On the evening of July 27, 1979, 15-year-old Toni Cavanagh and 16-year-old Kay Docherty went missing from Warilla, near Wollongong, NSW. The pair, described as inseparable high school friends, left home after informing their families of their plans—for Kay, she said she was babysitting at Toni’s house, while Toni mentioned going to the movies with Kay’s relatives. However, their actual plan was to attend a disco in Wollongong’s CBD. They never returned home.

Their last confirmed sighting was at a bus stop near the Warilla Grove shopping centre at dusk. Days later, their families received handwritten letters postmarked from Kings Cross, Sydney. The letters indicated they were “safe” and staying with friends, but investigators have long questioned the circumstances under which these letters were written. Forensic analysis confirmed the handwriting belonged to the two girls, but inconsistencies in spelling and language raised concerns that the letters may have been written under duress.

The Investigation

Initially, police assumed the girls had run away. However, over the years, new investigations, inquests, and the formation of Strike Force Mundawari have brought to light the likelihood that Toni and Kay met with foul play. Detectives now strongly suspect that they were abducted and murdered.

Detectives have visited South-Eastern Queensland multiple times in search of leads, as many individuals connected to or who knew the girls during that time have relocated there. Despite reported sightings in Queensland in the years following their disappearance—from Ipswich to Cairns—none of these reports provided conclusive evidence.

The Psychic Medium’s Contribution

A psychic medium, Debbie Malone, was invited to assist the police in 2009. Using the girls’ belongings, Malone claimed to have experienced visions suggesting the girls were taken to bushland near Seven Mile Beach, where they suffered a violent end. Though Malone’s assistance led investigators to search the area multiple times using cadaver dogs, no remains were found. Despite these setbacks, Malone remains convinced the answers lie near Seven Mile Beach.

Family, Hope, and the Push for Closure

For more than 40 years, the families of Toni and Kay have lived with uncertainty and unimaginable loss. Kay’s twin brother, Kevin, has spent decades honouring a promise made to his late mother to pursue the truth about what happened to his sister. Meanwhile, Toni’s father, Barry, who has relocated, still mourns the loss of his vivacious and outgoing daughter.

Though multiple inquests into the case have resulted in open findings, NSW Police remain committed to solving this case. Detectives are convinced someone in the community holds crucial information.

Can You Help?

The NSW Government has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Toni and Kay’s disappearance.

If you have any information or remember anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please step forward. Your tip could provide the vital clue needed to bring closure to their grieving families.

All reports will be treated with the strictest confidence. Any tip could help uncover the truth

Further information on Toni Cavanagh

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. 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.
Reward of $100,000 offered to solve double disappearance and suspected murder

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.
Psychic ‘saw’ Warilla’s Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh’s violent end
17 May 2017

Images released in search for Kay Docherty and Toni Cavanagh’s killers
12 August 2016

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
Do letters hold a clue to missing teen girls?
7 November 2009