| Title | : | Vanished: True Stories from Families of Australian Missing Persons |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1922896772 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781922896773 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 344 |
| Publication | : | Published June 7, 2023 |
Imagine the pain, confusion and emotional roller-coaster that families experience when a loved one goes missing. What would you do? How would your family cope?
This is a heart- wrenching collection of true stories told through the eyes of family members who have experienced the trauma of a missing loved one. It follows their journeys from the desperate searches in the first days, through the Police investigations and, in many cases, the heartbreak as the years roll by without any news.
These stories are just a glimpse into ten of the thousands of missing persons still out there, waiting to be found. From two young girls who might have been early victims of Ivan Milat and a woman who was last seen walking alongside a Victorial highway to a teenage boy likely murdered and fed to crocodiles in Kakadu and two Tasmanian men who disappeared under strange circumstances ... the cases are all different, but the impact on the families devastating.
Nicole Morris is the founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register. She has written this book to develop awareness of the plight of the courageous families of missing persons and raise public awareness to help find those people who seem to have vanished into thin air.
Vanished: True Stories from Families of Australian Missing Persons Reviews
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“Around 52,000 people go missing each year in Australia, and there are 52,000 reasons why.”
Nicole Morris founded the
Australian Missing Persons Register in 2005, seeing the need for an internet resource to help find the missing. Vanished is a collection of stories that place the reader alongside their families.
These stories lingered in my mind. I found myself researching the cases away from the book – such is Nicole’s ability to impact the reader. She has a wonderful gift to bring these people to life, make us feel like we know them, and to place us in the shoes of loved ones left behind. Many stories are puzzling; others spine-chilling, while some feel close to being solved. They are all heartbreaking.
Thanks to Nicole’s warmth, it never feels exploitive. She writes with a sensitivity that shows respect for victims and families, making them more than just faces on a missing persons poster. You soon gain an understanding of the unique grief involved with a missing person. Certain things feature regularly: survivor’s guilt, naming children after missing siblings, staying in family homes, issues with legal affairs and lack of closure.
“When they talk about him it’s in a mixture of past and present tense, evidence of the limbo in which they live all the time.”
Vanished could’ve been a depressing read – yet it’s an inspiring one. The families know unimaginable pain, yet display strength and resilience across these pages. The lengths family members went to was astounding. While all powerful tales, some felt particularly close to home – such as the Jason Mazurek and Billy Steffen Hobart disappearances.
The closing chapter was different to others – it had a resolution, albeit a sad one. Despite knowing the outcome, I found myself caught up in Mark Leicester’s story – lump in throat, heart pounding as it unfolded. Mark’s story triggered many emotions – it mirrored that of my cousin, Timmy. May they both rest in peace.
We are all brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, or parents – just like those in this book. It’s maybe why these stories resonate so much. The missing persons and their families are us. Their stories will ensure you give loved ones an extra hug or an “I love you.”
Vanished is true crime at its most compassionate and heartfelt best. It has the potential to change lives and solve crimes. With so many people going missing each year, I can easily see another book in future. If so, sign me up, because Nicole is not only a compassionate, kind-hearted person, but a great writer and advocate too.
I’ll always remember the names of those featured in this book. My thoughts are with them and their families:
Kay Docherty, Toni Cavanagh, Jamie Herdman, Jason Mazurek, Lisa Govan, Norman Lawson, James Crocker, Marcia Ryan, Billy Steffen, Richard Leape, and Mark Leicester.
“Every missing person needs a voice.”
If you have any information about these (or other missing) people, please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
Many thanks to Big Sky Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
Such sad reading; as I was reading about the first case- friends Kay and Toni I was like this has no resolution..and obviously it doesn’t. The book does a great service in demonstrating that! Their families have no resolution. These poor persons have vanished. I think Nicole Morris has done a great service in giving these missing people’s siblings a voice, it must be so hard to have lost a brother or a sister and at one point one sibling says they wonder whether everyone had ‘tried to work out if they were part of the reason’…it was a really sad read, but I’m so grateful I got the opportunity; thank you big sky publishing and Nicole Morris.
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Vanished
A big thank you to author Nicole Morris for reaching out and sending me an advanced copy of ‘Vanished’. I won’t be giving a star rating for this one because I feel that it is irrelevant, all 10 of these individuals stories are so important and so are the tens of thousands of stories of other missing people around the country.
While ‘Vanished’ is a heavy read it is an important one. The way Nicole wrote this book and paid a tremendous amount of respect to these individuals and their families stories is incredibly important and well told. I could feel myself getting more and more emotional imagining what it would be like to not know where your loved one was.
I feel that I simply cannot do justice to the book in this review. However, what I can do is urge you all to read this book and shed some light on these stories, visit the Australian Missing Persons Register and calling crime stoppers on 1800 333 000 if you have any information.
