Casey

Out on the open water?

How does it feel?

Really?

When all this is over, I hope we can try being normal together.

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It was getting late on the afternoon of Wednesday December 7 1994, and married couple Joy and Roger Membry were seriously starting to worry.

Their daughter, 22-year-old Elizabeth, had been scheduled to attend an important doctor's appointment earlier that day and they'd been eagerly waiting to hear how it went.

For the past year, Elizabeth had been experiencing bouts of severe abdominal pain and she'd been hoping that this specialist appointment might finally explain why.

When Roger called Elizabeth earlier that day to ask how it went, she didn't answer her phone.

He left a message on her answering machine, but by 6pm she still hadn't returned his call.

Joy tried Elizabeth again.

Still no answer.

The members' worry only increased after receiving a phone call from Elizabeth's boyfriend, Jason, asking if Elizabeth was with them.

Jason said he too had been trying unsuccessfully to get in touch with Elizabeth all day.

They'd had dinner plans the previous night that Elizabeth cancelled at the last minute after being asked to work overtime.

She worked as a bartender at the Manhattan Hotel, a pub in the outer Melbourne suburb of Ringwood, which was just a short drive from her home.

Their anxiety spiking, Roger and Joy Membry drove past the pub to check if Elizabeth's car was in the car park.