Ballina Shire Mayor Sharon Cadwallader plans to meet with NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon this week to directly take up concerns over car wrecks – possibly containing missing persons – being left at the bottom of the river.

The move comes after Ballina News Daily revealed claims that multiple cars may be submerged in local waterways, raising questions about missing persons investigations, search methods and river health.

There is mounting community concern about what may still lie on the riverbed, with local fishers reporting several submerged vehicles detected using sonar.

The issue has gained urgency following recent developments, including the recovery of a vehicle linked to missing woman Sue Connors and another vehicle pulled from the Richmond River as part of the Cicily Spiers investigation.

At the same time, long-running cases such as that of Ellen Wilson — whose vehicle has never been found — have renewed focus on whether waterways were adequately searched.

Cr Cadwallader has long been an advocate for a river clean up.  Now she says it’s more urgent in light of missing persons concerns.

Main image: A car removed from the river last month believed to be that of missing person Cicily Spiers.  Police are yet to release details of forensic results.

Cr Cadwallader confirmed she will raise the issue when she meets with NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon at a Country Mayors Association event in Sydney tomorrow night.

“I’ve said that all along,” she said.

“If those vehicles are in the river, they should be investigated.”

The mayor questioned why further recoveries could not form part of ongoing police work, particularly following recent successful recoveries in local waterways.

“How did they bring the other one to the surface?” she said.

“Were there multi agencies involved in that, or did the police just do it?

“Why wouldn’t that be part of a police investigation to bring them up as well?”

Cr Cadwallader said the issue was not only about investigative process, but about providing answers for families still waiting for answers.

“How could you not have empathy for those families?” she said.

Beyond the policing questions, the mayor also pointed to growing concern about the condition of the Richmond River itself.

Ballina News Daily’s earlier reporting highlighted that a river potentially containing submerged vehicles is not just a policing issue, but an environmental one, raising questions about monitoring, maintenance and responsibility across state agencies.

Cr Cadwallader said debris from the 2022 floods remained a significant issue.

“Half of Lismore… is sitting on the bottom of the Richmond River,” she said.

The mayor said she was hopeful the issue would gain traction following discussions in Sydney, as calls grow for a coordinated response to identify, investigate and remove any remaining vehicles.