u/CreativeRosalie

Lisa Mott was 12 years old when she disappeared from Collie, Western Australia, on October 30, 1980.

She had spent the evening playing basketball with friends and later stopped at a nearby pizza shop. At around 9 p.m., Lisa began walking home. Witnesses last saw her crossing a railway line toward Forrest Street before getting into a yellow panel van. She was never seen again.

More than four decades later, police are still trying to determine who owned or drove that van. In 2025, investigators searched bushland near Collie after renewed attention turned to a yellow Holden panel van that had been found abandoned there years earlier. Police later said they had received more than 190 new reports from the public, but the case remained unsolved.

A $1 million reward remains available for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Lisa’s case.

After more than 45 years, do you think identifying the yellow panel van could still be the key to solving Lisa’s disappearance?

On July 21, 2005, 32-year-old Simon Knight was last seen at a hotel on Crown Street in Surry Hills, Sydney. He was supposed to work a shift at a cafe in Newtown later that day, but he never showed up.

His parents reported him missing, but despite years of investigation, no trace of Simon has been found. His bicycle and camera, which police say he had with him, have never been recovered either.

In 2015, a coroner concluded that Simon had likely died, although the circumstances of his disappearance remain unknown. Twenty years after he vanished, police renewed their appeal for information. A $250,000 reward remains available for information leading to the recovery of Simon.

It’s strange that both Simon and the things he had with him could disappear without leaving an obvious trail.

What do you think could explain why neither Simon nor his bicycle and camera have ever been found?

On June 13, 2001, 19-year-old Jason Jolkowski left his home in Omaha, Nebraska. He was supposed to meet a coworker at Benson High School for a ride to work, but he never arrived.

Jason seemingly disappeared somewhere between his home and the meeting point. More than 25 years later, his whereabouts remain unknown, and the FBI still lists him as a missing person.

It’s strange how someone can disappear during such a short, ordinary trip without leaving an obvious trail.

What do you think could explain a disappearance like this?

For decades, families in Medellín have believed that people who disappeared during Colombia’s armed conflict were buried at La Escombrera, a large rubble site in Comuna 13.

Forensic excavations began in 2024. By September 2025, seven bodies had been recovered, and several had already been identified and returned to their families. The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities don't know how many more victims could be there.

What stands out to me is how long families had been asking for La Escombrera to be properly investigated before forensic work finally began.

How many more answers do you think could come from continuing the excavation?

I've noticed that many true crime discussions focus on the same well known cases from the US and Europe. I'd like to learn more about the lesser-known cases from South America that are supported by reliable reporting or court records. I'm especially interested in older or concluded cases.

Which case would you recommend reading about? I'd appreciate a link to a reliable news report or court record so I can learn more.