Nicole communicates with families who have asked for her help in publicising their missing loved one on the Australian Missing Persons Register, after reading a snippet of one of these conversations in this book I can honestly say that Nicole comes across as genuinely caring, concerned and helpful and I cannot imagine the comfort and appreciation she brings to these families.
Thank you again, It was a privilege to be asked to read this advanced copy and share in these stories. -
Thank you for bringing attention to a few of the thousands of long term missing persons in Australia. It's heart breaking to read about the impact on the families of those missing, not knowing what or why and left feeling guilty and somewhat helpless. As the book says, somebody out there knows something and I hope for the missing and their families that they find their answers some day.
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In 2005 Nicole Morris founded the Australian Missing Persons register, an internet resource to help find missing people in Australia.
http://www.australianmissingpersonsre... (your browser may come up with a security alert because the site is missing the encryption layer).
A valuable part of that website is the FAQ -
http://www.australianmissingpersonsre... which provides important information if you have somebody who is missing.
The book, VANISHED, came from the stories of people included on the site - although the statement:
“Around 52,000 people go missing each year in Australia, and there are 52,000 reasons why.”
does make you wonder how difficult the process must have been to select the cases that are highlighted here.
Released in June 2023 by Big Sky Publishing, the book tells the story, in Nicole's words, of the impact of the disappearances, as well as the known details. It describes the consequences of people simply vanishing for, in particular, the parents, siblings, children and extended family. From questioning their failure to find their loved ones, to what they believe they didn't see / do / understand in the lead up to and post the disappearance there is so much sadness, regret and guilt - a lot of which isn't mitigated by their overwhelming lack of responsibility. In some cases the disappearances were instantaneous, a brother that was there one minute, vanished the next. Two teenage girls doing what all teenage girls do, who disappeared in an instance.
All of these stories are compassionately told by Morris, taking care with relatives feelings and sensitivities, pointing out frustrations and doubts, without heading into sensationalist territory. It was, although, very sobering to see the lack of police action, time and time again. From the old "well teenagers will be teenagers" (inexcusable) to the difficulties of dealing with mentally ill, uncooperative adults (understandable but nonetheless very difficult to process), that's the message that really slated home to this reader in particular. In the years where we know killers like Ivan Milat and others were active, to think that perhaps a bit of digging around in some missing teenager cases, might have found something that could have prevented even more loss, well it's tricky to deal with, easy to question.
Needless to say, this is difficult reading and will be particularly difficult for people with disappearance in their own lives. Morris is careful in the way she treats people's stories though - there's nothing in here that feels exploitative or as already said, sensationalist. It's a telling of the outcomes, and a plea for awareness - of the cases she's highlighted and so many more into the bargain. It was particularly pleasing to see that police attitudes and procedures seem to have improved somewhat in recent years, although there is always more that could be done to support families, right down to listening to those that know when they say something is wrong - this is out of character.
A rating from this reader doesn't feel at all appropriate. It's a book worth reading, a good reminder of the reality of 52,000 yearly disappearances, and the number of those that remain lost to this day.
If you have any information about these (or other missing) people, please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi... -
Vanished is such a critically important book as it shines a light on one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure - a missing family member. Written with sensitivity and grace by Morris, what makes this book even more special is that the families of the missing themselves were involved, sharing their own heart-wrenching stories with the author.
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Wow, Nicole Morris what a beautifully written book about a very sad and emotional topic =( this book left me crying on multiple occasions=(. I hope that good comes from this book, even if it triggers someones memories about a missing person, please report it any little information is beneficial.
I highly recommend this book. -
Hard reading, there is NO end to these families grief, having a missing family
member.. The common denominater in my eyes is the attitude of the police.. It's bad , they are not helpful they don't communicate with each other so there is NO communication with families... Makes searching for your family or friend harder than it should be.. -
‘My brother is missing - can you help me?’ - The spectrum and impact of ‘gone missing’
Australian author Nicole Morris writes from the prominent stance of her position and commitment as the founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register, an Internet resource to help find the missing. In addition to her one-on-one work in her field of service, she now offers her findings and advice to the reading public about the tragedies of missing persons - in Australia and around the world. As Nicole introduces this collection of stories she states, ‘The stories in this book area all different, but they have common threads that seem to link them all,’ and with that lead in she shares the true events in the missing person stories of eleven people in Australia - stories that challenge credibility because of the frustration of the search attempts and tragedies involved.
Related with both careful research, photographs, and the spontaneity of the input of friends and families of the missing, these stories each place before the reader the facts regarding the ‘missing’ status along with back histories that infuse involvement in the search process, encouraging emotional commitment with each of the persons from the reader. The result - a book that reads like a well structured crime novel, except that the stories are completely real. This is a fine, thought provoking resource for understanding the conundrum of missing persons. Very highly recommended.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book -
Nicole Morris touched on a HARD subject on this book, and she did it with so much compassion and understanding. There are many stories of mission persons, and how it impacts their families. I feel a lot of the stories have a MAJOR thing in common. The police in all circumstances were very lacking in their response and assistance. While some families mentioned in the book may have had 1 or 2 police officers they felt really helped, or made them feel heard, many didn’t interact with any they felt helpful.
