Kay Docherty
Last Seen
Kay Docherty, 16, and Toni Cavanagh, 15, were last seen on July 27, 1979, at Bulli Tops, after leaving their homes. They were reportedly heading to a disco in Wollongong but never returned. Both families received letters from the girls, postmarked from Kings Cross, claiming they were safe and would return soon. Despite an unconfirmed sighting in Queensland in 1984, there have been no confirmed sightings since their disappearance, raising serious concerns for their safety. A $100,000 reward is offered for information, and anyone with details is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Further information on Kay Docherty
Minister for Police Michael Daley today announced that a $100,000 NSW Government reward would be offered to help Police solve the disappearance and presumed murders of Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh. Mr Daley said Kay, 16, and Toni, 15, went missing from Warilla, a southern coastal suburb of Wollongong, three decades ago.
Reward of $100,000 offered to solve double disappearance and suspected murder
Detective Chief Inspector Michael McLean said detectives from Strike Force Mundawari, investigating their disappearance, recently travelled to Queensland to speak to people who knew the girls. “We’ve taken the view now their disappearance is a suspected murder and we are satisfied those girls have met with foul play,” he said.
Three decades later, search for girls continues
16 November 2009
A psychic medium who assisted a police investigation into the 1979 disappearance of two Warilla schoolgirls has detailed some of the pair’s final moments, in a disturbing new account based on a series of visions. (Subscription Required)
Psychic ‘saw’ Warilla’s Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh’s violent end
17 May 2017
When the parents of Kay, 15, and Toni, 16, received the handwritten letters four days after they went missing, the friends may have been trying to send them a hidden message. Forensic tests have identified the writing as that of the two girls but there are spelling and grammar mistakes the girls would never have made, especially Kay who was a star student at Illawarra High School.
Do letters hold a clue to missing teen girls?
7 November 2009
The then-constable Jeff Dakers was on duty in 1979 when the first reports came in of two missing girls, Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh. His life has changed since then, but his interest in the case has not.
Jeff Dakers explains in his own words
18 August, 2023
The inquest heard evidence from investigating detectives that the girls may have been murdered by fugitive Wollongong killer Graham Potter or backpacker murder Ivan Milat, but no detailed evidence was provided to support the claims.
Inquest finds two Wollongong teenagers died in 1970s
20 August, 2013
Images released in search for Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh’s killers
12 August 2016
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Official Release
Kay Docherty, then aged 16, was las seen on 27 July 1979 around 7.30pm in the company of Toni Cavanagh, then aged 15 (also missing). Both girls left their homes and did not return. Kay told her parents she was staying at Toni’s house, and Toni told her family they were going to the movies with Kay’s aunt and uncle. There was a sighting of the two at Bulli Tops, shortly afterwards. It’s believed the girls were on their way to the Wollongong CBD to attend a disco, but it’s not known whether they ever made it.
Both girls were reported missing to the police on Sunday 29th July. The following week, Toni and Kay’s families received separate letters from the pair posted from the Kings Cross area, saying they were staying with friends and would be home soon.
There have been no confirmed sightings of the girls since they were seen at a Bulli Tops bus stop at dusk on the evening of Friday 27, although there was an unconfirmed sighting in Queensland in 1984. There are grave concerns for the safety and welfare of the girls.
A reward of $100,000 is offered for information to solve the double disappearance. If you have information that may assist police to locate Kay please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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