everything we can to provide them with any kind of justice for what happened to Krystal.”