Morris explored the impact on the families, the obstacles trauma experienced, and the grief. She did this with so much compassion, allowing readers to completely have a insight into the families mentioned. She also explores multiple theories about each missing person, which I felt analysed the individual cases and circumstances well.
I am not normally a true crime reader, but I overall I enjoyed the book. I do feel that some chapters felt dragged out. That Morris added what felt to me fluff. While it did highlight the family members thoughts and feelings, it didn’t add much to the case. I had no larger grasp of the case or understanding in some after paragraphs of the conversations.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to review this book thanks to Beauty and Lace Magazine and Big Sky Publishing -
Well written and comprehensively researched, Vanished is an emotional and compassionate account of missing persons in Australia. Each chapter covers a different case, giving a perspective from the families, the author and the police findings. The three different viewpoints allow for a thorough exploration of each case, and encourage the reader to weigh up the facts. This book differs from other cold case books in that it never feels exploitative, and is awash with empathy for the families and victims. Morris paints a portrait of each missing person, telling their story so that the reader feels they have come to know them and their family. It's also a chance to understand the oft-overlooked emotional baggage that the families carry - feelings of overwhelming grief, regret, remorse, guilt, and an ongoing lack of closure.
Too often, society's fascination with grisly or mysterious crimes are glamourised to the point of desensitisation, overlooking the incredibly traumatic and lifelong sentence of the families involved. Vanished stands out as a book that gives voice to those families and victims, and I'd recommend it as a sobering and honest counterpoint to the more sensationalised books in the true crime genre. -
✍️ Nicole Morris is the founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register and when she sent me an advanced copy of her book to review I was humbled to read about the beautiful families and their heartbreaking stories of their missing loved ones and ambiguous loss.
I have to firstly give acclaim to Nicole for her tireless and inspiring work she does as Director of the Australian Missing Persons Register and the unrelenting support, cultivation and advocacy she provides to missing persons and their families.
The writing was gracefully delivered with each story expressed with thoughtfulness, clarity, knowledge and solicitude throughout. Whilst each story was unique, the circumstances were equally painful and heartfelt. This book is a wonderful way to help raise awareness and to retain the memories of all missing persons.
This will be released 7 June. I highly recommend picking up a copy.
Thank you @nicole_morris_author for the early copy to review and for the extraordinary dedication and love you put into this wonderful campaign. #vanished #nicolemorris -
Vanished by Nicole Morris
True stories from families of Australian missing persons
Tough read because we suffered the same events with our nephew.
Interesting to learn how things are done in Australia and tough facts about the technology they must send things to US to process.
What I hated to learn about was how things get so mixed up, communication never gets to where it needs to go to. If a sentence is stated others twist it all around so it's not the same thing that was state or printed.
Such hardships but like learning about the FB page to help others ask for help and with the agencies that handle it.
Like that there is information to report to authorities if you know anything about the person who vanished.
About the author and the organization information is also included at the end.
Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion. -
Vanished by Nicole Morris
True stories from families of Australian missing persons
Tough read because we suffered the same events with our nephew.
Interesting to learn how things are done in Australia and tough facts about the technology they must send things to US to process.
What I hated to learn about was how things get so mixed up, communication never gets to where it needs to go to. If a sentence is stated others twist it all around so it's not the same thing that was state or printed.
Such hardships but like learning about the FB page to help others ask for help and with the agencies that handle it.
Like that there is information to report to authorities if you know anything about the person who vanished.
About the author and the organization information is also included at the end. -
I binge read this in one afternoon. It is compelling and I couldn't stop turning the pages. Each story is gripping and heart-wrenching. Issues that I wouldn't have thought about with missing people are also raised, such as what to do about financial matters. They aren't here to pay their bills but no one is allowed to access their bank accounts, etc. I can't imagine that added stress to an already unbearable situation for the family. This is perfect for fans of true crime podcasts and I will recommend it to everyone.
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy. -
Thank you Nicole for bringing the perspective of the brothers, the sisters, and sometimes the children 'left in limbo' searching for their vanished sibling. The variety of perspectives, and, all the things I didn't think of that would just be knock after knock - when do you cancel the phone, the rental property, the car rego - it was these elements, the decision to let go, that really spoke to me. The grieving process never really gets 'done' - feeling guilty if you do move on - family members wondering if they have done enough. So powerful. I am following the facebook and webpage for Australian Missing Persons Register. And have tuned into the Australian True Crime podcast as well.
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There’s definitely two themes that seem to run through most of these cases - police ineptitude and/or disinterest; and mental illness. Sometimes the two coincide. It wasn’t easy reading this book, due to the sheer heartache of family and friends expressed on these pages. Decades long searches, in some cases.
I didn’t give it a higher rating as I felt the editing could have been much tighter than what it was. -
Such a heartbreaking book.
I got emotional several times while reading it.
