Six cars in the river — could Ellen Wilson’s vehicle still be found?
A 2015 police interview has shed light on why waterways were not initially searched in the investigation into missing Northern Rivers woman Ellen Wilson.
In that interview, an officer said police had focused on fire trails and bushland, but had not searched the river at that stage because there was no indication it was connected to her disappearance.
The officer said locating Ms Wilson’s vehicle was considered the key to understanding what had happened.
More than a decade later, that vehicle has never been found.
Ellen Wilson, a disability worker from Goonellabah, was 54 when she disappeared in September 2015.
She was last seen at the Australian Hotel in Ballina on the evening of September 11.
CCTV later captured her the following morning in Lismore withdrawing cash from an ATM, after which her bank accounts were never accessed again.
In 2015 ,Police searched fire trails and bush areas for a Silver Subaru station wagon with NSW registration CB 76 QX
She had planned to meet a friend in Ballina on September 12 for volunteer work, but did not arrive and was later reported missing.
It is believed she may have been driving a silver Subaru station wagon with NSW registration CB 76 QX.
Her vehicle has never been located.
A presumption of death was later made, and the case was subsequently closed by the Coroner.
However, recent discoveries in local waterways have renewed community interest in the case.
In recent weeks, a vehicle belonging to missing woman Sue Connors was recovered from Emigrant Creek, while a vehicle linked to the Cicily Spiers investigation was pulled from the Richmond River.
Local fisherman Graham, who witnessed the Connors vehicle being recovered near the Emigrant Creek boat ramp, said he is aware of “at least six other vehicles” sitting on the riverbed in the area.
Another local resident, Elaine, whose husband is a fisherman, said the discovery was not surprising.
She said local fishers using sonar are aware of multiple submerged vehicles in the river system.
“He knows of at least one more near the Burns Point Ferry,” she said.
Those discoveries have prompted renewed questions about how water-based searches are approached in missing persons cases.
Susan Connors vehicle retrieved
from Emigrant Creek March 1st 2026.
ELLEN WILSON’S FAMILY: (From left) Sisters Fiona Browne, Charlotte Gibson, Mum Sylvia Wilson, Ellen Wilson and Elizabeth Crook. Picture: Contributed
While a full river-system search would be complex and resource-intensive, recent events have led some to ask whether likely water-entry points were examined early enough in cases such as Ms Wilson’s.
Under current protocols, police investigations into missing persons may cease following a presumption of death, unless new evidence emerges.
However, any new information — including the potential location of a missing vehicle — may trigger further investigation.
Ellen Wilson’s case remains listed on the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre register.
*Main Photo -CCTV captured Ellen Wilson at a ATM in Lismore on the morning of September 12.*
