‘Girl in the cupboard’ found dead
A woman who was at the centre of one of Australia’s most bizarre disappearances has been found dead on a golf course.
The body of Natasha Ryan was found on the Rockhampton golf course on Sunday. There are no suspicious circumstances.
Ms Ryan, then 14, ran away from home in 1998 to be with her 21-year-old boyfriend Scott Black.
Natasha Ryan made headlines after she was found hiding in a cupboard years after her presumed murder. Picture: Nine News
Ms Ryan was presumed to have been murdered by serial killer and rapist Leonard John Fraser.
But following a tip off to police, she was found hiding in a cupboard at the home of Mr Black in central Queensland in 2003, five years later.
The pair stood trial on charges of falsely causing a police investigation.
In 2005, Mr Black pleaded guilty to perjury for telling police he didn’t know where Ms Ryan was, and was jailed for 12 months.
Ms Ryan was also found guilty of causing a false police investigation and fined $1000.
They later married and had four children.
Natasha Ryan was found alive in 2003 having been presumed murdered by Leonard John Fraser.
Emergency services had been searching, via land and air, for a missing person in the Rockhampton region for a number of hours on June 2.
The RACQ CapRescue chopper service was assisting this morning searching the Rockhampton Golf Course area in West Rockhampton near the zoo and botanical gardens.
A statement from Queensland Police said emergency crews conducting a search for a 40-year-old woman found her body this morning.
“Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the sudden and non-suspicious death of a woman in Rockhampton,” it said.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au
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Headspace: 1800 650 890 or headspace.org.au
