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Excavation starts at home to find teen missing for 20 years

An excavation will begin as police hope to find the remains of a NSW woman missing since 1998.

Mother-of-two Belinda Peisley, then aged 19, was last seen in the Katoomba area in the NSW Blue Mountains on September 26, 1998.

A 2013 inquest found she likely died around the time of her disappearance but couldn’t determine the cause or circumstances of her death.

Police will excavate the home of Belinda Peisley in Katoomba (pictured). She hasn’t been seen since September 26, 1998. Source: 7 News
Police will excavate the home of Belinda Peisley in Katoomba (pictured). She hasn’t been seen since September 26, 1998. Source: 7 News

Despite extensive police investigations and ground searches, her body has never been found.

Investigators identified a number of persons of interest and explored lines of inquiry, which were tested during a Coronial Inquiry.

In 2013, the NSW Coroner found that Belinda had died around the time of her disappearance but returned an open finding on the cause and manner of death.

Belinda Peisley at age 14 holding her cousin Rachel. Source: AAP
Belinda Peisley at age 14 holding her cousin Rachel. Source: AAP

Homicide squad detectives will on Monday start a three-day forensic excavation and search at the teenager’s former Katoomba home.

Anyone with information that may assist Strike Force Belonidae detectives is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.

Ms Peisley was a mother of two (right) and (left) a supplied image of the missing teen from 2013. Source: AAP/ 7 News
Ms Peisley was a mother of two (right) and (left) a supplied image of the missing teen from 2013. Source: AAP/ 7 News