Search for teen's body in Coober Pedy mine shaft called off
A search for the body of a teenager last seen in 1990 has been called off at Coober Pedy in South Australia's far north.
Major Crime detectives, State Emergency Services (SES) personnel and local volunteers had been scouring mine shafts in the area for the remains of 16-year-old suspected murder victim Karen Williams.
SES digger Michael White said workers faced tough conditions searching inside the shafts.
"Without the blower running things get very hot because you have no air flow," he said.
"Things do get somewhat debilitating with the amount of dust that can build up."
Police called off the operation after failing to find any trace of her.
Police started the search confident of a result after two witnesses came forward with new information.
Superintendent Des Bray said he believed they were searching in the right area.
"We'll go back and analyse everything we got," he said.
"We'll try and unearth new leads, new information. It's made us more determined than ever to find Karen."
A 42-year-old man was charged with Karen's murder last year but a search in the outback opal mining town in 2013 also failed to find any remains.
A $200,000 reward has been offered to anyone who can lead to the discovery of her body.
